Do you rely on your website to achieve success in your industry?
In 2019, you need your website to be optimized to get a leg up on the competition. It’s so difficult to stand out in the digital world, but by using SEO tips and tricks you stand a fighting chance.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at some of the most effective SEO methods that are proven to help website traffic and put your website, and thus your business, on the map.
Let’s not dilly dally any longer, here are the top SEO tips for surviving on the internet.
Speed Things Up
If you weren’t aware, people don’t like waiting around for your site to load these days. Studies show that 40% of people will abandon a site completely if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.
That might sound outrageous, but those are the numbers we’re dealing with in 2019. Expectations are high and your site needs to deliver or you’ll be losing traffic and, in turn, losing sales.
To speed things up, reassess what every single page on your site actually requires to function. Eliminate the fluff, so to speak. If you’re using large images and plugins that don’t hold much value, then it’s in your best interest to get rid of them altogether.
Test our your speed before you even launch your website. Even if you have incredible SEO skills, your site will never find its way to the top of Google’s listings if it doesn’t move fast.
Write for the Enjoyment of People
A lot of entrepreneurs can get really wrapped up in getting traffic to the website using SEO analytics and keywords. Lost in all of the number-crunching can often be the actual content side of things. Always remember that when people land on your page, there should be thoughtful and relevant content displayed there.
The people that are purchasing your product are just that, people. If you can get them to the page, that’s great, but if you aren’t engaging them once they’re on your page, then what was it all for? There’s no point in any of it if they aren’t likely to buy your products at the end of the visit.
This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t employ SEO philosophy when writing your posts and landing page material. You absolutely should be doing that, but the person writing the post needs to be a skilled writer that can integrate the key terms into stimulating pieces of writing.
Meta Descriptions
It’s important to write detailed and enticing meta descriptions. These are the short blurbs underneath the link to your website in the SERP. It acts as a short and free advertisement for your page. And, it’s an oft-neglected portion of SEO.
Writing unique meta descriptions for every landing page on your site will go a long way to improving your standing with Google. If you publish duplicate content, Google will end up punishing you for it, this includes meta descriptions.
If you write SEO-driven and appealing meta descriptions, your traffic is almost guaranteed to improve. It’s a simple and useful technique that can put you ahead of the competition with minimal effort.
Local SEO
If things keep going the way things are going, local SEO is going to be the most important thing for entrepreneurs to improve their sites. If you don’t know what local SEO is, it’s not too late, but you’re probably behind the 8-ball.
Local SEO involves optimizing your website for mobile and location-based searches. This is incredibly important for businesses that rely on local searches to stay alive.
Think about it, if you’re a pizza place in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, you’re going to want those mobile searches that say “best pizza in Williamsburg” to direct to you instead of some other joint in NYC.
To optimize for location-based searches, you need to always state where you are and what you do in your links and meta description on google. In addition, you need to be present on online directories like Yelp and have great reviews. Most people check the reviews of a place before they place an order.
Local SEO is going to continue to develop to suit the customer’s needs, so you’ll need to stay on top of trends to prevent falling behind.
Mine for Content and Keywords
There’s no shame in doing a bit of your own research when you’re coming up with content. Mining forums, social media, and comment sections is a great way to put your ear to the ground and find out what the kids are saying these days.
When you notice common threads running through your followers’ posts, then you might be noticing a trend that your competitors are missing. It’s important to get in on the ground floor with new trends.
Being ahead of the game when it comes to addressing the most recent concerns of your consumers will go a long way in establishing you as an authority on certain matters. There’s nothing more valuable than doing something before your competitors.
Hire an SEO Specialist
Many businesses are beginning to carve out entire departments dedicated to optimization. Even if you’re a smaller business with a smaller budget, being aware of the need for great SEO will take you far.
There are lots of great digital marketing firms all over the place that offer SEO services. Figure out what your SEO needs are, determine whether or not you think you can take care of those needs in-house then do some research and figure out what a digital marketing specialist can do for you (learn more here).
Just a Few SEO Tips and Tricks
These are just a few of the more basic SEO tips and tricks. Once you get more involved in optimization, you’ll find yourself going down the rabbit hole of clicks and content.
Always remember, behind all of the statistics, analytics, and keywords, there are real humans consuming your products. Appeal to them and worry about the rest later.
For more life hacks and business advice, visit our site.