Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your site for search engines to display your website higher in search results. For example, if someone is looking for a dentist in their area, they might search for “dentist + [city name]”. If your website appears in the search results for that query, you’ll get more traffic from people who are already interested in what you have to offer! The more visitors you get from search engines, the more likely you are to generate leads, make sales, and generate revenue for your online business.
One way that search engine crawlers can find new websites is by following links on other sites, also known as backlinking. So it’s important to have good quality content that external sites link to and also be sure to link internal pages to other relevant pages on your site when possible!
There are many components of SEO and it’s important to understand all of them if you want to achieve the best results. Some of the most important factors include: choosing the right keywords, creating quality content, building links back to your site, and optimizing your website for mobile devices. There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to SEO, so be thoughtful about your approach.
Here are some strategies to consider when you’re looking to improve search results for your website:
- Use keyword research to determine the right keywords to target
- Include your keyword in your page url
- Include your keyword in your H1 page titles
- Only have one H1 tag per page
- Include your keyword in your meta descriptions
- Use similar keywords in the first paragraph of your page, under your page title
- Create high quality content that provides value for your readers
- Build links back to your site from other authoritative websites
- Optimize your website for mobile devices
- Remove unnecessary assets and reduce image file sizes so your pages load as fast as possible
- Resolve 404 error messages on your website
- Aim for at least 300 words in your pages and/or blog posts
- Monitor your search engine results and make changes as needed
A couple of my favorite WordPress plugins for SEO are Yoast and Smush. Both of them have free and premium versions of their plugins.
Search Engine Optimization can be a lot of work, but it’s definitely worth the time investment it in the long run. It’s important to remember that it takes time and effort to see results. By following these tips and investing in a good SEO strategy, you’ll see improved search engine rankings and more traffic coming to your website over time.
If you’re looking for help getting started with SEO, contact us today! We offer both free and premium versions of our SEO plugin, as well as a variety of other services to help you improve your search engine rankings. Contact us today to learn more!