SEO 101: 3 Things You Need To Do
When it comes to search engine optimization, the number of things that can impact it can be staggering. This sometimes creates situations in which people get so focused on trying to follow the latest and greatest tip or do as many things as they can that they overlook some of the most basic things. Don’t feel bad, it happens to the best of us (how do you think I know about it so well?). That’s why it is good every now and then to step back and look at some of the basics and get a little refreshed.
Following are three things that have tremendous power to positively impact your SEO:
- Write Killer Title Tags
You know title tags—those very large, visible and important headlines essentially that appear at the top of each listing on a search engine result page. Here’s a question for you—how much do they impact your choice of what result to click? I’m guessing your answer is “a lot” and it should be. Deferring to auto-generated title tags is like flushing opportunity down the toilet. Consider writing really good (and not too long) title tags among the low-hanging fruit of the SEO world.
A great title tag should start with a keyword (but never be keyword-stuffed!). Following that with a brand is a great way to reinforce your brand identity as well. Then, make sure you write your tag with the intention that a human will read it—because they will. Don’t write title tags for bots, write them for people.
- Write More
One of the problems some people are experiencing with content marketing is the dearth of good content. That is not the same thing as having too much content, despite what some may be saying. Nobody is tasked with reading everything that is out there. They are only given the opportunity to read what they want. It is your job to make sure that you give people something they want to read. If you do, they will read it and they will keep reading—so that means you need to keep writing—with value and quality in mind as well as quantity.
- Give People a Good Experience
What constitutes a good experience online? Pages that load quickly. Pages that display properly on all devices. Navigation that is easy to understand and follow. Information that answers the right questions. Content that talks to the reader. Forms that are easy to fill out.
All of these directly relate to SEO and you will be seeing more and more that semantic SEO will play a big part in how you rank. Therefore, creating content that is truly relevant and important for your audience is only going to grow in importance.
None of these tips should be things you haven’t heard before. But, trust me, each of them individually can be like gold for your SEO program. All three of them together—well, that’s just crazy good. J
So, whether you’ve never implemented any of these tips before or just let things slip by the wayside a bit, get up, dust off and get going—you’ll be glad you did.
