The 5 Most Crucial Elements of SEO
In today's post, I wanted to elaborate more on the importance of SEO. This time, I wanted to look at the key factors to put in place to get a boost in SEO and drive the right traffic to your website. So let's dive in.
Here are the 5 most crucial SEO elements you need to implement today:
1| Keyword
I can't start this blog without first starting with Keywords. For some, this is a dreaded word, but it doesn't have to be. Keyword research is the first and most important step to an SEO strategy. If you want to be successful, you've got to have a basic understanding of keywords. How to apply it to your website and why this is so important. In my piece "Why SEO is important for your business", I get into this in more detail.
The use of keywords placed across your website is what will drive traffic to your website. Not any traffic, but targeted traffic with your target audience in mind. That's right! There are several tools out there that will help you find keywords related to your niche. This research will help you find out exactly what words your audience is using in their searches.
To find the right keywords to use, Google Keyword Planner and Ubersuggest are a great option. I use Ubersuggest because it is easier for me to wrap my head around the metrics. If you have an online business, you need SEO, that is a necessity if you want to survive online. But keywords are the main ingredient so to speak.
Every page on your website needs to have keywords embedded in it. You want to do it in a thoughtful and strategic manner (no word stuffing here). By doing this, your website will be relevant in the sense of the word and ranked by search engine algorithms.
So how then, do you find the keywords you need? Great question. Here are some tips to help you find the keywords for your specific niche!
Brainstorming: The first step is to write down all keywords you can think of on your own. What have you heard your niche complain about? Who are you looking to target?
Keyword Search Tools: Use tools to refine your keywords and understand their performance. Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, keywordsearch.io
Google searches: This is my favorite one. Here’s what you do. Type in your keyword or phrase on a Google search field. When you do that, you'll see the suggestions Google generates in the drop-down list.
Additionally, towards the bottom of the page, you'll see a section labeled "People also ask". This is a great place to pick up on keywords as it shows what others are typing. If it relates to your niche, use it.
Q&A websites: I subscribe to sites like Quora. I love this site because it displays questions and answers from anyone. It's a great place to swift through thousands of questions on a daily basis. You can set up your profile to only view those areas that pertain to you and your target audience. Go check it out.
2| Titles/Meta Tags
Title Tags
I've found quite of few of my readers keep skipping this part. Filling in your titles and meta tags on your website is so important. Title tags are key elements search engines use to detect the content of your website. Then use these to position your content in relation to other similar posts.
When Google bots crawl your website, they pick up on your keywords as they skim through your content. Then they take the information, index it, and add it to their database for future searches.
So the title of a page has to be descriptive and accurate. It has to be clear and concise and tell what the page is all about. This improves user experience and a search engine can scan and have an idea of what the page is all about. Having keywords on your title plays a major role.
On my website, one of my keywords is Squarespace Web Designer. I also include my brand name so my readers know who is behind the content. Here is an example of what my title tag looks like:
Pro-Tip: Always place the keyword you want to rank for close to the beginning of the title!
Meta Tags
Meta tags are short descriptions of a page's content. The good news is that search engines do not use the keywords or phrases entered here for ranking. These descriptions are really to add to user experience.
Here is where Meta tags add to the user experience and are so useful:
It's important to add meta descriptions to your pages. When a user searches on Google and their search results appear, they get the sense of what your link is all about. It provides a small nugget that creates curiosity and a desire to want to know more about your content.
One thing to note is that meta descriptions can be of any length. But, search engines do limit the number of characters that get displayed as in my case in the example above. You want to keep the description at 160 characters, but you don't have to.
Here is another example:
Finally, even if meta tags do not weigh heavily in the SEO world, you still want to make it point to add this detail. Remember, you want to improve your user experience. When a user searches, they look at the headline and the description before clicking on the link. Once they get a feel for what the link is about, they are more apt to clicking on the link and checking out your content!
Pro-Tip: Always place the keyword you want to rank for close to the beginning of the title!
3| Content
You've heard it before and I will say it again " Publish High-Quality Content". This is the surest way to rank and top it with keywords and you got the game down. Google and other search engines have emphasized how they see and handle good content. The higher the quality of content, the higher the chances that a search engine will display it.
As you write and produce great content, you show your authority in your area of expertise. You are educating and providing value to your readers. This leads to referrals from other sites, more clients, and ultimately more sales!
If you are blogging and writing articles, don't rush through and publish it. Look at it as an opportunity to create content that is relevant and solves your readers' issue. You want to aim for 1500 characters or more if you can. The key is writing helpful and informative content.
4| Backlinks
Backlinks play an important role here as well. Backlinks are when other websites refer to your website. Basically these websites trust the content and quality of the information you provide. They see you as an authority and will refer visitors to you.
You can build backlinks in using several strategies. For example, you can request to be a guest blogger and ask to work together. This approach can get you a backlink to your website. If you are going to going to do this, mean it. A partnership like this has to work both ways.
You can also request to be added to directories of prominent websites that serve your niche.
The basic gist around backlinks is that you are creating great content. Content that people are raving about and want to share in their articles and on social media. I see this as totally free advertising. Spend time and create good content
5| SEO Audit
I'm a proponent of getting a regular SEO audit. To stay in the game, you want to periodically re-evaluate your website's performance.
Here are some pointers to guide you in the right direction when you are doing this. This is not a comprehensive list but it is a good one to get you started.
Check each page for titles and descriptions.
Check that you are using keywords in your posts.
Check that you are using keywords in your URL structure.
Check ALT tags on images.
Check that your website is optimized to display properly on mobile.
By checking these, you'll get a sense of your website's health and see any flaws that need attention.
Final Thoughts
I've listed 5 super duper crucial elements of SEO. I hope you found these helpful and that you take action to check and implement what was shared here. If you have any questions on any of these areas, leave me a comment or if you would like to work with me, I'd be happy to help. You can click here to schedule a quick call to get you started.
Do you agree with these key elements to SEO? I would love to know if this was helpful. Leave a comment below.
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