Top SEO Tips from an SEO Expert
At Red Box, we get asked many questions in regards to SEO but the main one is, how long will it take before I am on page one of Google? The answer to this is that SEO is slow, it can take between 6-12 months or even years to build the authority of a domain and the rankings of its pages.
But don’t let this put you off SEO, as it can be the cheapest and most effective way to get your name out there. Once you gain those top spots then you are going to be visible to potential customers which over time will create more leads for your business.
Keep on reading to find out our top tips to rank better within Google.
Improve On-Site SEO
When it comes to on-site SEO there are a few techniques that you can follow, to ensure every page on your site is optimised.
To start with it’s essential that you are using your chosen keywords within your pages, this includes within your URL, H1 and H2 titles, your content and as an alt tag on an image.
It’s crucial that when Google crawls your pages, they see a clear indication of your keyword and if your content is relevant. Including your keyword and words that correspond can ultimately boost your ranking but you need to make sure that you aren’t just stuffing keywords within your content. Proper English still needs to come into place and sentences should flow so the user understands your overall concept.
Another element that should be on every page of your website is internal and external links. Internal links are when you link to another page on your website, it’s important to include links to pages you want to rank for within pages that might just not be as important. You can even link blog posts as this will result in the user spending more time on your site.
External links are when you link another domain from your website. These links are excellent for if you want to build credibility onto your site. It tells Google that you are a valuable and scalable resource, this pushes your rankings up and helps you gain that top spot. A worry most people have with external linking is that it will harm their reputation or cause users to leave their site. It is important to not think like this as linking to external sites encourages positive participation and contribution. The internet is a huge space which is very competitive; why not help other people to get the visibility they deserve, whilst boosting your rankings at the same time.
If your site is created through WordPress why not download the free plugin, Yoast; which can help you to nail your on-site optimisation.
Match Your Content to Search Intent
Search Intent is quite a new word within the SEO world and it is the term used to describe the purpose of an online search. This means that when you are beginning your SEO it’s important to know what people search to find you or what users search to get answers that might correspond to you.
We understand the importance of knowing what people search to find you, then tailor your content around your findings.
Over the years Google has improved their algorithms to understand users’ search intent which can benefit you to gain the correct customers. When creating your pages write with your search intent in mind, for example, if you have a dog walking business, optimising either your landing pages or blog posts around phrases such as “how often should I walk my dog?” or “what are the best tips for walking my dog?”
This will show Google that you are a great fit for what someones searching for, which will make Google want to show your site to more users.
Build Backlinks to Your Site
Building backlinks (when an external site links to yours) to your site can ultimately be one of the greatest elements to improve your rankings but it’s very difficult to achieve. Backlinks are a valuable extra for your site as it represents a “vote of confidence” from one site to another.
This means that if your website has multiple backlinks, search engines can see that your content is relevant. But the difficult bit is finding or gaining people to link to your site.
“How do I earn backlinks?”
Gaining successful backlinks which is a component of your off-site SEO is vital to rank well in Google. When it comes to backlinks there are two types: high-authority links and low-authority links. High-authority links are the most desirable links to earn as they come from both popular and trustworthy sites.
Low-authority links tend to come from potential spam websites and might or might not make any difference to your ranking.
There are multiple ways to gain these link backs, the most simple way is to outsource, using a company such as The Hoth. They will take the hard work away from you and find you quality backlinks that will overall improve your SEO. The only input you will need to do is to tell them what page on your site you want them to link back to and any keywords. The issue with this is that it costs money, which you might not be willing to do.
The other option is to reach out yourself, go through sites that correspond to your business and if you notice any broken links or if your service fits into the post; let them know. Send them a polite email explaining why you think your site is suitable, if you try enough you should hopefully gain a response. From there you can build a relationship of trust where they might keep you in mind for when they are adding links in the future.
You can also reach out to people and ask if you can produce a guest post for them, in here you can refer back to your site. Which will overall help to build credibility for your website.
Check out this YouTube video from Brian Dean at Backlinko all about link building.
Conclusion
Search engine optimisation may seem daunting but with utilising these three elements, they can ultimately boost your rankings. It’s important to note that you will need to keep optimising your content and uploading new content such as blogs, to keep your site being relevant.
If you need an SEO Company , we are ready to help.
For more SEO tips, check out our recent post on creating SEO content or our top 10 Technical Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) tips.
Thank you for reading.
Megan.