Recently updated on August 8th, 2022
Website SEO itself can sometimes be quite complicated, but the concept is simple. SEO is short for search engine optimization. The practice of SEO is making sure that your website is “optimized” for search engines so that your website ranks as high as possible in search results. As straightforward as it may seem, the rules almost change daily. Here are some simple tips to help you understand how website SEO can help your business be found by your potential customers.
How Do Search Engines Work?
While there are various web search engines out there, Google is, by far, the most widely used with over 90 percent of the market share. Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo and others make up the rest of the US market.
When you type a query into Google search, it uses an ever-changing algorithm to review all of the pages registered in its index and attempts to bring you the most relevant results on its search engine results pages (SERPs). Unfortunately, outside of Google, no one is 100% sure how these algorithms work. Google has a page titled “How Search works” that gives a brief description of how they develop your search results.
Google explains its process of providing the most relevant results for your query. Their search algorithms look at various factors, including the query itself, relevance and usability of pages, the validity of sources, your location and settings. These are essential factors to be aware of, being that they will determine how high in SERPs your page will appear.
Beyond the Definition
You have probably already heard of Website SEO before reading this post. You are probably wondering, “How do I even “optimize” my website for SEO and how you do I even know what ‘good’ or ’bad’ SEO is?” You will want to know how your business can use SEO to drive traffic to your site to achieve your sales goals. In this post, we’ll give you insight on how to do just that.
Once your website is optimized, it doesn’t stop there. You have to continue to update your website with fresh content that’ll keep you ranking higher in search results.
How to SEO Optimize Your Website
Here are general guidelines that will help set you up for great SEO.
- Analyze your website data – Understand why your call to actions (CTAs) aren’t converting. Use tools like Google Analytics to make informed adjustments to your site.
- Do your keyword research – It’s no longer as simple as picking a keyword, and then your blog could be found on SERPs that very same day. You have to do thorough keyword research with tools like SEMrush and Keywords Everywhere.
- Offer valuable content – Content is king! Pages that are full of relevant content will rank higher on SERPs.
- Optimize for on-page SEO – On-page SEO refers to headings, subheadings, URLs, and metatags. Make sure these are up-to-par using tools like Yoast.
- Optimize for off-page SEO – This where you can boost your SEO with external means like social media content mentioning your brand.
- Have a mobile responsive website – You want your website to be mobile responsive, especially after Google has adjusted to a mobile-first index. You don’t want users frustrated because buttons are unresponsive, and videos take too long to load.
- Make sure your pages are up-to-speed – Page speed is critical. If your site takes too long to load, it can negatively affect your ranking.
- Backlinks, backlinks, backlinks – The final and best way to help your website rank better is backlinks. A backlink is when another website links to your website. When high-quality sites link to yours, Google interprets the link as a boost to your online credibility.
Once your website is optimized, it doesn’t stop there. You have to continue to update your website with fresh content that’ll keep you ranking higher in search results.
Adaption is the Name of Game
We can see that SEO can be complex, and no matter what any “guru” says, there isn’t a single surefire method to great website SEO. Your best bet is to continue to adapt to the ever-changing world of SEO, ensuring that your strategy is up-to-date.
After reading this, you may still feel that you aren’t equipped to carry out your SEO needs. Don’t let that limit your business’ potential. Tap into the expertise of our SEO specialists at Next Horizon and let us improve your ability to get found by more potential customers online.
