Search engine optimization (SEO) helps improve your credibility with search engines and with their users. In order to accomplish beneficial SEO, you must choose to implement best practices when formatting your website and online presence. This helps improve your ranking on search engines and build trust in your audience.
So which SEO tactics deserve your investment? Keep reading to discover key tips for effective SEO.
#1: Choose Your Keywords
First, decide exactly what the mission is, in order to send a clear signal to search engines’ website-crawling robots. As a starting point, for what words do you want to rank in the search results? When people enter terms into a search engine, would they find your business? Focus in on terms that are important to your mission. This becomes the basis for the keyword research that you need for optimization.
#2: Optimize Your H1s
When shopping for the perfect Christmas gift, shoppers may have an idea of what they are looking for, but if they are anything like me, they skim the aisles at the store, hoping for inspiration to strike. Many gift options compete for their attention, so eye-catching packaging can often sway a purchase.
In the same way that packaging at the store helps shoppers decide what to purchase for their loved ones, H1s are where people look when they are skimming your page to figure out if it is worth reading. H1s also tell search engines what your page is about. The clearer you make your H1s, the easier it will be for search engines to rank you for relevant search terms.
H1s are a structural tag – a necessary piece of SEO with a justifiable rate of return. Taking the time to implement them can really improve your ranking with search engines. H1s will notify search engines and users of your content. Put H1s into action and make them work for your benefit!
#3: Create Title Tags
Think of title tags as the wrapping paper on a Christmas gift. Whether visiting a fully-optimized website or a opening a beautiful present on Christmas morning, the effort behind the presentation can really add something special.
To make a site appealing, adjusting title tags is imperative, because search engines check these for keywords. Do not forget to optimize with long tail keywords in the title, but make sure not to overdo it by stuffing the title full of keywords. (Kids enjoy Christmas stockings that are filled-to-the-brim with treats, but search engines find over-stuffed title tags as spammy and undesirable.) So, create title tags with a delicate balance. Do not forget the ever-important keywords!
#4: Add ALT Image Text
If you think of H1s and title tags as packaging and wrapping paper on Christmas presents, think of ALT text as the present inside the packaging. ALT text is the treasure inside the layers of paper and packaging. Even when not visible, it holds value. Search engines use ALT text to rank your site, so do not forget to put effort into choosing them.
#5: Use Anchor Text
Ever heard of anchor text? It is the part of a link that people can click. So, when creating it, use words that actually describe the target page. Pretend it is the holiday toy catalogue that came in the mail when you were a child. Did you ever look through it and circle toys that you wanted for Christmas? You were hoping that you could direct your parents to purchase them for you. That’s what anchor text does – directs readers to interesting content.
By using anchor text to point someone to another page on your site that is relevant, you keep them interacting on your site longer. More contact means more opportunities to impress them and to build trust, which could in turn lead to a conversion!
#6: Consider Site Loading Speed
Imagine if Santa were slow to arrive on Christmas Eve. With so many homes to visit, he may not be able to reach every child before the sun rose. Well, some kiddos would surely wake up disappointed, not to mention Santa would lose credibility. His centuries-old reputation as “lively and quick” would be ruined.
Now, did you know that slow site loading speed can severely damage your search engine ranking? Why, you ask? Because search engines are interested in providing fantastic user experience for searchers. So, if you are rewarded with a high organic ranking position, and a searcher clicks on your site, they expect a relevant, enjoyable experience.
So if your site is slow to load, it will frustrate users, which is the opposite of the search engine’s mission. Make sure to optimize for a super quick site, so that you’ll offer a better experience than your competitors!
Now take a break here and imagine:
You want to track down each item from the ‘12 Days of Christmas’ song. How much time would that take? Where you would purchase turtle doves, or write a contract to hire 11 pipers?
In addition to needing lots of free time on your hands, not to mention overcoming the obscurity of the items, did it occur to you how much money these items would cost?
According to the PNC Wealth Management Christmas Price Index, purchasing a modern day version of the ‘12 Days of Christmas’ items could cost you thousands. (About $155,000 if you buy each item, every time it is mentioned in the song.)
This likely poses a problem. Even if you intended to continue your mission of gathering these assorted objects, where would you even begin?
You need a plan of action!
A pathfinder would help. You consider hiring an expert, but where do you find one? You would need someone who had already navigated this mysterious undertaking and knew where to find leapin’ lords and swimming swans.
Need Help with SEO? Turn to Uptick Marketing!
Much like this magical, arcane mission, SEO can be tricky. Lucky for you, with Uptick Marketing’s help, you can find yourself on the way to an optimized online presence, faster than Saint Nick can give a wink of his eye!
Contact Uptick Marketing in Birmingham, Alabama today. We would love to work with you to create a tailored plan to help your business grow!
