So you’ve got yourself a stunning new website, and obviously, you want to show it off to all your clients and potential prospects, but when you try to search for your services or business you’re nowhere to be seen. So you’ve decided to do some searching and you’ve found out about a thing called SEO and how it can help more people to find your website, but now you need to know how to use it on your site.
Well. Getting your website to rank well online can be nearly impossible, and with more and more businesses online than ever before, thanks to covid, it isn’t getting any easier.
Well, the experts over at Assured Marketing – an award-winning digital marketing agency and SEO agency made a list of things you can do to improve your site yourself!
- Meta Data
- Targeted Pages
- Page Speed
- Backlinks
- Content
- Tracking
Optimising Metadata
Don’t let the term “metadata” scare you, it’s actually quite straightforward. Utilizing tools like Rank Math makes managing your website’s metadata becomes a breeze. Upon installation, Rank Math will be added to the bottom of your WordPress page. For those on other platforms such as SquareSpace, a quick Google search will guide you on how to edit your page’s titles and descriptions.
With Rank Math, simply modify the SEO title and meta description to match your page, to get as many green ticks as possible. Rank Math simply checks the character count and keyword density to ensure your description or title isn’t too long for Google’s display, and that it is including the relevant keyword. The goal is to get the interest of your customers by describing the page’s content in a way that appeals to users searching on Google. Take a look at top-ranking competitors for inspiration, just remember to make it unique to your own website. (This should be done for all pages, including product pages and categories)
And that’s all there is to it! Meta descriptions made simple.
Creating Targeted Landing Pages
Many people overlook the importance of creating a well-structured page, particularly those who lack knowledge in SEO. Let’s use an example of a roofing company based in Birmingham. Your website should certainly showcase your roofing services, but that’s just the beginning.
When people are searching for specific services like shingle repair or garage roofing, aren’t using terms like “roofing company”; they’re searching for phrases such as “Shingle Repair Birmingham” or “Roofing Repairs Near Me.” so if you want to appear on their searches, create separate pages for each of your services, separate from your homepage. This way, someone searching for garage roofing will be directed to a page dedicated solely to garage roofing services.
Additionally, it’s crucial to mention other aspects of your business such as your location. Including Birmingham, on most of your pages, signals to Google your location and makes it far easier for people in the area to find you. This also applies to other website types. For example, if you sell e-cig products, write detailed descriptions and highlight the unique features of each product. This way, when someone searches for “50ml bubble gum flavour e-liquid” your page will be much more relevant on a page with a similar title than it would be if you just put “bubblegum e-liquid” and rank higher in search as a result.
Optimize Your Page Speed
Page speed plays a crucial role in your website’s ranking on Google. This is because Google prioritizes providing users with a good page experience. I am sure we are all guilty of clicking on a page, only to be welcomed by a completely white page, then clicking back to Google before giving the page a chance to load and picking another page. Well, that is exactly what your customers will do, and what Google wants to avoid. Utilizing tools like GTMetrix you can assess your site’s speed and identify ways to enhance it. This will not only improve your Google ranking but also ensure a positive experience for your visitors, meaning they’re also more likely to return.
Backlinks
Quality backlinks are a critical aspect of search engine optimization. They demonstrate to Google that other reputable websites trust the content on your site, increasing your credibility. Unlike low-quality backlinks that can harm your site’s reputation, quality backlinks from reputable and trustworthy websites can boost your rankings.
To find high-quality backlinks, consider adding your site to a reputable directory, guest posting on reputable blogs, and avoiding spammy or low-quality websites. Tools such as Ahrefs Backlink Checker and Spyfu can help you assess the quality of your backlinks and the websites linking to your site. The domain rating, number of backlinks, and the percentage of “do follow” links can help you determine the quality of the site or even your own. Ideally, you want as many of the links going to your site as possible to be “dofollow” since they carry more authority and have a greater impact on your site’s ranking.
Content
High-quality content is the foundation of a successful website. If your site is lacking in engaging, relevant content, then your chances of appearing in search results will be pretty low. To make sure your content isn’t holding you back, it’s wise to take a look at your top-performing competitors and compare their pages to yours. This can give you an idea of what Google considers important to cover on your page. However, it’s crucial to avoid simply copying your competitors’ content, as Google severely penalises pages using duplicate content. Instead, take the key themes and ideas, then phrase them in your own unique voice, adding value wherever possible.
Adding SEO Tracking To Your Site
To optimise your website and make informed changes, tracking its performance is a must. There are several tools available to help you do just that – from website analytics to search engine optimisation tools.
Search Engine Tracking tools, such as Google Search Console and Semrush, can let you see what keywords people use to find your site and where your website and competitors’ websites rank for those searches.
On-site Optimisation Tools like Rank Math and WPRocket simplify tasks like image compression and editing page titles and descriptions, making it easier for both Google and users to understand your site’s content.
Website Analytics Tools like Google Analytics offer valuable insights into your site’s audience, including their behavior on your site and demographics such as age.
By utilizing these tools, you can easily do the basics of SEO on your own site in order to achieve higher search engine rankings. If you want to know more, feel free to contact us at assuredmarketing.co.uk.