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How to Improve SEO: Simple Tactics to Increase Rankings
If your business depends heavily on your online presence, having a high ranking on search engines should be one of your top areas of interest. Learning how to improve SEO is a crucial factor in determining how well your business is going to do in the online commercial world. The only way that you can generate enough sales to make a profit is if you have a significant amount of traffic.
The techniques for search engine optimization (SEO) are constantly changing and adapting to consumers’ search behaviour. For example, previously, most keywords were short-tailed, or 2-3 words at most. Now, they are full phrases. It is most likely because consumers have started making more specific searches and also because they can use voice-to-text to enter longer keywords in a shorter amount of time.
If you want your business to stay on top of its game, you’ll have to make the necessary changes to your SEO strategies as well. Did you know that THESE MANY BUSINESS do not bother making the additional efforts of improving their website’s SEO, which is why only a limited number of potential customers make it to their page? If you do not manage to show up on the first page of search results, there is a huge possibility that no one will ever discover your website in the first place.
Not only does this lead to fewer customers and a poor search engine result rating, but it also means that no one is reading the content you worked on to publish on your website. If you have been investing time and money in creating new content, the last thing you would want is for it to lie stale on your website and not give you any return on investment (ROI).
At SEO Resellers Canada, we help you revamp your website to boost your SEO. With better SEO, more potential customers are attracted to your website and your SEO ranking increases. Here are some more ways to improve SEO that you can incorporate into your business as well.
Contents
1. Revamp Your Website
There are several different aspects to consider when you’re working on revamping your website. You have to fix any glitches or lags that are going to drive potential customers away. You’ll also have to make your website accessible for tablets, PCs and mobile phones. With the rising awareness of accessibility, you also have to ensure that your site has features that make it easy to access for people that struggle with vision or navigating through pages.
The increase in the age of people that can now use mobile phones has changed the way websites are laid out. Older people need more guidance to help them make a purchase or visit different pages of your website. They are also more likely to use voice-to-text features to help them carry out searches, so your website needs to be built to accommodate their needs. Depending on the age of potential customers that you are targeting, you will have to modify your website.
Did you know that almost 40% of people that visit your website will leave if it takes more than 3 seconds to load? People leaving your website as soon as they arrive increases your bounce rate. The bounce rate adversely affects your website’s ranking and will push it lower in the search engine results. This means you need to upgrade your site to load quicker, on all different kinds of devices. You will also need an engaging error page in case your website ever crashes or is going through renovations. More than 80% of people who encounter a negative experience with your website (like lagging or a disappointing error page) will never come back to your website again.
You could opt for a redirect page that takes visitors to a functional page, or to your product page where visitors can avail a discount. Making sure your visitors leave your website with a positive impression is imperative if you want them to make another visit or carry out a purchase.
Sometimes, a slow or lagging website can be the result of server issues. The features and plugins on your site could also be increasing its loading time. In this case, you need to assess your website and check whether you need to switch to a new host.
It’s also essential to keep updating your website as often as possible. People who come across a site that has not been upgraded or modified for months are going to find it suspicious and unreliable. A business that is invested in regularly updating quality content for its readers comes off as trustworthy and active, so people are more likely to purchase from you. If you’re wondering how to increase SEO, your visitors’ experience on your website is a significant factor.
2. Content Is King
This may seem like a clichéd phrase, but it still holds true. No matter how aesthetically pleasing your website is or how quickly it loads, one of the best ways to put your business in the top search engine rankings is to have the best content out of all your competitors. The only way that potential customers are going to comes across your business’s website in the first place is if you have cleverly curated content that will attract the kind of attention that your business needs.
Some ways to increase SEO to get people interested in your website and become regular readers of your content is if you post relevant content as consistently as possible. You can set one day of the week where you put up an article, so potential customers know which day to expect more blogs by you.
Content doesn’t just work for raising your rankings on search engines. It also gradually builds up a customer base that you can market your products to in the future. For example, when you regularly put up content related to the struggles of single parenting and different tips for those that need ideas to keep their children entertained, you will be appealing to a particular group of people. Based on the knowledge you have of the kind of customers you need, you will create your content accordingly.
Over time, when enough potential customers have become avid readers of your content, you will know what they are interested in, and they will know that your business sells more than just a product or service. They will know that you also publish informational and engaging articles that have helped your potential customers progress in an area that is important to them.
To keep your content readable, break down the text into smaller paragraphs and include connecting phrases. When people are scrolling through a page, they tend to lose interest and cannot concentrate long enough if the content looks too wordy and doesn’t help them stay focus with catchy phrases. You can add variety to your content by making some sentences bold, using italics, or inserting phrases like “keep reading to learn about how this might affect you.” Draw your readers back into your text in case they start to lose attention.
If you have old content on your website that has been there for years, focus on upgrading it to add any new information and publishing it again. Not only does this come in handy in times where you have run out of content ideas, but it also shows search engine algorithms that you are continually working on your website and putting out content that appeals to searchers.
Revisiting old content also gives you an idea of what you did wrong in the past. If you realize that an old blog got minimal views, you can assess the keywords and format to understand whether there were mistakes you made back then that you can correct now. Very informational blogs can end up unseen simply because their text wasn’t engaging, or the keywords did not generate enough traffic.
3. Keywords and Content Work Together
When it comes to keywords, meta descriptions, meta titles and image alt tags, putting effort into these parts of your content will pay off significantly. The kinds of keywords you place in your content will either make or break your website’s online presence, because the wrong keywords can ruin your chances of making it to the first page of search engine results.
Now that people have started searching for long-tail keywords, your content needs to feature those throughout your text. You have to be careful not to insert the same keyword too many times because this could result in keyword stuffing and get your website taken off the web instead.
Most content creators opt for a variety of keywords related to the same topic that they can distribute throughout the text. For example, if their article is about gardening tools, they can have keywords related to gardening tools, which gardening tools are the best and which gardening tools professionals prefer. You can even use your business’s location as a keyword to make it easier for those searching for a local, reliable company for the product they are interested in.
A simple way to know which keywords to use and which topics to base your content on, you can browse through Quora or REDDIT and search up the issues that are most relevant to your business. Next, find out what kind of questions regarding that topic people are asking the most. The debates that people show the most engagement and interest in are the ones you can use to create your content.
For example, if you discover that people frequently ask what kind of gardening tools are best for those that are new to gardening, you can answer the question in a detailed blog that is complete with images and videos, as well as helpful external links.
If you have certain keywords that your website already has a substantial ranking for, make sure that you take advantage of them. Incorporate them in your newer content and images. Your SEO ranking is built through various measures, so once you excel in one area, the smartest move you can make is to use your current progress to help you get even further.
Check the kinds of links you have in your content and make sure they take your audience to reliable and resourceful websites that further enhance the credibility of your website. When search engines notice that you have strong backlinks in your blogs, they give you a higher ranking. Similarly, you can get other websites to link your pages in their content as well, by partnering with them. The more extensive your network, the stronger your website’s reliability is.
Broken links can harm user experience because visitors do not return to websites that lead them to unreachable sites. Run a crawl on your pages to make sure there are no broken links that could potentially throw your visitors off.
Anchor texts also give readers an idea of what they should be expecting. For example, if you want to create internal links to other pages on your site, such as a page that reviews the product mentioned in the article, you should include anchor texts that clarify where they will take your reader. For instance, you could write “detailed review of our latest product XYZ” and link it to the review, rather than simply writing “click here to learn more.”
Another habit that websites have is to not feature the full contents of the page that is displayed in the search engine results. Meaning, visitors click on your website expecting certain content but end up being asked to pay to view the full article or are shown irrelevant information that does not answer the question for which the clicked on the link. In most circumstances, when visitors know that you are going to request payment for subscription, they will not click on your website in the future.
4. Headers, Images and Alt Tags Matter
The title, headers and descriptions you use for your content will also determine how noticeable your blog is. When scrolling through a blog, the text in the headings makes it much easier for a reader to decide whether they want to read your content in-depth. It also helps them remember what you’ve written and break down the text. The title and meta title influence whether people click on your page when they come across it on the search engine results page. This is why most titles include catchy phrases that grab a reader’s attention, like a question, a “top X of” list, or a warning for not making the” “following X mistakes.”
The meta data helps your page show up in search results. Search engines often use the brief description to determine whether your page is relevant to a person’s query. Readers can decide if, based on the description, the site is worth looking into. The more consciously a reader chooses to visit your site, the fewer chances there are of them leaving the site without seeing any of your content. This helps reduce your website’s bounce rate and contributes towards a higher ranking.
You can also refer to Ubersuggest and Moz.com to learn more about what keywords are trending and which ones your competitors are using the most. These sites will also tell you how many clicks each keyword is getting, so you know which ones are the most effective.
Lastly, another way to Create trending content is to check the search engine results themselves. For example, if you Google “best tools for gardening,” you will find that a number of suggested searches will show up as well. These searches provide great ideas for what to make your next article about.
Many times, people tend to forget that images are vital parts of the content. Not only are they great to recapture your readers’ attention while reading an excessively long text, but they are also helpful in conveying your point and making your content easier to absorb. They also help with your SEO, because the alt tags you insert with the images affect the kinds of search results they show up in.
You might think that the kind of name you give to an image will not make a difference in the number of readers you have. However, by inserting the right keyword into your image’s name makes it appear in the image search results for that keyword. Even when someone was not searching for a blog, if they see click on an image in the search results, it could lead them to your website where they might find the information they are interested in knowing.
For example, if you have an image of a show in your text, the name “top shoes for athletic teens” will increase the likelihood of the image showing up in the image search results if someone searches up that phrase. What you choose for the image title and the tags will put you ahead of your competitors, because the majority of online businesses do not recognize the importance of carefully selecting their keywords to boost their SEO ranking.
Having content that links to videos is another way of increasing your ranking. If your videos coincide with a popular search term and keyword, your page is going to show up at the top of search engine results. Since videos are more comprehensive, many potential customers prefer clicking on them rather than a page which mainly features text or images.
5. Increase Engagement
Did you know that having a call to action (CTA) button at the bottom of your page increases conversions by up to 304%? When readers know what your product or service is about by the time they reach the bottom of your article, they are more likely to click the button. Having buttons that promote sharing your article to other social media forums increases your website’s visibility because people will share your content to those that they feel will be interested in it as well.
Having buttons that do not explain what action they are encouraging makes it less likely for anyone to click on it. People think over the decision to invest in your business several times before finally making a solid choice. If your buttons do not help make the decision easier by clarifying what your potential customers are supposed to do, they are not going to click on it. For example, if you have a button that just says “click here now,” the chances of people following through are much lower than if it said “click here for a 15% discount code on our new gardening tools.”
You should also make it easy for customers to engage with you and learn more about your products or services. People don’t only want descriptions of your business but also about the kind of people behind the company and their attitude towards their customers base. For this, you will have to create social media profiles across any platforms where you know your customers are regular users.
Creating a social media profile on Instagram helps your customers get better images of the kind of products you have. They can then comment on any questions or concerns they have, which they will expect you to address. The more cooperative you are, the more trust you build among your customers and your relationship grows stronger. Businesses that are rude or shut down their customers’ complaints build a bad reputation for themselves and lose many potential buyers.
Whether you engage with customers through emails or Facebook, what matters is that you ensure they are active on those forums. For example, if you have an older target audience, they are likely to be more responsive to emails than they are to your Instagram posts.
Another way to increase engagement is by Posting Videos where influencers are reviewing your products. It raises the credibility of the quality of your products or services because people have a more dynamic idea of what the product does and how it works. They also learn about the experience of it through someone they trust. You can even post videos of tutorials where you help your audience learn more about the uses of your product or services, so they know that you are a reliable source of information.
Having the option for commenting on any of your blogs or posts is extremely important. The more you learn about your target audience, the easier it is to create marketing campaigns that work. When you know what your audience’s concerns are, you can create additional blogs that address the concerns or start a marketing campaign where you reassure your audience that your products will not lead to the kinds of problems they are worried about.
Another smart way of increasing engagement is by linking all your content together. For example, if you have a blog post about a new product and its uses, consider also sending out an email that encourages potential customers to visit your website and read the article to gain more insight. Next, publish a video or tutorial where the product is being described in more detail and link it to your blog. Lastly, make a post on Facebook or Instagram, asking your audience how they liked your last blog and tutorial and what they would like for you to discuss in the future.
By linking all your content to each other, you are creating a trail for your audience to follow and gradually acquire more interest and confidence in your business. The more readers know about the ins and outs of your product or service, the more purposeful they will be when they click on the CTA and finally make an investment.
6. The Process Never Ends
Many businesses are often frustrated with how long it will take before the results of their efforts start showing up. The truth is, this can take more than a year. Pages that you now see at the top of results pages may have worked for years to currently be featured on the first page because it takes a long time for your website to be crawled and for the rankings to change.
However, it isn’t only about the time it takes for your URL to be crawled. It is also about how many SEO techniques you have incorporated into your website and how often you are upgrading and redoing your content to keep up with the latest trends.
The algorithm for how you end up on the first page of search engine results is continuously changing. An example of this is how videos have now become much more influential in generating traffic than they were before. Content that only features texts, images and links may struggle to reach the top when other businesses have started including tutorials.
It’s also crucial for you to remain patient as you wait for your website to approach the top ranking. Keep checking for new trends or Seo technique that you had not included in your content before. If you notice that some of your pages do not get any traffic, you should not delete the page. It is possible that although those pages are not taking your website to the top of SEO rankings, they are playing a role in increasing the popularity of the keywords you have used.
Rather than delete unsuccessful pages, you should asses what you did wrong and improve the content. Almost 94% of pages do not manage to reach the top of search engine results pages in a one-year time frame. This gives you an ample amount of time to regularly redo your content and include any new information or engaging videos or links that you had no come across before.
In the long run, to make sure that your SEO strategies are working, you will have to carry out SEO audits. This gives you an idea of what keywords are working the best for you and how engaging your content is. It is based on how long your audience stays on your website and whether they move from one page to another. For ROI purposes, businesses need to know whether the investments they have made in terms of improving their SEO are also providing them with enough profit to match their efforts.
If specific strategies are not working for you, there could be a variety of reasons. You may not have informational content that adds value to your audience’s knowledge. The content could be repetitive and redundant, leading people to pursue other websites for new information.
It is also possible that your website does not work across every device, which automatically cuts off a group of potential readers. Are your buttons and calls to action challenging to find? Are your landing pages unclear as to what products or services you have to offer and what visitors can do to learn more about them? All of these are reasons for visitors to opt for another website instead of yours when they have hundreds of options available to them.
Final Words
If you came here searching for ways to increase SEO, we hope you found some ideas to get started. At SEO Resellers Canada, we work with you to get your website out of the dark and into the top rankings of searching engines by carrying out essential SEO changes.
Sometimes you may not be able to pinpoint what is stopping your website from reaching the number of people you anticipated. You might have exceptional content and an engaging website, but without implementing SEO techniques, your content will struggle to be noticed by potential customers.
Hopefully, the techniques discussed here have given you a brief idea of what matters the most when it comes to SEO and how you can start revamping your business’s online presence to generate more traffic and conversions.
- Revamp Your Website—because a positive user experience keeps your customers interested
- Content Is King – so continue creating relevant and informational articles
- Keywords and Content Work Together—keywords determine whether your content is noticed
- Headers, Images and Alt Tags Matter— customers like knowing what they’re getting into
- Increase Engagement – so your customers always know how to stay in touch with you
- The Process Never Ends – so don’t stop just because you’ve reached the top
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