Last week, we talked about what search engine optimization is and why you – as a
small business owner – should care. But that said, knowing what SEO is pretty
different from knowing how to implement this science on your own website!
Now, what you need to keep in mind is that SEO can be complex. Companies like
Google and Microsoft employ some of the smartest scientists and mathematicians to
make their algorithms as effective as possible. If you dig too deeply into the
recommendations made by SEO strategists, you’re bound to feel overwhelmed.
So instead of stressing yourself out, start with any of the following seven SEO
techniques. All of them can be easily implemented whenever you have a spare hour,
making proper website optimization an attainable goal for even the “non-techiest”
of small business owners.
Technique #1 – Optimize your title tags
Every page on your website should have its own unique title tag. However, not all
title tags are created equally!
From an SEO perspective, a good title tag should:
Be no more than 70 characters (including spaces)
Include both product- or service-related keywords and your company’s brand name
Be both intriguing and informative enough to prompt search engine users to click
through to your page (as title tags are typically used in the snipped displayed in
the natural search results)
To see what this all looks like in real life, let’s look at a hypothetical example
of how this and the following SEO techniques could be put into practice…
Suppose you run an auto body shop in San Francisco, CA. You’ve recently launched a
new website which includes a page on your current specials. After conducting your
keyword research, you’ve decided to target the phrase “auto body coupon,” along
with location modifiers that put your website in front of consumers in your city.
In addition, as you’re crafting your title tags, avoid “keyword stuffing” these
important fields. Title tags that are no more than a string of all your website’s
target keywords (in this example, something like “Auto Body Coupons, Auto Body
Discounts, Auto Body Savings”) frustrate visitors and can lead to over-
optimization penalties by the search engines.
Technique #2 – Create compelling meta descriptions
Along with your title tags, the section of every page on your website should
contain a customized meta description. These brief page summaries should be no
more than 150-160 characters long and should include at least one mention of your
page’s target keyword phrase.
Following our previous example, your meta description could read something like
this:
“Need quality auto body repair work done at a discount price? Check out the latest
auto body coupon codes from Frank's Auto of San Francisco, CA.”
While meta descriptions don’t hold nearly the SEO weight that they used to, their
presence in the snippets found on search engine results pages plays an important
role in your site’s overall click-through rate (CTR). By writing your meta
descriptions in a way that captures search users’ attention, you’ll increase the
number of visitors who choose to click on your listing compared to your
competitors’.
Technique #3 – Utilize keyword-rich headings
Both the title tag and meta description should be included in the section of every
page on your website – but what about the rest of your page’s content?
When it comes to your pages’ body text, one of the best things you can do to
improve your overall SEO value is to include <h2> and heading tags containing your
target keyword phrases in your content. Not only do the search engines place added
weight on the words found in these particular tags, the visual relief they provide
to your website’s readers will help them to move more efficiently through your
site’s content.
Technique #4 – Add ALT tags to your images
If you choose to add images to your web pages, make sure to add ALT tags to them
as well.
ALT tags originally came about to provide visually impaired website visitors using
text-to-speech devises with additional information about the content on their
screens. And though this initial purpose is still valid, the content found in
these fields is also important when it comes to SEO.
Again, you shouldn’t “stuff” your ALT tag full of target keywords and keyword
variations. Instead, use your ALT tags to clearly and accurately describe your
website’s images, working in keyword phrases as they occur naturally.
Technique #5 – Create a sitemap
In the world of SEO, the search engines’ indexing programs – commonly referred to
as “spiders” – play the important role of analyzing new websites (or new content
added to existing websites) and adding their content to the lists of pages that
can be displayed in response to user queries.
As a result, facilitating the easy movement of these spider programs throughout
your own site is an important part of optimizing your content for natural search
traffic.
One of the best things you can do to help the spiders index your website is to
create a sitemap – a page listing links to all the other pages on your site. There
are plenty of different automated tools that can generate these important pages
for you, though you can always create a sitemap by hand if your site is small.
Technique #6 – Build internal links between pages
Another way to help the search engine spiders to catalogue all of your site’s
pages is to create internal links that connect your different pieces of content.
As an example, instead of simply linking to your “Contact” or “About Us” page from
your navigation bar, consider adding text links to these pages from within the
body content found on your home page. Doing so is a great way to help your
visitors find the information they’re looking for, in addition to providing a
major SEO boost to your site’s content.
Technique #7 – Update your site regularly
One final SEO technique you’ll want to implement is to update your site
periodically. Because the search engines’ top priority is serving up the results
that will best meet their users’ needs, they prefer to share websites that contain
the latest, most up-to-date information. In addition, the more content you post to
your site, the more keywords your website will include – increasing your odds of
generating search engine traffic.
The easiest way to make regular updating a part of your SEO strategy is to create
a company blog or news section. Either one of these tools will help you to connect
with your readers, while also appeasing the search engines’ desire for fresh
content.
Unfortunately, implementing these seven basic SEO techniques on your website alone
isn’t enough to guarantee that your site will reach the coveted top spot in the
search engine results pages for your chosen keyword phrases overnight.
Realistically, SEO is a process that takes time to deliver results – though many
new webmasters find this frustrating.
Instead of getting overwhelmed by the number of different SEO techniques out
there, start with these seven basics. Over time and with continued commitment to
pleasing both your readers and the search engines, you will start to see results!
Thanks,
Surbhi Maheshwari [MBA Fin / Mktg ]
Manager Finance
On Line Assistence :
Blog 1
A world of airplanes
Topic : Dassault Falcon 2000 Transcontinental range mid to large size corporate jet
Blog 2
Finance and Forex
Topic : Investment Banking
Blog 3
Enterpreneurship
Topic : Start Your Online Business and Be an Enterpreneur
Blog 4
Modeling
Topic : Can I Be a Model?
Blog 6
Travel and Toursim
Topic : Chennai To Shirdi Triambakeshwar Flight Tour Package
Blog 7
Earn Money
Topic : 10 Magic-Like Ways To Multiply Your Orders
Blog 8
Best Honeymoon Places to Visit
Topic : Rajasthan Travel Packages
