SEO
Most of us have heard the term ‘SEO’ used casually in digital marketing and business circles. Many people tend to remember these three letters, but only a few understand their meaning. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is about optimizing web pages for the search engine to gain visibility.
Today, people are shopping and streamlining online excessively. They turn to Google for everything, whether buying a fridge or choosing a restaurant. It is one of the reasons why SEO has become crucial for many organizations. They want to ensure their webpage is visible to search engine users to gain maximum traction on the website and generate leads. And for this, marketers strive for higher search engine rankings by leveraging SEO techniques.
SEO techniques are tips and tricks that help secure the topmost ranking on the search engine results page (SERP). It involves keyword targeting, internal links optimization, content creation, and improved user experience. These qualitative content principles and technical aspects enhance online presence and rankings on SERP.
If you are ready to kickstart your SEO strategy, look below. Here we have outlined six top SEO techniques for boosting a website’s organic traffic.
Conduct Keyword Analysis
Every user writes a query in the search bar using a specific set of words and phrases known as keywords. Integrating these keywords in your web content will ensure your website popups up when there is a similar search. But how do you know which words and phrases people are using? For this, you can conduct a keyword analysis using a specialized tool. Otherwise, you can contact an expert SEO marketer who will perform a detailed analysis.
They will enter your websites and the competitor’s domain to compare the keywords used. It will enable you to identify keywords your rivals are using, giving you an edge. Once you have the keywords you don’t rank for, create content to fill the gaps. However, make sure you don’t stuff keywords excessively. It makes the content look spammy and leads to penalties by Google’s algorithms.
Focus on User Experience
Nothing is more annoying than navigating a webpage that takes forever to load. After waiting for a few seconds, people click the back button. It increases the bounce rate, which gets monitored by Google’s algorithms. Hence, the higher the bounce rate, the lower your website’s ranking. Therefore, focus on providing a stellar user experience.
First, eliminate all dead links and error pages, which might slow the website’s loading speed. Likewise, look at your site’s structure and ensure all product listings are in order so it is easy for customers to navigate. You can use headings and short product descriptions that are easy for users to understand. A seamless web design will allow Google crawlers to navigate the site freely, leading to higher SERP rankings.
Bridge Content Gaps
Undeniably, Google’s algorithm is getting smarter with every passing day. It is utilizing human input to better align with our thinking. Thus, no magic formula or technique to outsmart a search engine exists. Instead of aligning content with algorithms, markets must focus on writing content for humans. It will bridge the content gaps, ensuring you provide what users want.
You can explore what content audiences are engaging with and reading and determine if it aligns with your brand. For instance, talk about different body shapes and types if you own a fashion brand. It will enable you to write captivating and fundamentally naturalistic content.
Get More Backlinks
Are you familiar with link-building? A key aspect of building site authority is link-building. It enhances the credibility of your information, making it a critical ranking factor. Let us explain how it works.
When your website has informational content, other sites use that content and refer users to your site by adding a link. These are known as backlinks. Each backlink tells the search engine that the content is valuable and useful. As a result, Google rewards the webpage by increasing its ranking.
So, how can you get more backlinks? Create a few linkable assets if you want people to link to your website. It can be a blog post, a video, a quiz, a survey, or any content linking to your website.
Optimize for Image SEO
Recently, Google has started increasing rankings for web pages with graphics in their content. Another way to get more traffic from search engines is througImagege optimization. Image SEO is optimizing pictures and graphics in a way algorithms can trace.
- Use descriptive file names for your images to ensure search engine crawlers can find text easily.
- Add descriptive alt text on every image.
- Insert image structured data.
- Create an image sitemap, as this will also make it easy for crawlers to navigate.
- Lastly, compress the image size. After all, heavy image files on the webpage can affect loading speed.
Format Content for Featured Snippets
These featured snippets have become a trend on SERP. They have highlighted boxes appearing on the top of the pages when you search on Google. The mechanism behind featured snippets is that Google picks the most relevant content from a website and puts it in a box. Hence, if you earn a featured snippet, it will increase website visibility and search engine rankings.
Featured snippets have specific formatting and writing style. The content is usually in bullet points, numbered lists, and infographics. Likewise, the content structure is more like answering question-based searches that enable Google to preview content. If you want to earn a featured snippet, format the content accordingly. Answer queries in your content while keeping them brief, crisp, and to the point. It will increase the chances of your content getting featured in a snippet and lead to more clicks.
Final Thoughts
Search engine optimization is a marketing discipline growing and becoming popular daily. Therefore, it is time marketers hop on this trend and make the most of it. That doesn’t mean you can delve into the technicalities of SEO; instead, start with a few tried and tested techniques. You can target the right keywords, add backlinks to your site, and create engaging content. Likewise, focus on improving user experience to drive traffic towards your website.
