SEO in a nutshell, is the practice of getting your website to appear at the top of search engine results. This can be done by using certain keywords and phrases that are relevant to your business or website. The more you optimize your website for these relevant keywords, the higher it will rank in search engines like Google, Yahoo!, Bing etc.
The process of optimizing your site involves a lot of time and effort. In order to get started on this process, you need to learn about the different types of content that needs to be optimized on your website. You also need to know what kind of keywords you need to work with. If you don't have the time or resources to do all of this manually, then hiring an SEO expert may be necessary.
Types of Content Needed
There are different categories of content that must be on your website if you want to achieve a high rank in search engines. They include text, images, videos and backlinks. Backlinks are links that point from one web page to another. These links help search engines determine which pages on your site are most important. It's the quality of these links that determines how well your website ranks in search engines.
Here are some guidelines that should help you decide which type of content you should use on your website:
- Text content - Your text content includes every word, phrase and sentence that appears on your webpage. This includes headlines, subheads, article titles and body copy. The key here is to make sure that all of your content is written for human readers first and then for search engines. Search engines don't read words; they read words together in sentences. So, your articles, headings and subheadings should always be written so that people can understand them easily. Also, remember that search engines scan websites for specific keywords. Therefore, you want to make sure that these keywords appear in your text content often.
- Images - Images add to the user experience of a website. They can also enhance your rankings in search engines. Images are particularly useful when there is a lot of text on a web page because they can quickly catch the viewer's eye. For example, if you're selling products online and you have a large list of product descriptions, then images can really help keep things interesting. Remember that search engines scan images before looking at text.
- Videos - Video content can be extremely compelling and entertaining. It can also promote your brand or business more effectively than any other type of content. Videos should contain information that relates directly to your business and your customers. If you have a video that tells your customers how to use your product or service, then you've got something very valuable. Videos can also be used to provide helpful tips for potential clients.
Another thing to consider is making sure your videos are optimized for search engines. If you upload videos to YouTube, then you can simply go into the settings and select "optimized for search". However, if you prefer to host your own videos on Vimeo or elsewhere, then you'll need to hire an SEO expert who can handle optimization for search engines.
Keyword Research
After deciding which category of content you want to put on your website, you need to find out the best keywords to target. There are several ways to find these keywords. You could conduct keyword research through free tools provided by Google AdWords. You can also use free tools offered by SEO experts who specialize in providing keyword research services. Google AdWords is a popular tool that allows you to create ad campaigns to rank highly in Google search results. Once you set up an account with Google AdWords, you'll be able to see which keywords are currently driving traffic to your website. From this list, you can choose the highest performing ones as well as identify low performing ones.
If you want to try and increase your click through rates (CTR), then you can bid on those keywords. Bidding means that you are willing to pay money to have your ads shown whenever someone searches for those keywords. Of course, bidding only works if advertisers actually show up on the first page of search results. To ensure that your ads are seen, you'll need to spend money on advertising. As you learn more about this process, you'll probably start feeling guilty about the money that you spend on paid ads.
One last way to find good keywords is to conduct thorough keyword research yourself. There are many sites dedicated to helping you find the right keywords. Some of these sites even allow you to create custom lists of keywords based on your niche/industry. Once you've found some keywords, it's time to check their competition. How much traffic does each keyword receive? What percentage of visitors do these keywords bring to your website? Are there similar keywords that drive more traffic? It's a good idea to avoid repeating keywords that already exist on your competitors' websites.
When you're trying to choose keywords, you'll notice that they come in two general categories. These categories are long tail and short tail keywords. Long tail keywords usually refer to very specific terms. For example, the keyword "accountant" has no competition because there are few businesses offering accounting services. On the other hand, short tail keywords refer to common terms that are used frequently. For example, the keyword "taxidermist" has a lot of competition because there are many companies offering taxidermy services.
Choosing the Best Keywords
It's easy to get overwhelmed by all of these choices. So, let's take a step back and look at the big picture. Once you've decided which category of keywords you want to use, you'll need to narrow down the hundreds or thousands of possible options to just a handful of words. For example, if you sell pet supplies, then you might want to focus on the following keywords: dog supplies, cat supplies, bird supplies, fish supply, reptile supplies, etc. The key here is to choose keywords that are related to your business. For example, if you're a web designer, then you might want to target keywords like "web design", "website design", "search engine marketing", "seo", "online marketing", etc.
These keywords won't necessarily bring in the most clicks, but they will get you noticed by search engines and other internet users. After choosing the right keywords, it's time to write a few articles on your website that highlight these keywords. Each article should be unique and not just a summary of another article you've created previously. Once you've written the articles, it's time to submit them to the major search engines and directories. Submitting your articles to directories requires a little bit of technical knowledge. But once you're finished, you'll feel like a superstar!
Writing Articles
Each article should be unique and stand out from the rest. Make sure to take advantage of the various formats available on the Internet, such as infographics, podcasts and videos. These formats attract attention more quickly than traditional articles. In addition to writing unique content, you'll need to optimize it for search engines. Use keywords throughout your content (see above) and link to other relevant webpages. When your content is published, make sure to give the author credit. Finally, don't forget to follow-up with your subscribers and encourage them to share your content via social media.
Submitting Articles
To submit your articles to directories, you'll need to register with a directory provider. Directory providers are essentially intermediaries between authors and publishers. When authors submit their articles to directories, they become discoverable to other authors. You can sign up for free accounts with a limited number of articles. Or you can opt for a premium account with unlimited submissions. Premium accounts generally cost $50 each month and offer additional features, including email alerts. If you plan on submitting a lot of articles, then it's definitely worth paying for a premium account.
Conclusion
Optimizing your website is both time consuming and expensive. Most small businesses don't have the resources needed to complete this task themselves. That's why it's so important to find an SEO expert who can assist you. Although there are many different factors involved in achieving optimal search engine rankings, creating great content is one of the most important. By focusing on your content, you'll gain exposure to a larger audience while giving your website the chance to succeed in the eyes of search engines.
