First things first, when was the last time you looked at page two of your Google search results?
Did you know around 75% of internet users do not scroll past the very first page of search results? With this figure in mind, it is so important to appear high up on on the overall google searches, but how can you do that?
That’s where SEO comes in but what does that actually stand for?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation, is the process of optimising websites so that they rank well on search engines through organic searches. In other words, your website needs to satisfy certain cues Google looks for. Because Google is looking to provide a positive user experience for its searchers, it wants to present the best possible information available. So to sum up, SEO is essentially the process of making sure search engines recognise your content as the best information on the internet for a particular search query.
How do search engines work?
Search engines use robots that investigate website pages across the internet in order to determine what content they contain. Once they’ve gathered enough information, they add these pages to their own index. Then the search engine’s algorithm matches a user’s search enquiry to the relevant information in their index, mean they provide the searchers with an accurate answer to their enquiry.
However, here are our 7 top SEO tips we know get results.
Choose the right domain
Choosing a domain name is like choosing a company name — it requires a lot of thought and consideration. Your domain name acts as your online identity. You want to make sure you choose a name that not only fits your business but is also easy to search and promote. But it can be hard to know what makes a good domain name. If you need help choosing the perfect domain name, read on.
Right, so let's start by saying owning a domain simply isn’t enough. You have to pick the perfect one. How to go about it? There are three things to keep in mind when picking the right domain for your website. One: keep it short, sweet and as catchy as possible, two: include your business name or area of expertise, and three: include the main keyword associated to your business in your domain where possible.
Write unique titles & descriptions
Filling in your metadata (i.e. titles and descriptions), should be in your SEO 101 crash course. Using unique titles and descriptions is a must on every page of your website. If the information in the metadata is the same or too similar, it can come across as if your website contains duplicate content. This is bad, things like this are ‘frowned upon’ by search engines, like Google, as they won’t know how to rank the pages on your website.
It’s equally important to write titles and descriptions that are catchy and attractive to the audience, to ensure internet users and your avatar choose your website over your competitors. The more people click on your website, the better, as website clicks from search results are known to be associated with a better overall ranking.
All Avanty websites have the ability for you to create all of your own page titles, meta descriptions and social sharing icons built into our platform, making it much easier for you to stay on top of everything.
If you would like to know more about heading tags/ titles and the importance of how search engines and viewers see them, click here to read our blog on the subject.
Make it mobile friendly
60% of website traffic comes from mobile devices. People want to access information on the move and the best way this is achieved is through a website that is compatible with all devices, no matter the size of the screen. Google actually ranks websites that have been built with a mobile experience first, so keep that in mind when you’re building your website.
If you're unsure whether you website is mobile friendly or not, Google provides a mobile-friendly testing tool. Just drop your URL into the search box and click the Test URL button. The tool will analyse your website, inform you within seconds on whether or not your website is mobile friendly, but also a screenshot of how the page looks on a smartphone screen and a list of recommendations to make the mobile experience better.
All Avanty websites can be easily built per screen size/ device through the different screen size icons at the top of the builder as seen below.
Have valuable content
If the team at Avanty could offer you just one tip for the future of your website, quality content would be it. Content is one of the most important ranking factors when it comes to your website. But it can't be just any content – It’s got to be unique, up to date and valuable for your audience, and 100% authentic, copying other websites content will actually harm your search results as Google knows whose content is authentic and who's is copied.
Here are 5 things to consider when writing SEO content:
- Longer content pieces (1000+ words) have been shown to rank better on search engines. However, please note it’s important to keep paragraphs short in blog posts and other website content. Break up paragraphs where possible so it is easier for your audience to read. Google prefers content that has a certain reading level, so that readers have an easier time understanding it.
- Keeping a consistent tone of voice in the content you’re writing helps the reader to understand the perspective at which you’re writing from. Again, it’s about making the reading experience easy and enjoyable for the reader.
- The way you format your writing plays an important role in SEO. Using headlines throughout the article helps the reader navigate the content better. Also using bullet point allows for easier listing of items that the reader should pay attention to. Ensure you have visuals to break up the content even further. For example, the use of images and breaking up paragraphs where possible is a good way to ensure a great reading experience for those reading your content.
- Use keywords in your written content. Keywords help search engines comprehend that your content is about a certain topic. They can also tell you what specifically to write about, if there’s a higher search volume that means you’ll have a better chance of people reading your content.
- Including links to other pages is gold when it comes to SEO. Google has said that internal linking to other pages on your website and backlinks from other websites can also improve SEO. As you can see in this blog here, I have linked to external sources as well as linked to internal pages on the Avanty website. This provides credibility to the content, since other resources are being provided.
Local SEO is a game changer
Local SEO is the process of improving search engine visibility for local businesses. By following local SEO best practices, businesses can improve organic traffic from searches performed by customers in nearby areas. In fact, 46% of all Google searches are looking for local information so it's an incredible thing to utilise when it comes to SEO. Especially now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, people are more likely to reach out through your online channels whilst in a national lockdown.
If your business isn't optimised for local search, you could be missing out on potential customers who are ready to shop in your area. In short, local SEO is critical if you want your business to stay relevant. To help you optimise your business for local SEO. For more on local SEO and how you can utilise it, head over to this handy guide HubSpot have created.
So, it’s certainly worth investing in, and all Avanty websites have local SEO prebuilt into them meaning you don't need to spend hours trying to figure out how to generate your local Schema then add it to every page of your website.
Speed matters
Your website speed means everything!
It’s no good having a good-looking website that take ages to load as clients will just go elsewhere. With this in mind, make sure your servers are fast and can cope with a large amount of traffic hitting your website at any time.
Keep it up
No website is ever complete. In order to boost your website, you must keep it up to date and always be improving in different areas of the site. Keep it up to date and fresh, search engine will see this and so will your audience.
Ready to Watch Your Website Rank To The Top?
With the constantly evolving Google algorithms, doing SEO may sometimes feel like a challenging task. However, by implementing the above SEO tips, you can ditch the hurdles that come on the path to rank your website on the top of Goggle. Getting on the top of search engines can't be achieved overnight. Consistency is key. And remember, you’ve got this!
