Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your content to rank in search engines like Google. SEO is one of the most effective ways of increasing traffic to your website. No matter the industry you’re in, you want more people to come to your website to ultimately grow your business. SEO can seem intimidating, but you don’t have to be too complex with your strategy, especially when you’re beginning your journey.
There are several simple steps you and/or your team can implement into your content – specifically blogs and articles – to increase search engine optimization. Read on for a few tips you can try today. And, when you’re ready to take on more tips to learn how to increase your website traffic, check out the Kevin Miller Podcast.
Optimize with Keywords
SEO and keywords go hand in hand. It’s the number one priority of your SEO journey. Essentially, keywords are the string of words or phrases your target audience might type into a search engine and find you. This step takes some research because you first need to determine which keywords you want to rank with and you want to understand the competition.
Generally speaking, short keywords that are commonly used will be more difficult to rank higher on. For example, if you sell maternity clothes, simply using the phrase “maternity clothes” might not deliver well for you. So, try to get a bit more specific. With the maternity clothes example, you could try phrases like “maternity clothes for first-time moms” or “maternity clothes for warm weather.” For resources and tips on how to find the best keywords, check out the Kevin Miller Podcast.
Once you’ve narrowed down your target keywords, it’s time to use them. Weave these keywords seamlessly into the content on your website, particularly in your blog content. The key here is to make sure the words flow with the copy for better readability. Keyword stuffing is a tactic some brands attempt to rank higher but qualitatively using keywords will yield better results.
Include Relevant Internal and External Links
A vital piece of SEO ranking is building credibility for your website. An effective way to do that is by including external links, which are links to outside sources. Use high-authority websites that help support whatever topic you’re discussing in your blog or article to maintain your credibility. Stay away from using direct competitors, of course, so you’re not promoting your competition.
The key to a properly optimized website is giving your visitors an easy way to navigate across multiple pages. Including internal links in your content is the best way to do that. Be smart about which links you use to build trust with your audience. Don’t send them to another part of your site that doesn’t correlate to the anchor text you’ve used.
Build Your Backlink Portfolio
Backlinking is essentially being an external link on another website’s blog. This is a great public relations tactic that can help you reach your target audience through another reputable site with a similar audience. You can’t launch right into a backlink strategy without first building up a reputable website of your own. You want the partnership with the site you’re working with to trust that you’re a valuable company to partner with.
The most valuable backlinking practice is guest posting on sites with similar relevance and audience to your own. Create guest content for another website and that site will link back to yours.
Share Valuable Content
Search engine algorithms reward content that provides value for readers. This value occurs two-fold: is the information you’re sharing of high quality that provides a benefit to the reader and is the content easy to read.
Using keywords is essential to building great copy, but keyword stuffing will not yield strong SEO results. Readability comes from how you format your blog. Is it easy to skim? Can readers glance at it and gain a strong understanding of the copy? Utilize appropriate headers (H1, H2, and H3) to make the copy easy on the eye for your audience to read. Also, headers are a great place to use keywords, where appropriate, to increase SEO.
The most important piece of information to include in your blog or article is a strong call to action (CTA). SEO gets your audience to your website, but what do you want them to do next? Ensure this information is clearly outlined for the reader to gain maximum benefit from the website traffic.
Conclusion
SEO doesn’t have to feel daunting. As you begin your journey, start implementing a few steps at a time and continue to build up your strategy. You don’t need to go all-in right away. Go at a pace that’s comfortable for you so you can effectively gain the traffic you’re looking for.
