Search engine optimization (SEO) is a key factor in driving organic traffic to your website. If you want to get the most out of your website, you need to make sure it is optimized for search engines. Here are 10 do-it-yourself SEO tips that will help you get the most out of your website. Premium SEO tools like Semrush can quickly identify keyword gaps.
Instead of trying to rank for a supercompetitive keyword, try a specific and more relevant approach. For example, if you own an accounting software company, try targeting “accounting software for real estate agents” instead of “accounting software”. Google and other search engines prioritize original and relevant content. If you want to add content from another site, link it and refer to the original source or use 301 redirects from any duplicate pages to the original pages.
The most important elements for SEO are found on your own website. Link building is important, but without good site optimization, it won't be as effective. Here are the minimum elements of optimization that should be placed on each of the main pages of your website, including the home page:
- Keyword research
- XML sitemap
- Meta description
- Unique content
- Internal links
Links are like votes that say your website deserves to be ranked high. Create an XML sitemap file to ensure that search engines discover new and updated pages on your site, listing all relevant URLs along with the last modification dates of their main content. Your meta description should be written with a human audience in mind and include the main keywords of the page. This will help the search results stand out to the search engine when users search for those terms.
When Google is presented with the same content in multiple places, it will only show one page and exclude the others from search rankings. Search engines can use this knowledge to display your content in useful (and eye-catching) ways in search results. An SEO expert or agency can help ensure that when consumers perform a web search, your website is one of the first resources to appear in search results. And the more content you have, the more likely search engines are to place more pages of your website in the search index. Make sure all pages on your website are accessible through links and don't require an internal search function to find them. If you've improved your website crawling and indexing with Google Search Console or other services, you're probably curious about the traffic coming to your site. By following these do-it-yourself SEO tips, you can optimize your website for search engines and get more organic traffic.
