If you want to strengthen your SEO (search engine optimization) so more people can find you easily online, we have some marketing strategies we’d like to share with you. Begin implementing them to start seeing substantial results. Keep in mind that it won’t happen overnight, and it takes work and dedication, but if you follow these tips, your work will pay off.
1. Blog regularly.
The larger your website, the more pages search engines will crawl and return to users in results pages. The more quality content your site contains, the higher you’ll rank in search results, giving you the opportunity to get in front of more people and increase traffic to your website.
One of the easiest and most effective ways to add quality content to your website and increase traffic is by blogging. If your website doesn’t currently have a blog, we strongly recommend adding one. If you have strong writers on your team already, have them get to work! If not, you can hire professional writers to produce blog posts for you.
2. Implement keywords effectively.
While keywords aren’t everything, they’re very important for SEO. Keywords are what users type into search engines to find answers to their questions. In order for your website to be one of those answers, it needs to include relevant keywords that people are searching for. Optimize your content by inserting keywords naturally into your page titles, meta descriptions, headings, content, image titles and alt text, and URLs.
3. Add titles and meta descriptions to every page on your website.
When determining the relevance of a web page, a search engine first looks at its page title; therefore, titles directly impact click-through rates and search engine ranking. In search results, the first 65 characters (on average) of a web page title are visible, so keep that in mind when devising a title. Also try to include an important keyword in your title; this will help your page rank more highly for appropriate search queries.
Write a unique meta description for each page on your website. When your page appears in search results, the meta description will appear directly below the title and website link. This is what many users read before they'll click on a link. Your goal here should be to persuade the user to click on your article by offering a brief but accurate description of the page they’ll be led to. Including meta descriptions will also help you rank more highly on search engines. Include at least one relevant keyword here as well.
Note: Make sure the keywords you use throughout your website are appropriate and don't seem unnaturally stuffed into your writing. Your website could actually suffer from “keyword stuffing,” not benefit. Your site will benefit most by having naturally written, intelligently researched, structured, and grammatically correct content. You want to attract visitors by offering content your target audience is interested in reading. You’ll deter them if your writing is choppy or looks spammy.
4. Name image files.
Instead of naming your file “image.jpg” or something similarly generic, give it a descriptive name that accurately depicts it. For example, if you’ve written an article about apple picking and you have an image of an orchard, you could name it “apple-orchard-in-fall.jpg.” Keep it concise but specific.
Also give your image some alt text—an HTML description for search engines to read and understand what your image contains. Alt text can be similar to the image file name. You could add a keyword to your alt text as long as it accurately describes the image and is used in the right context, but don't stuff multiple keywords here, either.
5. Make sure your web pages load quickly.
If you do all the work to boost your SEO, and you’re attracting visitors, but they leave because your website takes too long to load, then what’s the point? Don’t let all your hard work go to waste. Work with a website designer to determine why your website is slow, and figure out how to make it faster. People are constantly on the go and expect immediate answers. Let your speedy website offer solutions to their problems quickly.
If you’re interested in SEO services, look no further than Blue Frog Marketing! With offices in Des Moines, Iowa, Denver, Colorado, and Huron, Ohio, we serve customers nationwide. Let us know what you need help with, and we’ll work with you to come up with specific strategies to reach your short and long-term business goals. Contact us today!
