Search engine optimization (SEO) is an ever-changing beast. What worked last year may not work this year, and what works today could be obsolete tomorrow. Because of this, it can be tough to keep up with the latest trends and stay ahead of your competition.
The nature of SEO is constantly changing, but there are basic practices that you can use as your foundation. A proactive approach to SEO will keep you ahead of the curve and improve your website’s visibility.
Here are five SEO practices that we recommend you include in your SEO plan to stay ahead of the game.
Write Content That Provides Value to Your Audience
It’s easy to focus too much on keywords and forget about the quality of your content. While picking the right keywords is essential, it only accounts for less than 20% of what Google uses to rank your website. The quality of your content determines the other 80%.
If you want to stay ahead of the competition, focus on writing high-quality content that provides value to your audience. Write about interesting and relevant topics, and make sure your content is well-written and easy to understand.
Do the following in your content creation:
- Make your content easy to read (write for an audience of around a Grade-school level).
- Break up paragraphs to contain no more than three sentences per paragraph.
- Keep the length reasonable – 600-1200 words is ideal.
- Use subheadings to break up sections and make it easier to navigate blocks of text. The subheading should be a keyword that is mentioned in the main text.
- Include images, infographics, and videos to break up your content and add visual interest.
- Make sure all of your content is well-researched and fact-checked.
- Cite sources whenever possible.
- Link out to authoritative external resources for more information.
- Include social media sharing buttons so that readers can share your content with their friends and followers.
- Use keyword-rich titles and headlines to help improve your SEO.
The best way to produce quality content is to think of the audience first. What are they interested in? What do they want to learn more about? Once you know the answer to those questions, you can create content that provides real value.
Optimize for Local SEO
If you want to rank higher in local search results, you can do a few things to optimize your website for local SEO. Include your city and state in your website’s title tag, add a Google Maps widget to your website, and include relevant keywords in your content.
You can also claim your business on Google My Business, which will help you rank higher in local search results. Additionally, make sure your website is mobile-friendly, as more and more people are using their smartphones to search for local businesses.
If you need help optimizing your website for local SEO, contact an SEO agency today, such as Gorilla360. They can help you optimize your website so that it ranks higher on search engines.
Generate Backlinks from High-quality Websites
Generating backlinks from high-quality websites can be a great way to improve your website’s search engine ranking. To generate high-quality backlinks, you’ll need to find websites relevant to your niche and have a high Domain Authority. You can use tools like Moz’s Open Site Explorer or MajesticSEO to find high quality websites in your niche.
Once you’ve found a few high-quality websites, reach out to them and ask if they would be interested in linking to your website. Be sure to offer something of value in return, such as a guest post, infographic, or even just a link back to their website. They’ll be more likely to link to your website if you can provide value and make it easy for them.
Explore Search Intent
Search intent is the reason why a person is searching for a product or service online. They may be looking for information, trying to find a product or service, or looking for a solution to a problem. Knowing what your customers are searching for can help you better understand their needs and create content and products that meet those needs.Â
You can also use search intent to determine which keywords to target in your SEO campaigns. There are four main types of search intent: informational, commercial, navigational, and transactional. Informational searches are when people are looking for information about a topic.Â
Commercial searches are when people are looking to buy a product or service. Navigational searches are when people are looking for a specific website or business. Lastly, transactional searches are when people want to buy a product or service and complete a transaction.
Track your SEO metrics
SEO metrics are a vital part of any online marketing campaign. You can ensure that your website gets the most out of its search engine visibility by tracking your SEO metrics. Some of the most important SEO metrics to track include:
- Organic search traffic
- Backlinks
- Website ranking
- Click-through rate
Make sure to track your website’s SEO metrics regularly to get the most accurate data. It will help you optimize your website and improve your search engine ranking.Â
Takeaway
Google rewards websites that are proactive in their SEO practices by giving them a higher ranking in search results. In addition, proactive SEO can help to improve website traffic and increase sales. As a result, website owners need to implement proactive SEO strategies to improve their ranking.
