5 Quick Tips on SEO

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) allows you to improve the quality and quantity of (unpaid) website traffic by increasing the visibility of a website on a web search engine. SEO practices continue to evolve, for instance, due to Google’s BERT update for search, focusing on keywords for organic search rankings no longer works, though they are still necessary. However, there are still fundamental aspects of SEO that remain the same.

Here are a few tips on how to boost your traffic with SEO:

Tip # 1. People Come First

This tip is first on our list because too many marketers focus on the search engine itself, rather than the people it caters to. Although high search rankings help you get more traffic, the search engine is not your buyer persona nor should you try to sell to it. In order to change your mindset about modern SEO practices, you will need to focus on how people engage with your brand, product, or service, and why they do it. The customer’s why should be the same why your company tries to solve for. To make this clearer, think back to the principles of Inbound Marketing; if your company’s why is positioned in the centre of The Golden Circle, with how and what close-in orbit, that why needs to solve the customer’s problem down the line. It is also the why that maintains your integrity as a business, so as to not lose sight of your purpose and the very reason your product/service is useful.

So, when writing your content, forget that Google even exists and simply try to help people. By helping people find use out of your product/service or even helping them understand it, they will help you by spreading the word or becoming a customer. Ironically, search engines look to feature content that helps people the most, which will subsequentially help you rank higher.

Tip # 2. Make External Links

A common misconception with SEO writing is that linking to external sites pulls viewers off your site and onto theirs. However, this is actually a good thing. You get what you put in, and if you’re expecting to gain external links from other blogs linking back to your site, you have to demonstrate your investment in returning the favour. Not only does it give your readers access to more useful information they might have not come across, but it also boosts your credibility as a trusted resource. Links that site visitors find helpful through your site will communicate to visitors that your brand is trustworthy, useful, and confident enough in its offering to draw your attention elsewhere.

Keep in mind that you need to be very selective in what external links you create and that you’re fostering relationships with these influencers or bloggers as well as linking to their site. The blogs/sites you’re linking to need to offer tremendous value to your site, or it’s not worth the link.

Tip # 3. Motivate Sites to Link to You

Naturally, if you create useful content and direct visitors to other useful blogs, people will be more interested in linking to yours. Content marketing is centred on the idea of creating content that is worth sharing. When people genuinely like your content, they will feel the need to create external links for you, because your content ultimately helped them, too.

Tip # 4. Invest in Web Analytics

Once your SEO goals have been set, you’ll need to invest in analytics tools to track your progress. These tools can tell you what’s working in your SEO strategy and what’s not. Analytics interpret your data into actionable insights, so you’ll want to set up your tools before you implement your strategy to get the most accurate data and results. Intel like where site visitors are clicking and for long are important factors when gauging your site’s success and where to improve, or where to further engage visitors.

Tip # 5. Don’t Forget Meta Descriptions

Meta descriptions are the first section viewers see when Google presents your page to users. Meta descriptions help get users to click on your page by offering a brief description of page itself; meaning they are there to generate click-throughs from search engines. While there is no direct ranking benefit from meta descriptions, Google measures your click-through rate to determine if you’re a good result. The more click-throughs your meta description can get you, the higher your ranking. Here are a few tips to consider when optimising your meta description:

• Keep it up to 155 characters
• Include a call-to-action
• Use your focus keyword
• Make sure it matches the content on the page
• Show product specifications
• Make it unique

Your SEO strategy requires a lot of research.

Whether you’re researching keywords you want to be known for, current rankings on Google, or how to create better content than your competitors, you will need to continually compare your results to those who are doing it better. Although it can seem like a discouraging process, in time, your SEO efforts will begin to work for you. By focusing on search intent and ROI, instead of singular keywords and pages, you will naturally create helpful content that has your buyer persona in mind, and Google will notice. Also, don’t forget to make your site compatible with mobile.