SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the process of making your website easy for search engines to find and rank. When a user types a search query into an engine (like Google, Bing or Yahoo), the engine then searches for websites that best match that search query based on a checklist of requirements that a website must meet before the engine will rank and display the website. This checklist of requirements is part of the engines search algorithm which changes daily, constantly learning to better display the best matched websites for the user.
It is important to remember that search engines are built for the searcher, NOT the websites, and search engines will always strive to give the searcher the most accurate results. So how do you get your website in these searches? With quality content that the search engine will see as valuable to the searcher.
Here are a few basic guidelines to ensure your website set up for success.
Content Structure - Part 1
H Tags
H Tags are header text on your webpage. H1 tags are main headers and H2-H6 are smaller sub headers. It is important to make sure these H tags contain targeted keywords that are relevant to your content. It is also important to use H1 tags at the beginning of each page and place sub headers below.
Natural Keywords
Natural Keywords refers to the way content is worded. One strategy used to rank in search engines is “Keyword Stuffing” where every opportunity to use a keyword is taken to the point where the text does not flow anymore. An example:
Find help with your Michigan Roofing projects like Michigan Shingles, Michigan Flat Roof, Michigan Roof Repair.
Obviously trying to rank for roofing services in Michigan. This strategy is frowned upon by most search engines and should be avoided.
Natural Keywords are keywords used to attract free traffic through organic SEO as opposed to pay-per-click keywords, which are bid on through paid marketing campaigns.
External Links
External links are hyperlinks that go to domains other than your website’s domain. In other words, if you link out to another website, this would be considered an external link. Linking to other trusted websites will help the search engine decide if your website is reputable or not, adding to your domain name authority and boosting your SEO.
Alt Text
Alt text is a word or phrase that is inserted into an HTML document to tell visitors to your site the contents of an image. Alt text appears in a black box where the picture would normally be. If your image cannot be displayed, alt text is important to have so that visitors know what your image or video is trying to convey. Alt text is also read by screen readers and is an important part of online accessibility.
Rich Content (Text/Images/Video/etc)
Rich Content and Rich Media are images and videos that are presented on your site. This content can be very important with increasing engagement as well as how users find your content.
Images, if optimized well, have the ability to generate organic searches and increase your click-through-rate (CTR). Quality pictures that represent what your site is trying to say can help users who are looking through an image gallery understand what the main objective of your website is and what your brand should mean to your consumers. This will lead to more users clicking on your images and, if optimized correctly, can provide a direct link to your content, greatly increasing the attendance on your site.
Videos are also important to optimize, as they provide another source for users to access content and provide a different visual experience for the when they visit. Optimizing your videos for Google searches can expand your access to users by being on one of the largest video search properties on the web.
Conclusion
Even though this seems like all the information you will need to fully optimize the content structure of your site, tune in next week to see part 2 on our SEO tips and learn about website structure and how the mobile content of your site can be more responsive and friendly to your users. By implementing these important parts, your site will see an increase in web engagement, be able to generate more organic searches and make your domain more successful overall.