If you’re just starting out with SEO, there are five tips that can help you improve your website’s ranking. It’s important to keep in mind that SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it refers to the tactics used to help your website show up in search engine results. But before we dive in, it’s important to emphasize that user experience should always be your top priority. When someone visits your site, they need to be able to navigate it easily, regardless of how much content you have. In fact, if your website doesn’t convert visitors into leads, it doesn’t matter how good your SEO is.
Tip #1 – Focus On Mobile First
Google’s mobile-first indexing means that your website needs to be mobile-friendly in order to rank well. This means your site should be responsive, meaning it adapts to the device it’s being viewed on. While this can be more time-consuming, it’s worth the effort since most people browse the internet on their smartphones.
To emphasize the importance of mobile-first indexing, according to data from StatCounter, which tracks global internet usage, in 2021, mobile devices accounted for 56.6% of website traffic, while desktops accounted for 41.7%. Additionally, 88% of consumers who search for a local business on their mobile device will either call or visit that business within 24 hours. Therefore, ensuring your website is optimized for mobile is crucial in order to reach a wider audience and improve your ranking on search engine results.
Tip #2 – Focus On Quality
Google uses over 200 factors to rank websites, but the quality of your content is one of the most important. This goes beyond just the depth of your content – your bounce rate, comments, broken links, and other engagement factors also contribute to quality. Avoid excessive links, and be sure to use “no-follow” links when linking to affiliate sites.
Engagement factors such as comments, shares, and backlinks play a significant role in ranking higher on search engine results. According to a study by Backlinko, pages with longer content tend to rank higher on Google’s search engine results pages. The study found that the average word count of a first-page result was 1,447 words. This emphasizes the importance of creating high-quality, valuable content that will engage your audience and increase the chances of backlinks and social shares.
Tip #3 – Be Original
According to Google, duplicate content can negatively impact your SEO, so be sure to produce unique, relevant content. Avoid “harvested” pages, which are collections of other content with added comments. Instead, focus on producing new, engaging content that your readers will find valuable.
To ensure your website isn’t penalized, aim to produce original content that’s relevant and valuable to your target audience. You can use plagiarism checkers to verify the uniqueness of your content and avoid any negative effects on your website’s SEO.
Tip #4 – Include Keywords Strategically
Keywords are the terms people use to search for things online. You’ll want to include them in your content, but be sure to use them naturally and avoid “keyword stuffing,” which is the practice of overusing keywords in an attempt to rank higher.
Using keywords naturally in your content can improve your website’s visibility and help your target audience find your content. According to Moz, a leading SEO software company, long-tail keywords, or phrases with three or more words, account for 70% of all search traffic. Therefore, incorporating long-tail keywords into your content can increase your chances of ranking higher on search engine results pages.
Tip #5 – Optimize Your Website For Speed
Website speed is a crucial factor in determining your website’s ranking on search engine results pages. According to Google, the ideal page load time is less than 3 seconds. A slower website can negatively impact user experience, increase bounce rates, and decrease the amount of time users spend on your website. This can ultimately result in a decrease in your website’s ranking. Therefore, it’s important to optimize your website’s speed by minimizing HTTP requests, compressing code, and optimizing images to improve user experience and rank higher on search engine results pages.
Conclusion
By following these five tips, you’ll be well on your way to improving your website’s SEO. Remember to focus on user experience first, and produce high-quality, engaging content that will keep your readers coming back for more.
Related Resources
- SEO for Beginners: An Introduction to SEO Basics by Ahrefs
- The Beginner’s Guide to SEO by Moz
- SEO Basics: Discover the 9 Most Important SEO Tips for Beginners by Rock Content
- SEO 101: 20 SEO Tips for Beginners by TECMARK
- Basic SEO: Top 17 Tips That Every Beginner Should Know by Twinword
