How to use simple search engine optimization strategies
Millions of websites, blogs and online storefronts compete for Internet users’ time, attention and money. Without search engine optimization, even the most enthusiastic webmaster or site owner would be hard-pressed to stand out from the crowd. Fortunately, many SEO strategies are simple enough to implement in a single day and without investing thousands of dollars to hire an expert. This article is packed with no-nonsense tips for SEO success.
Before you can even begin to use SEO, you must learn as much as possible about keywords. Remember–it’s not about selecting the words that you think are most important when describing your site. Instead, your goal is to determine which words and phrases your prospective customers are using to locate your products, services and other relevant information. If your website is already operational, take a few minutes to study your hit logs, which list the search terms that users entered into a search engine before clicking on the link to your site. Another option is to analyze the keywords your competitors are using. This can be done by visiting their sites and viewing the source code of the main page or pages; you may be surprised!
Even though your visitors will never see it, an XML sitemap is a valuable addition to your website, especially if your site is made up of dozens of pages. A comprehensive sitemap is also useful because it can be submitted directly to search engines, where it will be indexed more quickly. Unless you are proficient in XML, consider using one of the many third-party sitemap builders available on the Internet. Google offers an expansive list of free or low-cost tools for generating and submitting sitemaps.
Few things are more appealing to site visitors than the prospect of fresh, interesting and relevant content. Within moments of arriving on your website, visitors should be able to determine whether or not you can deliver on all fronts. The average visitor’s duration of stay on your site plays a large role in web crawlers’ assignation of relevancy. Your landing page should feature engaging images, text and media to hold visitors’ attention and entice them to return again and again for more.
Many novice webmasters make the mistake of over-inflating the text of their pages by including keywords in every single sentence. Keyword density isn’t just about quantity; you must be able to balance quantity with quality to create content that reads naturally and smoothly. Otherwise, you run the risk of appearing unprofessional in the eyes of prospective customers or would-be fans. If you take it a step further and include keywords that are attractive to prospective visitors, yet are not relevant to your site, you may be penalized by search engines. When this happens, it is extremely difficult to restore your credibility and favorable standing.
By adopting the tips and techniques from this article, you can begin to take your website or blog to the next level. Search engine optimization is an absolute must for anyone who hopes to reach out to potential readers, site visitors and customers. The more time and effort you are willing to put into mastering SEO principles, the more likely you are to create a popular, highly visible online presence.