Photos: 5 things you can do today to improve your SEO
SEO, search engine optimization, is based on a complicated, ever-changing algorithm that is focused on providing searchers with the most relevant information. Though it’s important for anyone who cares about their website traffic to understand, it’s impossible to learn in just a short period of time everything you need to know to get the most out of it. There are guides (such as this one from Google) that can help you become more well-versed in the ins and outs of SEO, but knowing all there is to know—and doing all that needs to be done—will take lots of time.
But there are a handful of things that can be done, and should be done, relatively quickly that will help improve your site’s SEO. Here are five you should implement as soon as possible.
On Cornerstone Community Bank’s website, personal banking, personal checking, personal savings and personal loans all have their own pages. (Screenshot: Full Media)
Make sure each page on your website talks about one topic.
A page that talks about lots of things at once quickly becomes overwhelming (not to mention unhelpful) for visitors. Huge chunks of text on one page are unlikely to be well-received by the user. For ease of navigation (and better traction in the search engines), each page on your site should tackle only one topic.
A page that talks about lots of things at once quickly becomes overwhelming (not to mention unhelpful) for visitors. Huge chunks of text on one page are unlikely to be well-received by the user. For ease of navigation (and better traction in the search engines), each page on your site should tackle only one topic.
Stop paying for low-quality links on third-party sites.Anyone who owns or maintains a website has probably gotten an email from another website company offering to link to your site for a fee. This is a process called "buying links," and you shouldn’t do it. Although it is true that Google’s algorithm considers the number of websites that link to you, it also distinguishes between high-quality links (links that are based on the judgment of the content creator and are seen as an "endorsement") and low-quality links (links that are irrelevant or from an untrustworthy or spammy source). When Google determines that the inbound links to your site are of a low quality, your site will be penalized.
The website for Fine’s Gas is divided into categories, then subdivided under each category to allow users to be as specific as they want. (Screenshot: Full Media)
An extreme, relevant example is the case of J.C. Penney, whose site was ranking No. 1 in thousands of search results because of so many backlinks littered across the Web. After Google officials realized these links were low quality, the company fell dramatically in search results.
Remove all forms of "keyword stuffing" from your pages.
"Keyword stuffing" is the practice of putting all the keywords that people might possibly search when seeking a business like yours onto one page. Before SEO relied on as advanced an algorithm as it does now, it worked—though users probably thought the site was too gimmicky when they got to it. But just like with buying links, keyword stuffing is now penalized—so not only is your content suffering because you have so many buzzwords in it, but your search rankings are, too. When it comes to writing content, keep your page focused around a central topic and naturally incorporate only the priority keywords as identified through keyword research.
"Keyword stuffing" is the practice of putting all the keywords that people might possibly search when seeking a business like yours onto one page. Before SEO relied on as advanced an algorithm as it does now, it worked—though users probably thought the site was too gimmicky when they got to it. But just like with buying links, keyword stuffing is now penalized—so not only is your content suffering because you have so many buzzwords in it, but your search rankings are, too. When it comes to writing content, keep your page focused around a central topic and naturally incorporate only the priority keywords as identified through keyword research.
Write (or rewrite) your content to be focused on the customer, not a search engine.
Along the same lines as the last point, copy that is clearly intended to impress Google is unlikely to impress a potential client or customer. Repeating the same words or phrases every sentence will trigger to the reader that you care only about getting people to the site, not about their experiences once they get there. In their quest to rank high in search results, some business owners lose sight of what they really want: more customers who come to their site and stay because it is relevant, informative, user-friendly and readable. Over time, Google will reward websites that focus on providing helpful information that engages readers with pictures, internal links and calls to action.
Along the same lines as the last point, copy that is clearly intended to impress Google is unlikely to impress a potential client or customer. Repeating the same words or phrases every sentence will trigger to the reader that you care only about getting people to the site, not about their experiences once they get there. In their quest to rank high in search results, some business owners lose sight of what they really want: more customers who come to their site and stay because it is relevant, informative, user-friendly and readable. Over time, Google will reward websites that focus on providing helpful information that engages readers with pictures, internal links and calls to action.
Add opportunities for engagement.
Does your business frequently host events? Add an interactive event calendar to encourage registrations. Are there commonly accessed areas of your site that you could add large, easy-to-see buttons for? Large buttons that click to information pages are more likely to drive engagement than small hyperlinked text. Videos, contact forms and even maps are all ways to engage your site’s users, making their experience positive and making them more likely to return to your site in the future. By ramping up the opportunity for engagement, you can better ensure that users who find your site will stay there.
Does your business frequently host events? Add an interactive event calendar to encourage registrations. Are there commonly accessed areas of your site that you could add large, easy-to-see buttons for? Large buttons that click to information pages are more likely to drive engagement than small hyperlinked text. Videos, contact forms and even maps are all ways to engage your site’s users, making their experience positive and making them more likely to return to your site in the future. By ramping up the opportunity for engagement, you can better ensure that users who find your site will stay there.
An interactive calendar people can click on to register for events is a great tool for your website. (Screenshot: Full Media)
Large buttons are more likely to drive engagement. (Screenshot: Full Media)
Maggie Hodges is the senior Internet marketing analyst team leader in Full Media's Chattanooga office. Founded in 2008, Full Media is a website design and Internet marketing company that serves small and midsized businesses. Our team includes full-time website programmers, project managers, graphic designers and Internet marketing analysts.
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