6 Tips For First Time SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the art of customizing your website so that it rises in search engine results pages (SERPs). Simply put, it’s about making your website appear on the first or second page of Google results instead of the hundredth. There are many ways to utilize SEO, but here are just a few to get you started.
1. Choose Your Keywords
The ideal keywords are generic enough to attract page hits, but unique enough that they aren’t overshadowed by websites already using them. For example, if you’re a bookseller, your keyword shouldn’t be “books.” It will be almost impossible to wrangle that traffic away from established bookstores. Try something like “Russian books” or “hardback books” instead.
2. Make Alternative Keywords
Don’t put all of your eggs into one basket when it comes to keywords. Create an entire list of alternatives that you can sprinkle throughout your content to optimize it without using the same phrases over and over. If your main keyword is “balloons,” your alternatives can be “birthday,” “helium” and “party.” If your main keyword is “carpet,” your alternatives can be “decor,” “home” and “flooring options.”
3. Create Links
The point of search engine algorithms is to push the most relevant and authoritative content to the top of the list. If your website has a lot of inbound and outbound links, the search engines will assume that you’re a valuable source providing good information. Add links to your content whenever it’s relevant and useful to do so. Don’t try to game the system with false links however; search engines wised up to that a long time ago, and they’ll crack down hard on people trying to manipulate them.
4. Prime Your Content
Your keywords should be used in the beginning of your content for maximum impact. This can be achieved with titles, headers or just opening paragraphs. As long as it’s near the top of the page it will be noticed that much sooner by search engine spiders. The goal is to make them immediately aware that you’re a relevant source of information for your keywords.
5. Put Your Keywords In Your Code
This will take a little knowledge of web scripts, so if you don’t have that level of education yourself you might want to outsource the task to professionals. But sneaking your keywords into your code is a time honored way of increasing your keyword density without affecting the readability of your content. You can put your keywords into everything from your meta descriptions to your alt text.
6. Get On Social Media
Social media is a great way to provide links for your content and signing up for various accounts only takes a few seconds of your time. It’s a quick and easy method for boosting your authority in the eyes of places like Google. Go ahead and sign up for as many social media networks as you feel relevant including Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram, and link your website on their profiles.
These are just a few ways to help you optimize your website and start to drive web traffic. For more information, contact a digital marketing firm with SEO professionals on staff. They can assist you with all of your SEO Sydney needs.
