Search Engine Optimization (SEO) explained.
SEO simply put, is how you get found on the digital ecosystem. There are many different components to search engine optimization, and unfortunately it can be a moving target. There are however some fundamentals and it’s important to remember a few things;
The majority of online traffic is driven by search engines.
Posting content or a launching a website without considering SEO is a HUGE wasted opportunity.
Your website, content and navigation should primarily be designed for the best user experience but should be optimized for SEO.
SEO takes time and effort so don’t expect instant results.
It pays to educate yourself, here is a comprehensive guide from Moz.
Here is a quick guide of the foundational elements to consider when optimizing your site for SEO.
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
• Easy navigation structure
• Information presented in a clear hierarchy
• Low bounce rate (how quickly people leave your site because the content is not relevant or the page is confusing)
• Higher dwell time (how long they stay on your pages because they enjoy the experience))
TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS
• Fast load speed (make sure your media loads quickly)
• Site security (get an SSL certificate)
• No broken links
• No error pages
• Minimal 401 redirects
• Responsive/mobile friendly site
• Pages are indexed well and easy to crawl (site structure)
• No duplicate pages
• Add Alt text to your images
CONTENT CONSIDERATIONS
• Do strategic keyword research
• Create content that correlates with relevant keywords
• Create quality content that answers your audience's questions
• Choose keywords that are not too difficult to rank for (see who you are up against)
• Keep your content fresh (do not set it and forget it)
• Add links to other high quality sites
• Encourage other sites to link to your content (backlinks)
• Add calls-to-action
ON-PAGE CONSIDERATIONS
• Each page has a relevant title tag
• Each page has a meta description
• Each page has a structured URL that relates to the content
• Pages contain keywords and high quality content that is searchable
SEO Requires a lot of patience and due diligence so it helps to think of it as a marathon and not a sprint. It also helps to build your site properly from the get-go.
Our Start-up Ace Brand Roadmap Essentials Course gives you a step-by-step guide to brand planning and digital marketing, including creating a well-branded website that acts as a strong hub for your small business.
These basic tactics will get you started on the right foot as you build a website and grow your brand presence. Lastly, a great tool, that I find to be user friendly and affordable is Ubersuggest. Check it out!