Search engine optimization (SEO) is a complex and multi-faceted field with widely varied nuances and ideas to be considered. But at its core, there are fundamental principles that apply regardless of the case and the industry that uses it.
However, being successful in SEO isn’t an overnight process. It takes time and effort to see results, so be prepared for a long-term commitment. If you’re ready to give it a try, one way to help you start with a bang is to get the help of a technical SEO agency.
How does Search Engine Optimization work?
To get started in SEO, you need to have a complete understanding of how search engines work. This also means understanding the difference between on-page SEO and off-page SEO.
On-Page Optimization
On-page optimization is all about optimizing your web content for specific queries that point to your niche. It includes things like keyword research, on-page copywriting, and optimizing page elements.
Among the many tips for on-page optimization, keyword research is probably the most important. For starters, it’s the process of finding keywords related to your website’s niche. However, it can be difficult to get an exact idea of what people are searching for, so you need to use tools and keyword suggestion generators to find the most popular keywords in your niche. These will serve as your guide when it comes to writing content.
On-page copywriting is also an on-page strategy. It involves regular copywriting using a variety of persuasive techniques to encourage your targets to take your desired action. Its difference however lies in ensuring the copy is written using specific keywords with the most search traffic.
Lastly, you can consider optimizing your page elements, such as the title tag, meta description, and Uniform Resource Locator (URL), too. To discuss briefly:
- The title tag acts as the title of your page;
- The meta description is the summary the users see on search results pages when they’re looking for web pages that match their keywords or phrases; and
- URL refers to the complete web address and can include keyword tags too.
Off-Page Optimization
Meanwhile, off-page optimization is what search engines use to assess your website’s authority or importance. This quality refers to your site’s credibility according to the search engine’s ranking system. Achieving authority includes factors like the number of incoming links you have from related sites. It also includes the number of your content’s social media shares, content length, and relevance.
The use of backlinks from high-quality sites is also important in off-page SEO. These sites are well-known and established in their niche and have high authority already.
Also, the more relevant your content is to a user’s search query, the higher you’ll rank on their search results. This is why it’s important to make sure each of your web pages has its own unique title tag that includes keywords relevant to users.
Another thing you could consider is your content’s length. Many experts believe that the longer your content, the more likely search engines will class them as relevant, and therefore, will be ranked higher. This is why the common practice for high-quality blog posts is at least 1000-2000 words of well-written content.
The Principles Of Effective SEO
Now that you know the difference between on-page and off-page SEO, it’s time to go over its basic principles, which will help your website rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Keyword Optimization
This is one of the most important parts of any SEO campaign. Therefore, your goal should be to have your top keywords appear at least once on every page and ensure they aren’t stuffed or become too repetitive. This specifically pertains to keyword density, which is the number of times your keywords appear on a page.
You should also strategically place your top keywords where they’ll have the most impact on search engine crawlers. You may use these words and phrases throughout your site, including titles, headers, and meta descriptions. It’s also a good idea to include keywords on your social media posts from time to time.
Responsive Design
Another basic principle of effective search engine optimization starts by using responsive design on your website. This means your site should load quickly on all devices, even if it has images and videos.
Responsive design is also essential because search queries from mobile phones are on the rise. Nowadays, many people use their phones to look up company hours or directions before they visit a store so it makes sense to make sure your website is optimized for mobile use as well.
Quality Backlinks
Links are one of the main vehicles of navigation on the internet and are highly valued by search engine algorithms. Therefore, it’s important to include useful and relevant links, and avoid link baiting if you want your site to rank higher on SERPs.
Excellent User Experience
Most consumers expect the web to offer convenience, and businesses that cater to this tend to succeed in their online marketing efforts. Therefore, it’s important that your website’s easy to navigate and offers a clean design.
To enhance navigation, you want your site’s most important information accessible from the top of the page through a menu or some shortcuts. All your website elements should also follow a hierarchy in order of importance.
It’s also important that your site loads quickly to avoid high bounce rates, or visitors leaving your website too quickly. You can achieve this by maintaining a manageable level of graphics, scripts, plug-ins, or widgets within each page.
Top-Notch And Suitable Content
The best way to know if your content is effectively optimized is by monitoring how many visitors your site receives. If you have a large number of visitors, then your content works for search engine optimization purposes and should be left as it is.
However, if your website only receives few visitors and has a high bounce rate, then take time to evaluate and improve your content so it suits your target audience. You can start by reviewing your web analytics to find out your website’s areas of poor performance.
Conclusion
Effective SEO techniques can start as early as your web designing stage. But the most important thing to note is that SEO requires a long-term commitment and a continuous learning process. As search engine algorithms are updated every now and then, strategies in SEO will also continue to evolve, and so should your website.
Also Read: 8 SEO Myths Debunked- Clear Up Popular Misconceptions!
