Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, can be overwhelming. I get it.
The more you know, the more you know you don't know, right?
What IS SEO?
SEO is a complicated process to improve your website's rankings on an internet search page. Higher SEO ranking = the higher your site appears on the search results page. The higher your site appears on the results page = the more people click on it. The more people who click on it = the greater your chances of converting leads to customers.
Think about how many Google searches you do in a day. By the way, Google accounts for over 90% of all searches so I'm going to call it Google searches for this post. (Sorry Bing users!) Ahem. Where was I? Oh right! The number of Google searches. Do you search for terms three or four times per day like the average user? Or more?
You're not alone. It's estimated that Google handles 5.6 million searches PER minute around the world! That number is mind-blowing. Millions of people are out there in the world looking for information. Your goal is to improve your chances of getting someone to see your website and click on it.
And that's where this blog post comes in! Improve your website's Google rankings by following these three tips.
Three Easy Steps to Improve Your Rankings
1. Do Your Keyword Research
Put yourself in the shoes of your potential customer or client. What problem are they trying to solve? What words are they searching for?
Here's something else to consider: most searches are what's known as long-tail keyword searches. Long-tail keywords are specific and lengthy searches similar to how you might talk conversationally. The benefit to considering long-tail keywords when you establish your website or write blog posts is that it means less overall competition on the Google search results page.
For example, when you search for "Family Law Attorneys" you will see approximately 976,000,000 results on Google. Use a long-tail search such as "Best California Family Law Attorneys specializing in custody disputes." You will see approximately 18,000,000 results. Question modifiers will reduce this number further. For example, type in "What are the Best California Family Law Attorneys specializing in custody disputes." You will get 14,000,000 results. Sure, it's still a lot. But what a difference those additional keywords make, right?
How do you do keyword research?
Hubspot recommends typing in a sample search in google and seeing how it auto-fills.
You can do keyword-research using a free site such as Wordstream or Wordtracker.
What do you do with the keywords when you have them? I'll explain more in a future blog post. The short explanation is that you need to improve your website's use of those keywords.
Think about the keywords you want to prioritize. What long-tail keywords can you include? Are they in there already? What's missing? Are they in your first header, or H1?
I'm not suggesting you rewrite your website, but look at it with fresh eyes from an SEO perspective. Try to implement keywords without sacrificing the originality and engagement of the content.
2. Optimize Your Images
I'll keep this explanation short.
Your website is probably full of images, right? Perhaps a picture of you or your employees or your products? That's great! As a customer, you probably know intuitively that other potential customers prefer to engage with websites that have images.
The key is to make sure those images are optimized for Google searches.
Optimizing images for Google means reducing their file size. The recommended file size is no more than 100KB and preferably 75KB. You don't want to sacrifice image quality, though! JPEG is a good file type for your images as you can compress it significantly with little distortion.
Page loading time is one of the top factors that Google uses to rank website pages. If your pages take too long to load, then Google will lower your rankings. It goes beyond rankings as well. Google reports that over half of all users will leave a website if it takes too long to load. The easiest way to avoid that from happening? Use a compression tool and reload your images to your website.
3. Make Your Website Mobile Friendly
Mobile site optimization will improve your SEO rankings.
Luckily, one of the factors to consider in mobile site optimization is page loading time. Take care of that, and you're ahead.
The ease of navigating the website is another factor. You don't want to make it difficult for your web users to find information or to see your content. If text isn't easy to read, or images are too small for their smartphones and tablets, then they may become frustrated and leave your site.
Look at your website again with your mobile device. Better yet, give your not-so-tech-savvy friend a go at your website. Are they having issues finding web pages or finding needed information? How you might improve the site from a mobile perspective. After all, mobile visits account for an estimated 60% of all website visitors.
The third factor I'll mention in mobile optimization is simplifying the process. All relevant web pages should be in your menu, including your About Page, Products/Service Page, Portfolio page for the creatives out there, and a Contact Page.
Don't make your potential customer go searching for the information. Lead them to it with well-designed web pages and clearly written copy. You'd be surprised at how many sites miss important pages or make them difficult to find! Keep the experience frustration-free for your leads. You know your website inside and out, but they don't. Look at it from the perspective of a first-time visitor. Is it easy to navigate? What can you simplify for them?
Want to learn more about SEO Optimization? Take a look at the various factors that Google uses to determine its rankings here.
If you need a copywriter to audit your site and improve your copy and SEO optimization, please reach out!
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