As we often say (and will continue to say), search engine optimization is not one simple flip of a switch that drives traffic to your website. Rather, it is a series of multiple intricate techniques that, when used together in a sophisticated and methodical manner, can bring organic visitors to your site for years and years, filling your pockets along the way. This is why it is important to have a basic understanding of what SEO is. Take note that this article will be constantly updated and maintained as our research team develops even more techniques used to boost the results of our professional SEO services. Each SEO for website tip and trick is described briefly, but should you find yourself curious and / or confused by anything enumerated below, feel free to leave a question in the comments below and an expert will get back to you right away with an in depth answer and description.
What is SEO in 2022
Search engine optimization (SEO) in 2022 is still a process of improving your site's organic traffic and ranking on search engines. Today, with the development of information technologies, such related areas as design, web promotion, and marketing are also developing. Every year, updates are made to the SEO principles of search engines, so SEO promotion is in constant development in order to show decent results of promoting web pages on the Internet. Here, we have collected the most effective SEO tips for beginners.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR THE BEST SEO RESULTS
Everything you find in the list below has been tested and implemented on real websites created by one of Philadelphia’s best online marketing companies, Direct Line Development. We take pride in our work and the results that our customers receive after our practice. We hope that by implementing any or all of the SEO tips for the new site below, you too can reach top ranks in search engine result listings.
Basic SEO tips
1. Make your site useful
Your site and its individual pages should both be equally useful to the Internet community, even when used separately. They must bring something new and of sustenance to the table.
2. Keyword map
One of the best tips on how to use keywords for SEO is to create a keyword map. Before you begin any website promotion or online marketing efforts, it is incredibly important that you develop a keyword map and understand which keywords and phrases will work best for your business and your goals. If this preliminary step is done incorrectly, all the work you put in after will mean nothing.
3. Don’t forget about tails
Not only do you need to understand the words that you have compiled in your keyword map, but you must also understand the so-called “tails” to these words. That is, you must also have a firm grasp on the rest of the content that follows your keywords and phrases in order to show Google that you website is relevant to a particular topic so that your results are organic in nature and your visitors are satisfied with the page (your website) that Google has given them for their particular search submission.
4. Place each keyword on their own page
For the best results, each keyword or phrase should be given its own page on the website. For example “web design, website design ideas, best web development companies.”
5. Develop nesting
This is huge for the successful optimization of your website. Nesting is just what it sounds like: you have a main page, then a subsection, then possibly even further subsections after that. The goal is to filter the user into the most specific topic of interest. For example: main > services > web design > responsive web design.
6. Internal linking
Internal linking must be used wherever possible. This is the process by which other relevant keywords are present on your website and linked throughout your site’s pages. It not only provides users with easy navigation throughout the entire site and what it offers, but it also keeps them on the site for longer, boosting the rank at which Google will place you.
7. Optimize all pages
It’s better to have a site with 30 well-optimized pages than to have a site with 130 pages and not optimize 100 of them.
8. Add breadcrumbs
Clever SEO artistry is sure to leave Breadcrumbs wherever possible…
9. Follow the logic
When nesting your pages, be sure not to nest your target promotion page further than the second subsection. For example: https://directlinedev.com/web-design/website-design-ideas/
Content tips
10. Avoid keyword stuffing
Be sure not to overuse any particular keyword or phrase on a single page. Too much of one particular word will leave Google thinking that your website is not organic AKA spam. The ideal usage count should hover around 2-5% of the total words on the page.
11. Create a unique content
When promoting anything on a website, the text used in the content must be entirely unique. Copying text from other pages or other websites will again leave you with the red stamp of spam, the kiss of death for any online marketing endeavor. Your website's content is one of the most important aspects of SEO.
12. Add video content
It is an excellent idea to include the use of videos on your site. The videos keep users engaged and allow for additional optimization efforts. If anything, at least include them on the pages with the keywords and phrases you seek to promote.
13. Choose tables instead a text
If you find yourself writing out content on a particular page for a keyword and notice it would be possible for you to create a table instead of a paragraph, do it. Google and people alike love tables.
14. Start a promotion from URL
You should always include the word you wish to promote in the URL of the page. For example: https://directlinedev.com/web-design/
15. Attention to the title
When creating content for your website it is best to include the keyword in the title of the page, and that entire title should not exceed 60 characters in its length..
16. Precise the location
To get the most out of the internet, the title should also include the region in which you operate. For example: Website Development in Philadelphia.
17. Create FAQ pages
If you are looking for a win-win solution, collect all FAQ on the one page. People will love that they can find answers to all their questions on one page, rather than collecting bits of information all over the site.
Website pages tips
18. Check all links
It is extremely undesirable to have broken links on your site.
19. Constantly evolve
You must continuously update and grow your website. This can be done by simply adding at least one new page to the site every 2-3 months. Consistent activity shows Google and your users that you are a living company that is constantly adapting, changing, and developing. For the best SEO results, however, adding 2-3 pages per week is the optimal amount. The easiest way to do this is by adding a “Blog” section to your website.
20. Update old pages
Older pages on your site must be updated at least once every six months in order to show Google they are still relevant!
Link building tips
21. Add external links
External linkage is highly important and having a set strategy will only benefit your site. If your site features links to other prominent names or respected brands in your region or industry, you will notice an improvement in credibility and rank. There are many set link building strategies for you to get started with.
22. Don't turn the site into a list of links
As it pertains to the above-mentioned point, do not overdo it with the links. If you simply post a cluster of links from garbage sites, Google will banish you. Be smart when dealing with Google.
Material by SEO
23. Look for links with your keywords
Most of the links that you reference should also contain the keyword that you are promoting.
24. Finish your links
All outbound links from your site should be finished with a NoFollow tag so that the “weight” of the site does not leak.
25. Choose different domains
While the number of external links on your site is indeed important, it is even more important that these links feature different domain names rather than multiple links from the same domain.
26. Register your site in social networks
If you are a young site/ company and are not linked to many other sites, register your site in all social networks, videohosting sites, photohosting sites, job sites, local directories, etc., and you will gain much more attention from Google’s robots.
27. Go for Link Quality (Not Quantity)
Choose reliable and trusted links with interesting and useful content. A lot of useless and unreliable links will not help in promoting the site.
28. Add Internal Links in Logical Places
When creating links, it is not always worth including keywords if this link leads to one of the pages of your site. But if the context implies a certain topic with the inclusion of keywords, then why not?
Social media tips
29. Profiles in social networks
First one from all SEO tips for a new site is the one about social media profiles. Today, social networks are an absolute must. Your website should have a page in all of them!
30. Check cross-hosting
Your company should ensure that cross-hosting appears on your site in all social networks.
31. Add links to the pages
Once your business has a page on all the necessary social networks, links to these networks should be placed on the website itself.
32. Facebook and Twitter is the key for promotion
If you want Google to quickly update and integrate new information posted on your site, it is helpful to also post links to that information in popular groups on Facebook or Twitter.
Technical SEO tips
33. Write a unique title
Just like the rest of the content on your business’s website, the title should be 100% unique.
34. Add a description
Every page must include a description, as it is output to the SERP.
35. Choose a communicable language
When writing the description, take into account that you are communicating with both Google AND people. Write in a communicable language that gives readers an idea of what the page is about. You should also be sure not to exceed a length of 160 characters for each description.
36. Include a region into description
If the description includes the region in which your company operates, you are only going to improve your search engine optimization results.
37. Add special characters
Including special characters in your descriptions will improve the overall clickability of the link that it pertains to. For example: ➤ If you need one of the best web design companies in Philadelphia, Denver, or Austin, look no further than Direct Line Development. With the help of our amazing web design agency, we will bring you to the top!
38. Register keywords in the meta tags
On each page you must be sure to register keywords in the meta tags. While many people say that this is not important and Google does not take it into account, this is simply not the case.
39. Choose main title
The main title of each page must be marked with H1 tags and there should only be one per page.
40. Differ title and H1
The title of the H1 tag must be different from the Title itself and it should contain the target keyword for the page.
41. Write a unique H1
As with everything, your H1 header should be entirely unique with no duplicates of it on the site. As a rule, the more duplicates you have, the lower your rank.
42. Add pictures
Pictures can also be used to boost search engine optimization results. When posting pictures, each one must contain an Alt tag with a description of the image that contains the target keyword for that particular page.
43. Choose unique pictures
Another SEO tip on how to label images for blog posts is to use unique pictures. If you thought that pictures didn’t have to be unique, think again. Each image on your site must be unique or altered to be unique so that Google categorizes it as such. Fact.
44. Use several photos
To get the most out of the use of images on your website, use several photos instead of one and allow the user to scroll seamlessly through them. Not only do you have more images that you can optimize, but you improve the overall user experience by using this technique.
45. Add main keyword to the first paragraph
When planning on the text for a target promotion page, the main keyword must occur within the first paragraph on the page.
46. Add H2 headers
On a promotion page, you must have 2-3 H2 headers containing queries that are nested within the main query. For example: key query - web development, additional words web development companies, web development services.
47. Write a bulleted list
We highly recommend that you make at least one bulleted list that contains a keyword that you intend to promote. However, keep in mind that this list should contain no more than 10 bullet points.
48. Highlight the main keyword
We also highly recommend that you single out a single sentence or phrase on each page that contains the keyword you are promoting by making the font bold. That is, make it <strong>.
49. Robots.txt file
Your website must contain a robots.txt file with all the information properly filled out.
50. Sitemap.xml file
Your website should have a sitemap.xml in which all the internal links of your site should be present.
51. Update sitemap.xml
If you make changes to your website, the date of each change made should be cataloged in the sitemap.xml.
52. HTTPS protocol
Your website should work in https protocol. If not, call us ASAP.
A secure web is here to stay! Chrome will mark all HTTP sites as "Not secure" in July 2018. 🔐⚠️ https://t.co/hcIqQvYHUM
— Google Chrome (@googlechrome) February 8, 2018
53. 301 redirects
If you decide that it is time for your site to be overhauled and completely renovated, you must make use of 301 redirects so that all of the links that you presently have on the internet before the remake are not lost and gone to waste.
54. Extend your ownership
After you’ve purchased an ideal domain name, we recommend that you extend your ownership of it for the maximum number of years so that you avoid any legal discrepancies.
55. Remember the page’s age
Always remember that the age of your domain will affect how well your site is promoted.
56. Susceptibility for organic promotion
The age of a page will affect its overall susceptibility for organic promotion.
57. Optimize site’s speed
Site speed is important for a multitude of reasons. You can check the speed of your own website through a special tool offered by Google itself. Recently, Google changed the functionality of this service, but the old version can still be found through Google PageSpeed Insights.
58. Index your pages
Carefully check that your pages are indexed by ‘site: domain’ only once. Double indexing will result in duplicate content.
Analytics tips
59. Google Analytics
To get the most out of SEO, incorporate Google Analytics into your site so that you are able to analyze the traffic influx brought to your site.
60. Register Google Search Console
Speaking of registering your site, don’t forget to do the same with Google Search Console.
61. Analyze the behavior factors
The success or failure of SEO also depends on the behavior of your users. If you find that certain pages have a higher bounce rate than others when analyzing them through Google Analytics, it is necessary that you seek to find the cause of the bouncing and fix it immediately.
62. Monitor your page rank
Monitor your page rank on Moz Domain Authority and Page Rank and try to make adjustments that improve that rank.
63. Compare your website with competitors
You should compare your website or page that you intend to promote with that of its equal on your competitors’ sites in the SerpA in the top 10 on Google. Your main goal is to be above them for all relevant keywords and phrases.
64. Organize and adapt your site
There are a plethora of systems, such as SE Ranking, which allow you to locate and aggregate all the links of your competitors’ sites. You can use this information in order to better organize and adapt your own site to appear higher than your competitors in Google's results.
65. Have patience
Sometimes you may find that for a particular word or phrase, your site simply won’t rise in rank. Remember that Google sometimes takes time to work its magic for you. Have patience!
Mobile website SEO tips
66. Mobile-first approach
Google is switching to indexing all sites using mobile devices. Therefore, first of all make sure that your site can be used on mobile devices.
67. AMP & PWA
To help prepare for mobile indexing and increase mobile search traffic of your site, launch Google Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) or Progressive Web Apps (PWA).
68. Remove interstitials
Removes all pop-up and restrictive windows if they do not relate to age restrictions or private dates.
69. Implement scroll-tracking
With Google AMP, you can implement Scroll Tracking with Google Tag Manager.
70. Add forms
Despite the fact that some pages may seem empty, you can add forms to collect applications, contact data from potential customers and create interactive question-and-answer blocks.
71.Use breadcrumbs
To show users the exact location on the site and the path from the page where they are now to the main page - place breadcrumbs.
Tips for local SEO
72. Specify the location
The location services that Google offers to its users can be highly effective to your business and bring you to the top of all internet traffic in your region. To take advantage of this, register your company in Google Business with a verified address. This will further bind your company name to the region in which you operate.
73. Give a feedback
Internet users love to read real feedback. Make sure that the ability for users to comment and review your services and products is available wherever possible. This not only will help with your credibility, but extra chatter about your company on sites like Google Business and Yelp will contribute to the overall popularity of your website in search engines.
74. Use regional pages
If your business is developing in several locations in the same region, use regional pages for your site.
75. Add photos to your local pages
There are SEO tips for website design. One of them is: post real photos of your offices and team to set users up for a friendly atmosphere and make your site memorable.
76. Optimize for “near me” searches
Some customers choose to search for the necessary goods and services according to the criterion “next to me”, so add this key to your content to promote the site.
CONCLUSION
We hope that all of these SEO tips for small businesses and tricks were helpful and enlightening. If you feel as though we missed a particular technique, please don’t hesitate to write it in the comments below. Similarly, if you are optimizing your own website and find yourself stuck at a particular position or ranking, give us a call and we will be happy to run a free audit of your website!
Comments
Great useful tips that need to be considered while optimizing website for better ranking. Thanks for sharing such useful information.
Great article in the sense that all of the little factors are the ones that build everything up in Google's eyes. What really catches me are the parts about external links. I find that people have the most questions on this subject and this article helps to point me in the right direction.
A company that can share their insight and experience is something you can't find these days. Thank you for contributing to my daily knowledge!
Most people have no idea how much goes into great SEO that actually converts on keywords that matter and drive traffic - great points in this article.
Re: Nesting (#5), is there a limit someone should try to stick to for a number of subcategories or is it ok to just keep going to get more and more specific with subsections/subcategories?
Had me at hello... "SEO is NOT a flip of a switch strategy that just happens." Important distinction for any business owner looking into an SEO strategy.
What an interesting read. I didn't realize how much you can learn from your competition and that SEO is so much work
Before reading this article, I did not think of how much work actually takes place in SEO. The topic is more detailed than many people think, and I think this article captures that and explains it well! I feel as though many people want their websites mobile responsive only to keep up to the latest trends, not realizing that it can indeed impact your SEO as well!