What does it mean to optimize a blog or website?
Search engine optimization, better known as SEO, is the best and most effective way to get more people to your blog or website. It is a continuous process that involves making improvements to the site that will help to achieve business goals and deliver a great user experience. From a marketing perspective, when your page is optimized, you are making your own personal brand, product, or service more visible to people who are searching for information in your area of expertise.
Follow these tips to help bring your blog (literally) to the top!
Utilize Keywords:
SEO keywords are the key words and phrases within your web content that make it possible for people to find your blog or website via search engines. You want your blog to “speak the same language” as its target audience and visitor base.
If you’re having trouble identifying some key words ask yourself, “What would I type into a search engine to find my business website or page?” Once you have configured a prioritized list of words, make sure to strategically place them throughout your blog posts and existing content. Google Adwords and SEMrush are excellent tools to help to identify keywords.
Page Orientation:
The layout of your website or blog is a viewer’s first impression of your brand, so make it count! Make sure you create a visually appealing, yet strategic online representation. Some things to consider:
Page Titles: Having page titles helps to keep your content organized and more direct. Titles make it easier for viewers to find what they are looking for which will keep them coming back!
Headings: Headings help Google to identify the main gist of a lengthy post. Utilizing headings will also help your readers to follow along and better understand the information.
Mobile Friendly: With most online traffic originating from mobile devices, you want your website to be mobile friendly. Having a mobile friendly website makes it easier for consumers to navigate, which is incorporated into Google’s algorithm for ranking.
Incorporate Backlinks: Incorporating backlinks into your blog posts is one of the easiest ways to increase your ranking in Google. Simply put, when a website provides a link to another page, they are providing a backlink. If your content is getting organic links from other sites, that specific content will automatically rank higher with search engines. For more information on backlinking, read this article from one of marketing's lead blogs.
Build your Social Media Profiles
If you want to get your content out there, you want to have an established followers base. With social media as the #1 platform for sharing information, you want your work to be accessible through social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. In fact, Google may now be turning to social media as an indicator of an article’s relevance and authority.
Based on the high number of shares and impressions, Google’s search engine algorithm will place your blog higher on the google results page, making your work more visible. Here are some ways to build your following:
- Engage with your followers: Your followers want to feel like you care too! If they retweet, share or engage with any of your posts, make sure to thank them once in awhile.
- Interact with your Industry’s big names: Whether it’s a tweet, comment, or a share, interacting with the leaders in your industry will help you gain visibility and credibility. The more content you share from other bloggers, the more likely they are to share your content as well. It’s a two way street!
Maintenance! Maintenance!
Maintaining and consistently updating your blog or website is one of the most important steps you can take in your SEO strategy. You want your content to remain relevant so your search page-rank doesn’t fall. Make sure to continually add and update your keywords, keep your content relevant, and listen to what your viewers or customers have to say. Keeping everything up to date is crucial for maintaining a good spot on Google’s search engine results page.
Moreover, search engine optimization is becoming more and more important to a business. Integrating the right strategy into your business model can help tremendously in boosting readership, and building a broader consumer base. Make sure to keep the above tips in mind when setting up your blog or website!