If there is one thing that is detrimental to a business, it is the use of outdated SEO and digital practices that should have been canned. This does not mean certain valuable crafts that worked for years will stop working: for example directory listings can still send you a lot of referral traffic, regardless of their impact on SEO.
So what are some of the latest algorithm updates to be aware of?
Google’s consistent algorithm updates and the changes in search habits require that you keep an eye on the rules and conform to the best practices. This will allow you to shape robust search engine optimization (SEO) that attracts more leads to your site.
Older marketers remember using tactics like keyword stuffing, untargeted primary keywords and cloaking, where the keywords were totally unrelated to the content. These tactics were successful then, but SEO has advanced to keep up with the practices of advanced search engines.
Successful SEO is not just about keyword rankings but is also quantified by traffic supply, customer and leads through a website.
SEO practices to take seriously
These six new best practices will make all the difference to your site’s SEO:
1. Users appreciate a seamless experience
This starts with the structure of your website. Aim to create a functional website with easy navigation, technical details and a map. The metadata must be based on primary keywords and relevant copy. Users appreciate the seamless experience, and your site will rank better on Google.
2. Footers are important
Forget keyword stuffing, your footer needs to be clean with no unnecessary content, just clearly placed contact details.
3. Interesting content that provides solutions
Keywords and phrases are important, but the content must not be overstuffed. Aim to provide quality and solutions to user issues and value that will keep your readers engaged.
Readers want to to scan the content quickly and search engines will also pick out the relevant information easily so use short paragraphs and bullet points.
Make your social sharing icons obvious to your readers on the page so they can easily share and all your offers must be available everywhere too. This way your content will stand out to search engines.
4. Speed up your site
Not only will your visitors leave before they have found what they are looking for, but Google also gives up on slower sites.
5. Design your website for all platforms
Consider that most people today spend more time on their smartphones, and your website design needs to be responsive to accommodate this. It will rank better and offer your users the best experience.
6. Use links properly
You need to introduce links within all content, back links to third-party sites that are relevant and you must ensure that there are no broken links. Links should rather be through key phrases rather than on commands like “Click here” or “read further”. SEO strategy is significantly strengthened with a good link strategy.
Writing the best SEO content
Strong content is one of the most valuable SEO practices, and you can easily improve it.
- Keyword research on a reliable platform helps you develop a list to use on all the content within your web page.
- Posts need to be structured and organized using headers and bullet points.
- Headlines must stand out and capture the reader’s attention.
- Optimized images with alt text help to make page interesting and catch the attention of search engines.
- URLs need to provide information about their content for visitors and search engines.
- SEO performance must be monitored and adjusted according to performance.
Even though SEO is important to Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. remember that it helps grow your business by turning organic website visitors into customers.
Final take:
Doing one single thing in SEO will not get you anywhere – it is a concerted effort that counts on more than 100 ranking factors and core activities. Don’t be discourage if at some point you lose rankings overnight – don’t knee-jerk either, because that is simply the nature of the beast: it is highly unpredictable. The only thing that is in fact predictable, is paid search, which is where the search engine giant wants you to spend your budget. Good luck avoiding it.
