For our latest #TutorialTuesday, Chloe was tasked with scouring the worldwide web to find the latest and greatest SEO practices. But wait - didn’t we talk about 5 Big Changes to SEO not too long ago? Why yes, yes we did. BUT, in the ever changing landscape of digital marketing, there’s always something new to learn and implement. Let’s jump right in.
An Oldie But Goodie: Content is KING
Right off the bat, and this isn’t new, the biggest takeaway is to focus on quality content. The benefits of having quality content on your website are plentiful, some of them being:
- Having quality content improves the user experience (more on that later, but we’ll let you know now that it’s a pretty big deal)
- Providing an extensive examination of your topic will lead to a longer, more robust piece of content. And, longer content generally ranks higher.
- Bots are becoming increasingly sophisticated; they really can tell the difference between a peice of quality content and something drab that’s just been pumped full of keywords. Old tricks are becoming obsolete!
User Experience
Providing a good user experience is increasingly important for ranking. Smart bots, remember? The quality of content is important: does it give the user the information that they came for? Also important: how easy was it to get that content? Specifically, how long did it take for the page to load and, if I’m on my phone, can I see everything in a way that doesn’t hurt my brain?
Page Speed
Page speed is an indicator of quality, and let’s be honest: how long are you willing to wait for a page to load? Your users are no different! Not sure how your page speed is doing right now? Start here → Google Page Speed Insights.
Mobile Friendliness
More and more searches are being performed on mobile devices. Did you know more Google searches take place on mobile devices than on computers in 10 countries, including the U.S.? If your website is not optimized for mobile use, you could be losing valuable eyes! Not only that, but if users are bouncing off of the page (clicking off after just a few seconds), your ranking can be affected. Talk about a double negative. Start here → Seven Statutes of Smartphone Success
Links: Building Trust & Authority
One of these things is not like the other... There are 4 types of links to know; 3 to use and 1 to avoid at all costs!
Backlinks
Backlinks are one of the most valuable and overlooked aspects of an SEO strategy. They demonstrate your trustworthiness to both users (which in turn, means an improved user experience!), and to search engines. This is true as long as the website that has linked to your site is trustworthy. Use your network to start building up dependable, trustworthy backlinks to your website! Perhaps you could be interviewed for a blog post, or offer a comment on the topic. And don’t forget to pay it forward!
Internal Linking
Pages with more links directing to them are deemed more valuable. So, yes! Include inline CTA’s to other parts of your website in copy and blog posts.
External Linking
Linking to high-quality websites is an added trust factor (user experience! Do you see a pattern?), as you’re establishing yourself as an educated, informed resource.
Dead Links/Broken Redirects
Avoid at all costs! Dead links/broken redirects lead to a poor user experience, and also prevent search engines from indexing your content.
In the upcoming weeks, we’ll be exploring more things related to SEO, like the rise of SERP features and how to get the most out of Google Search Console. Stay in the loop by subscribing to the blog. Or, if this sounds like something that’s important (which it is), but not something that tickles your fancy, let us take care of it for you! Contact us today and we'll help you develop a strategy that works within your budget and grows your investment every step of the way.
