New to the Game? The First 5 Steps of SEO
A search engine algorithm is comprised of an unknown amount of factors of which I can think of about 173 off hand. Although all these factors are weighed and measured differently, if you’re just starting out, doing a few things really well is more important than optimizing pesky video site links (those don’t exist). Here is my short list of 5 areas of SEO anyone with a website and minor computer knowledge can focus on.
Keyword Research
Before you do anything else, do your keyword research. To properly optimize your site you need to know what people are searching for. Limit your use of industry jargon and think in laymen terms. Use the Google Keyword Tool to your advantage and get an idea of how people are looking for information about your product. Identify your long tail keywords and phrase searches to really narrow in on a niche market and drive potential consumers to relevant pages.
Know Your Competition
If you were planning on opening a coffee shop, you would first research your competitors to identify what is working, what isn’t and where you can outperform them, right? Websites are no different than brick and mortar stores and competitor research can go a long way in building your brand. Make sure to identify what keywords your competitors are targeting and be sure to incorporate them in your content as well. Pro-tip: Untapped markets with low competition will always be easier to optimize for. You want to be the first coffee shop selling free trade beans from Ecuador; not the 15th coffee shop selling $5 lattes.
Optimize Title & Meta Tags
Your title tag is the most important place in determining the theme of a webpage and although there is research that suggests longer is better, start by keeping it under 70 characters and be sure to include primary keywords, secondary keywords and site name. Meta descriptions no longer contributes to organic rankings but they do affect your click through rate which that leads to more visitors and traffic does play a role in organic rankings.
Headers & Subheadings
Your <h1> header tag is arguably the second most important area of code where search engines will look to determine the page theme. Keep it relevant but make sure to include your main keywords for that page. Your <h2>, <h3>, etc. should be used to outline the secondary themes of your page.
Content
Content is king, it’s as simple as that. Building quality content that’s written for users is the only surefire way to keep people coming back. There are many ways to make sure your content is circulated and linked to. In the SEO game, if content is king, the links that go along with it are the beautiful queen. Make sure your content is linkable, shareable, funny, controversial or, at the very least, useful. Alternatively, make a list. Who doesn’t love a good list?
There are more steps to create an organically dominating website and no one knows all of them. Make sure you have analytics set up to track your progress and focus on these five SEO steps and you will be that much closer to every webmasters paradise, the first page of Google.
