SEO Strategies That Make a Big Impact
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SEO. Search Engine Optimization. By now, we’ve all heard about it, no matter how big or small of a role marketing plays in our lives. We know that SEO is the process of improving a site to increase its visibility when people search for products or services related to your organization in Google, Bing, and other search engines. But, if you find yourself knowing what SEO is and what it does but are unsure of how to implement it in your website, read on.
How to Improve Your SEO
1. Identify Focus Keywords
A keyword is a word or phrase that serves as the primary purpose of the page. All pages should be written for one identified keyword, even though they can rank for more than one focus keyword or keyword phrase.
Our Recommendation
Keep track of the focus keywords used on your site and identify specific, different keywords for each page to avoid cannibalizing your page rankings.
2. Increase the Keyword Visibility
Identifying your keywords isn’t enough—the frequency with which a keyword is mentioned on a page plays a crucial role in improving your site’s ranking.
Our Recommendation
Place the keyword in the meta title, page headings, and three to five times within the content if it’s possible to do so organically.
3. Come up with a Relevant Meta Title
Meta title is the page title that shows in the tab at the top of a browser screen. It is used in search engine page rankings, that’s why it’s important for it to have keywords and be to the point.
Our Recommendation
Aim for a meta title of about 60 to 65 characters to avoid parts of your title getting automatically removed in the process known as truncation.
4. Write a Meta Description
Meta description explains what the page is about and is often used as the preview text on search engine results. Make sure to write a meta description for each of your pages because, if left blank, the search engine may pull in whatever copy it decides is relevant. The meta description is often disregarded by people because it isn’t utilized in determining ranking, however, it can directly affect user experience and decision to click the link.
Our Recommendation
Meta descriptions should be unique, approximately 145-155 characters, and contain focus keywords when possible.
5. Get Creative with Title Tags
Title tags are heading and subheadings on the page that are identified with HTML title tags (e.g., <h1>, <h2>, <h3>). You should use them not only for the better content organization but also as opportunities for including keywords.
Our Recommendation
Use the <h1> tag only once per page, as the main headline. Include keywords in your subheading tags and use them to break up content for readability, as well as for listicles.
6. Generate Cluster Content
Cluster content refers to content pieces written specifically to drive traffic to web pages through internal links. The more interlinking you do, the better the placement in search engine results pages.
Our Recommendation
When generating cluster content, use the focus keyword as the internal link anchor text to build authority.
Bottom Line
We know the abundance of information surrounding SEO can be overwhelming at times, but updating your site in a timely manner while keeping the best SEO practices in mind can really make a big difference. At 5 Horizons, we love helping clients expand their audience reach. If your site’s SEO needs a little boost, let us know—we’d love to increase the awareness of services or products you offer.