We’ve found out What SEO is, now lets take a look at some examples of good SEO practices.
Below you will find a selection of tips to improve your understanding of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). These are not definitive rules but implementable guidelines that focus on long term online success.
Fresh Content
There is no such thing as a finished website. By striving to consistently add and improve web pages you are more likely to rank higher in searches, attract a higher volume of visitors and thus generate more sales as a result. As the old saying goes ‘Content is king’.
Higher page viewing times mean search engines are more likely to give your site a higher ranking. Baring this in mind, it pays to have content your customers can engage with for longer periods of time.
Adding a blog to your website is one of the simplest ways to keep your website fresh with new content. Consider a ‘News’ section, also.
When adding in optimised keywords into your content, it’s crucial that you stick to an appropriate density. For text that measures 300 words should generally use a keyword density of between 1-3%. Any more and you risk being penalised for ‘keyword stuffing’.
This all assumes you have your own content to use. If you’re running a little short we have a wealth of experience when it comes to generating content
How to get Higher on Google
Search engine algorithms (the robots that rank your website) are forever changing. As per Google’s CEO, Eric Schmidt, in 2010, Google made over 500 algorithm changes. That’s 1.5 per day! No one quite knows the exact ins and outs of any search engine algorithm but we can look at their objective and deduce a plan of action from that.
The goal of any search engine is to match the searcher with the most appropriate website based on their search criteria. Search engines like Google and Yahoo generate income from PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising – You know, those ads you see placed around the organic search results? So, by attracting more visitors, search engines have more chance of a searcher clicking a PPC ad, thus generating profit.
Based on this incentive of matching up searchers with the perfect website, your time is better spent making an original website tailored to people. Tailoring your website to just look good to those pesky ranking robots is bad SEO practice.
Keywords
Keywords play a massive part in SEO. With keywords being so important, it’s crucial that the process is well thought out and executed correctly. Keywords filter in to most other SEO practices in one way or another.
It starts with keyword research. Trying to rank for any random keyword or keyword phrase is like playing a game of roulette – A big gamble that you are likely to lose out on. It’s important to find a niche. A keyword phrase that has a good search volume and a relatively low level of competition. It’s not quite that simple but that’s a great place to start.
Optimising your website for long tail keywords is definitely worth considering, particularly if you are just starting out and can’t compete with the ‘big fish’. Despite having lower search volumes, long tail keywords are easier to rank for and are very specific. Whatever service or product you offer, the more specific the search term, the more likely they are looking for exactly what you have to offer.
It’s all about RESEARCH! And plenty of it. We can help you with this.
Image ALT Text
First and foremost, ALT text should be descriptive in such a way that it can help visitors. If an image doesn’t load properly, or if the viewer has a condition that affects their cognition, the ALT text should communicate to them what the image represents.
This is also an opportunity to add in an optimised keyword as search engines do take them into account. It’s important not to overdo it though as this can incur penalties.
H1 Tags and Hierarchy
Header tags, or h1 tags are more often than not the title of a particular page or post. It will usually be the largest text on the page and needs to briefly describe what the corresponding page is about. Search engines take the h1 tag into consideration when ranking your website.
There are also h2, h3, h4 etc. The idea is to use them to form a hierarchy down each page. As you go down the chain, less emphasis is put on each.
Each header tag you use is a great opportunity to get the right keywords in and attract the right visitors to your page.