Practical SEO tips that are relevant in today’s day and age
Before we decode the labyrinth that is online ranking/ organic- inorganic/ PPC’s/ CPM/ CPC and what not, lets first begin with the basics and understand what the true meaning and relevance of Search Engine Optimisation is all about.
Definition of SEO
The definition of Search engine optimization (SEO) is, simply put,a guideline for websites or blog owners to optimize their web sites for search engines. When we say optimize we mean rearranging or rewriting the data (or code) in order to improve the efficiency of retrieval/ processing of the site. The code or the software that goes into the website is done such that there is significant improvement in search engine rankings.
Needless to say that an improved ranking also means more traffic to your site and in turn more outreach and therefore more business.
However, this definition is a rather simplistic, plaid and retro way of understanding SEO. Today, the times have changed and how! Yes, it is a more complex and methodological process, one that cannot just be implemented overnight. Though, in the hands of a gifted digital agency, you should be able to navigate your online business outstandingly well.
Why SEO the site?
In addition to getting your site found, a good SEO strategy has excellent implications that go on to make your site a success. Implementing SEO correctly has resulted in faster navigation, better quality and a more user- friendly site experience.
The fact that there are over a billion websites in the world today. Having established the importance of SEO, let’s explore some tips that are relevant in the times today.
Pick one keyword
When you begin to SEO the site, it’s really not necessary to SEO everything. Rather focus on one keyword and make sure that you’re making that keyword the hero of the site. However, that also does not mean you practise minimalism, rather the keyword must feature on all the essentials of the site such as the titles, headings, and the rest of the content through the site.
Remember that the smarter way you insert those keywords the better your chance of appearing in the first few search suggestions. It is not uncommon knowledge that most users tend to pick from among the first five suggestions that appear in the results page. Having said that, do you hear a humming sound somewhere? Why, it must be the Google Hummingbird.
The Hummingbird algorithm by Google has definitely made life easier and developers and digital strategists can now collectively have a sigh of relief. Now it is no longer necessary to cram pages with keywords rather the algorithm automatically computes what the page content and relevance is all about. So the spotlight is on smart placement of keywords and relevant contextual information.
Meta-tags – To use or not to use
Once considered the holy grail of a SEO friendly site, meta tags were the quick go to’s for any self respecting web developer. Not so anymore, not entirely anyways. Meta tag keywords are not as significant as they were in the days yonder and if you do over stuff your site with them; you’ll risk the chance of being banned or being declared as a spam site. Needless to say you don’t want either.
Again, pay a little heed here and don’t forget the Meta descriptions. Meta descriptions are basically the small snippets of info/ content that is usually seen in search results. Let’s understand this with an example, say somebody searches for Nail Varnishes fewer than 100 rupees, you’ll probably end up with the usual lengthy search results page.Look a bit closely and you’ll realise that there’s always a bit of information mentioned underneath the search results websites. This is the Meta description.
Meta descriptions are an important conversion feature. They may not be essential when you consider ranking algorithms, but when you take into account that the user reads through the snippets and decides whether to click or not, you’ll then appreciate the importance of Meta descriptions.
Use Internal links for a stronger SEO
Internal linking, as the name suggests, is ways of creating links within your website that connect (link) one page to another page on the website. It can be compared to a breadcrumb methodology wherein every page has relevant and easy to find links that connect the user to other links/ pages on the website.
Internal linking can also connect your site to your blog, to your Twitter page or to any other page on the site that maybe considered relevant for the user. Beware though; the usage of internal links should be organic, misuse, can be a costly affair.
The difference is almost immediate and one can actually see that it creates a more organised structure that is SEO friendly and actually helps in site navigation while clearly defining the site structure and order of importance.
