SEO (or search engine optimisation) has been a digital marketing buzzword for several years now. It is a way to maximise a website’s placement in search engines by improving key elements such as page content, tags and website structure. Search engines need to gauge what these pages are about, in order to rank them properly for the user. It’s a key tool for businesses as good SEO can significantly improve brand awareness and put your website ahead of the competition. Here’s how you can achieve good SEO for your website:
Improve on-page SEO
A simple way to improve SEO is by restructuring web page content. Many people create websites without understanding how a page should be set up properly. Good quality web pages will include the use of title and header tags, internal links and keywords. Keyword research is vital to understanding where you will feature on a search engine. It also allows you to assess the competition and structure the content on your pages accordingly. Ensure that sentences make sense, particularly those with keywords in them. If they don’t, then make sure you restructure them properly.
It is important to have a minimum of 300 words per page where possible, to help search engines understand what your pages are about. Anything less can lead to penalties from the likes of Google, who have strict rules on word counts.
Social media sharing
The rise of social media has meant that shares and mentions can now affect search engine rankings. Positive shares can help improve search engine rankings, so ensure that website and social media content work in synergy and compliment each other where possible.
Don’t duplicate
Duplicate content is a no-no from a search engine’s point of view. Be original with your content, don’t repeat yourself and be careful not to re-post copy from other websites. Failure to do so could lead to your website being penalised by search engines.
Adjust site navigation
Carry out regular audits of your website’s navigation, aided by the likes of Google Analytics. Strip out content that is unnecessary, and keep the number of web pages to a minimum. Good quality content is more powerful than lots of web pages. Consider how the navigation appears to the user and decide whether you need to improve calls to action.
What to avoid:
• Duplicate pages/content
• Uncommon search terms
• Buying links
• Creation of lots of online forms
• Keyword stuffing
Compass Copywriting can produce SEO-friendly copy that could improve your company’s search engine ranking. Contact us today to find out more.
Don’t forget to read our other blog posts, which discuss a range of digital marketing topics.