Optimizing your business for search is challenging because it requires managing many tiny moving parts. Although the number of parts are at first confusing, you can take plenty of easy, actionable steps for a quick start.
From tips on keyword research to prepping your website for mobile-first indexing, this guide covers five essential tips to get your website ranked in search immediately.
In this guide, we’ll talk about five top tips for SEO enterprises.
- Do your keyword research.
- Be your own competition
- Unlock your content’s potential
- Think of your users’ needs
- Design for mobile-first indexing
1. Do Your Keyword Research
SEO is the most powerful marketing strategy in the digital world, and keywords are the best examples of this.
Here is a short list of different keywords you should target:
- Long-tail keywords: Users have specific search needs, so using specific keyphrases can help you rank better on search engine results pages (SERP). For example, it’s easier to rank using “red sports shoes’ than “shoes.”
- Low-volume keywords: The lower the search volume for your keyword, the more likely you are to rank higher. It’s in your best interest not to compete with monopolies.
- Headline SEO keywords: Target keywords that you can naturally incorporate into headers, such as the title and subheadings of your article.
- Customer-centric keywords: Choose keywords that work in favor of your business or service. When brainstorming, try to match your customer base’s search intent.
- Location-based SEO keywords: Tap into your local market by adding location to your keywords. For example, use ‘Bangalore fried chicken’ instead of ‘Karnataka fried chicken’ to rank higher in local searches.
You don’t necessarily need to have all of the above because that would take an impractically long time. Instead, concentrate on the keywords that will impact your business the most.
2. Be Your Own Competition
Industry leaders and giants are what they are for a reason. Trying to duplicate their success by copying them may be tempting, but that’s the best way to fail.
Instead, focus on you and what you do best. Do the following to build your brand through proven linking practices:
- Establish solid internal links to show authority,
- Create connections by adding external links,
- Earn natural backlinks from your connections.
Make it a habit to check your site for broken links and update them as soon as possible. Prioritize reviewing and fixing broken internal links because they affect your website directly. You can use tools like Google Search Console to discover any links that require your attention.
Networking is vital to successful SEO. However, external links and backlinks aren’t the only reasons to invest in networking. Getting listed in online directories can also help improve your online presence.
In addition, understanding and keeping up with industry news requires time and effort. By investing in relationships within the industry, you can stay on top of best practices sooner.
3. Unlock Your Content’s Potential
Key marketing strategies dictate that consistent content creation is the key to keeping yourself relevant and authoritative. Therefore, it is important to explore different types of content and maximize whichever works best for you.
Here are the most valuable types of content to try:
- Blog posts: an entertaining and engaging article on a subject
- Video content: an alternative to written content with many applications.
- Evergreen content: articles that remain relevant regardless of age.
- eBooks: a compilation of your existing content in a convenient format.
- How-to posts: articles that provide a step-by-step guide on a subject.
- Infographics: visual aids used to reduce clutter and focus on key points.
- Local city pages: pages centered around location-based keywords
Keep the following guidelines in mind whenever you create content:
- Write concisely: remove anything unnecessary to the topic at hand.
- Don’t overuse keywords: incorporate keywords naturally into your content.
- Add a call-to-action: direct your readers to what they could or should do next.
Another motivation to publish well-made content is becoming a featured snippet, where Google lifts an excerpt from your content that immediately answers the user’s search query. It not only places you at the top of the page but also reinforces your content authority.
4. Think of Your Users’ Needs
Technology continues to evolve, and so does the demand for a better user experience with it. One of the top digital marketing strategies you should know is strengthening your website’s user experience (UX).
So, how do you strengthen your website’s UX?
- Add an easy-to-use search function: Users visit your site for information; if they can’t find that information quickly, they’ll leave and look elsewhere.
- Clean up your website’s user interface: Don’t overload your website and readers with unnecessary plugins, elements, and features. Make your content the focus.
- Make your website easy to navigate: Navigating your website should be intuitive. For example, place related content near each other so visitors know where to look.
- Utilize sidebars and dropdown menus: Sidebars and menus help keep all of your content accessible and grouped in one place. However, they should be visible and properly labeled.
- Optimize images to speed up your site: Unedited photos are much larger and heavier than text which can slow download speeds for your website.
UX done right encourages visitors to continue browsing your website and helps to reduce bounce rate.
5. Design for Mobile-First Indexing
In March 2020, Google finished enabling mobile-first indexing for all websites, which means that Google searches now prioritize websites optimized for mobile devices.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that a desktop site won’t show up on search engine results pages (SERP) anymore; it just means that mobile-optimized websites are more likely to rank higher.
Here are three quick fixes to prepare your website for mobile-first indexing:
- Make it crawlable: Use Google Search Console to discover and fix broken links. It will make your site crawlable and lead to a smoother user experience.
- Fast loading time: Mobile phones aren’t as powerful as desktop computers or laptops, so load speeds impact user experience more on those devices.
- Responsive design: Use responsive themes to make your site better suited for mobile browsing. Most popular content management systems (CMS) already include samples in their website builders.
Designing for mobile-first indexing has many technical aspects to it, but following the three quick fixes above should be more than enough in the meantime.
Summing Up
Search engines and search behaviors are constantly changing. What works now may not work tomorrow, but rest assured that these five tips are reliable steps in the right direction for you and your business.
Marina Turea works as content manager at Digital Authority Partners
