SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is constantly evolving. It is not enough to build a website and sit back hoping that Google and other search engines will rank you highly on their SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages). Barely a day goes by without Google making tweaks to their algorithms or SEO research finding new recommended ways of doing things. It takes a lot of time and effort to manage the SEO process effectively.
However, there are a set of core principals which, when applied correctly and monitored frequently, have proved to yield results consistently. Here are 5 things you can do now to boost the chances of your business being found through search in 2018.
Write Content For Real People
Search engines are smart. Really smart. When they analyse the content of a web page they know when it reads well for humans and is relevant to the keywords users type in to the search engine. It is important to use keywords you want to target, yet it is just as important not to engage in ‘keyword stuffing’ which is a practice where writers cram copy with keywords in the hope that it will help rankings on the SERP. Search engines are known to reward websites with good, well structured content and penalise websites who try to trick them.
The Benefit of Internal and External Links
You can look at a link like a vote of confidence. When an established website links to your page, they are telling their readers that your website is safe, informative and worth checking out. However, not all links are equal. Getting a link from a website which has only just been launched, and may be linking to thousands of other websites, will count far less than a link from a leading publication. It is also useful to link internally as this results in a good user experience for users of your site and wins points with the search engines.
Site Speed
Having a website that loads as quickly as possible results in a good experience for your users. Search engines like good experiences for their users too. They spend much of their time working to ensure their users get the information they need as quickly and easily as possible. By referring traffic to websites which load slowly, the search engines would be shooting themselves in the foot by annoying users whose trust they work hard to maintain. All else being equal, it is highly likely that a fast loading website would rank higher than a slower one.
Mobile Friendly
As James described in his recent blog post, we live in a multi-device world in which having a responsive website is crucial for delivering the best possible user experience. Websites should load and adapt regardless of the size of the user’s device. As well as offering a responsive layout for mobile, it is also becoming more important to focus on mobile website speed. Google recently announced that, as of July 2018, page speed will be a ranking factor for mobile searches.
Update Content Frequently
Updating your website with fresh content, such as blog posts, gives both the search engines and your customers a reason to frequently visit your website. As well as the search traffic which comes with new content, social traffic can be gained through the sharing of the new content you create on your social accounts. Social and search are the two largest drivers of website traffic, and fresh content is central to success through each of these channels.
Do you need to take a look at your SEO? At Your Marketing Team, we can provide an SEO evaluation to give some guidance on how your website is currently performing.
We also offer a range of other SEO, social media and web development services. Contact us today to discuss how we can help make sure your website is fulfilling its full potential on the SERPs.