The majority of websites out there have traffic growth as a primary objective. More traffic typically results in more potential buyers and, ultimately, more sales. No one benefits when a website sits there underused. Improved rankings in unpaid (“organic” or “algorithmic”) search results on search engines, such as Google and Bing, is the goal of search engine optimization (SEO). According to Wikipedia, this is what it means. There are always new steps to take in this process. I’d want to go through certain fundamentals that will increase the number of visitors to your website.
The field of SEO can be broken down into two distinct subfields. The initial step is to enhance the page itself. The second is off-site optimization, which centers on creating inbound links.
With proper on-page SEO, search engines will have an easier time crawling and indexing your site’s content. On-site search engine optimization is an essential part of any well-designed website. This article reviews some best practices for improving your website’s search engine rankings.
Authentic, keyword-stuffed title tags. The title tag specifies the text displayed in the browser window preceding the address bar. It also appears in the results pages generated by search engines after a query is entered. This may be the most critical factor in search engine optimization. You need to create a unique title page for each page on your website. If multiple pages on your site share the same title, only one will be shown in search engine results, reducing the visibility of the other(s).
The importance of quality content on websites continues to rise. Websites with high-quality content perform better in search engine rankings. As time goes on, search engines improve their ability to determine which sites deserve high rankings and which do not.
You’ll want text, photographs, and videos on your website. The content must be original and exciting to be read. Many people find it challenging to think of material for their websites. Putting up the time and effort is necessary. Stay on topic when writing the material. Internal links to different sections of the same website are a must. These links should take you to relevant content on other websites. If you utilize images on your page, ensure they have descriptive “alt” tags related to the content. It is also recommended to incorporate links to relevant and credible external websites.
A website’s content should be easily accessible within two clicks. This will help search engines locate and index the resources.
There should be only one URL per page in your site. Here’s an example of a possible URL for your About page: There should be a redirect from the non-www version to the www version. Try entering one of those links into your browser’s address bar. WordPress websites mechanically handle this for you. But watch how you approach this situation. If this isn’t the case, different search engines may index multiple versions of the same page. Your rating may suffer as a result of this.
Before writing any content for a website, keyword research should be conducted. Find out what people are typing into search engines to find your website. Wordtracker is a keyword research tool that provides a free version. Google provides a free keyword tool to investigate the level of interest in specific keywords.
You should limit your keyword selection to no more than a dozen terms. One or more words can make up a keyword. People tend to type in very long sentences. Long tail keywords are precisely those kinds of phrases. The keywords in your target list should be no more than a few words long. There is a lot of competition for single-word keywords. Ranking highly for geo-targeted search terms like “dentist Dallas TX” is significantly less of a challenge.
So far, we’ve talked about ways to improve your website. It’s not impossible, but it can be time-consuming. The second type of SEO extends beyond the confines of your website itself. The process of constructing links is included here. Getting links from other websites is called “link building.” Advertise on other websites to gain access to such links. If you join the Chamber of Commerce in your area, you may be able to gain a link from their website to your own. You can get a link to your site from theirs when you join online directories like the online yellow pages.
A backlink is a link that appears on another website and leads back to yours. You should strive to have a large number of high-quality inbound links. The number of incoming links to popular websites is often tens of thousands. While quantity is necessary, so is quality. The importance of high-quality backlinks is greater now than it has ever been. Links to your website that appear in relevant material are considered high-quality backlinks. An excellent example of an appropriate link would appear in an article on golf and links back to your main website. Indeed, that’s a valuable resource you provided there. However, a backlink to your golfing article from a website that features Chinese personal advertisements is not particularly relevant and will hurt your rankings.
Links to your site from other websites should be accompanied by backlinks to that content. The quality of the backlinks will increase, and your site’s ranking will improve.
It’s not simple to get people to your website. It shouldn’t be too simple, though. Consider it from the perspective of your site visitors. They shouldn’t waste time visiting your site if it provides no value. Make sure something is interesting to read, and people will stick around.
Written by: Jeff Meland
Expert in Google AdWords and Web Marketing.
Read also: Using Free Classifieds To Drive Free Website Traffic.
