Search engine optimization (SEO) is more complicated and encompassing than you may realize. Yes, things like keywords still matter, especially if your marketing plan includes paid advertising. And, yes, content is still king when it comes to keeping both searchers and search engines like Google happy. But there’s more to SEO than just clever content and keywords.
HTML Tags
More than 90 percent of online experiences start with a search engine. In order to give these all-important search engines a clue about what your web pages are about, you need the right HTML tags. The most important of these tags is the title tag since it’s what describes the topic of each page. Other key HTML tags include header tags, alt image tags that describe your images (crawlers can’t “read” images), and links and anchor text tags to give search engines some details about your links.
Meta Descriptions
By definition, metadata is just data about data. For SEO purposes, one of the most effective ways to present data about each of your website’s pages for both search engines and searchers is with meta descriptions. These are simply short descriptions of a page’s content. Ideally, they should include one or two relevant keywords and a reference to your location, if you are targeting a specific geographic area.
Higher Word Counts
At one time, “SEO experts” considered anything beyond 250 words too lengthy for optimization purposes. But times have changed. Today, it’s more in-depth articles and posts that tend to rank better on Google. So, what’s the optimal word count these days? The general consensus is to shoot for about 1,000 words, although HubSpot suggests that the sweet spot with word totals is about 2,500 words. Be sure to check with a word counter or some other tool.
Sitemaps
Sitemaps is a XML file that lists the URLs for websites. It allows webmasters to add additional information about each URL, such as when it was last updated or how often it changes, and how important it is in relation to different URLs and thus help the search engine scrawl more intelligently. These then help with SEO by presenting optimized laps or diagrams of your website’s various elements.
Think of it as the online version of those big maps in malls that show where every store is located. If you have a primary website, you may not need a sitemap at all. But if your site has multiple landing pages and several different features, a sitemap can make it easier for search engines to size up your website.
SEO Taxonomy
Taxonomy refers to classifying things. When applied to SEO, taxonomy means presenting a product or business-related information that’s on your site in a way that’s logical and organized. Doing so will make it easier for visitors to your site to find what they need. In turn, this creates a good user experience, which is one of the things that Google pays attention to.
Another aspect of SEO to consider is what you do off-page to direct traffic back to your website. This includes things like attracting links from trusted and relevant websites pointing back to your site, encouraging customers to leave feedback and post reviews, and remaining active and engaged on social media.
Local SEO
Once your on-site SEO basics are in place, don’t forget the essential elements of local optimization. Make sure every mention of your NAP (Name, address, phone number) is formatted exactly the same across your site. See if you can find citations or directories on the internet referencing your business, and try to get them to match your NAP formatting. If you’re really lucky, they’ll even link back to your site. To increase the pace of this process, services such as Yext will automate it for a fee. Get Google My Business functioning, and make sure your Google and Yelp reviews are putting your best foot forward. Your online reputation may the difference between attracting and not attracting a potential lead.
