SEO Basics
If you want to rank higher in search engines and get more traffic to your website, you need to understand the basics of search engine optimization (SEO). This means understanding how the search engines work and what they are looking for when they rank websites. It also means understanding how to optimize your website so that it will rank higher in the search engines.
Set up GSC and Bing Webmaster tools
SEO can be a complex and ever-changing landscape, but there are some basic fundamentals that every site owner should know. One of the most important things you can do for your SEO is to set up Google Search Console (GSC) and Bing Webmaster Tools.
GSC is a free service offered by Google that gives you insights into how your site is performing in their search results. You can use GSC to submit your sitemap, request re-indexing of new or updated content, and view your website’s search traffic data.
Bing Webmaster Tools is a similar service offered by Microsoft’s Bing search engine. Bing also offers a free webmaster tools service that allows you to submit your sitemap, request indexing of new or updated content, and view your website’s search traffic data.
Both GSC and Bing Webmaster Tools are essential for any website owner who wants to improve their site’s SEO. If you’re not already using both services, now is the time to get started!
Set up Google Analytics
If you want to track your website’s traffic and analytics, you need to set up Google Analytics. Google Analytics is a free service that gives website owners insights into how their site is being used.
To set up Google Analytics, you’ll need a Google account. If you don’t have one, you can create one for free. Once you have a Google account, go to the Google Analytics website and sign up for an account.
You’ll need to provide some basic information about your website, such as the name and URL. You’ll also need to choose a “property” type. There are three property types: websites, apps, and psychographics (which are used for research).
You’ll be given a tracking ID after you create your account. ThisID will need to be added to your website’s code in order for Google Analytics to track your site’s traffic.
Install and configure an SEO plugin (wordpress)
WordPress is a great platform for any website due to its ease of use and comprehensive features.
When it comes to optimizing your WordPress site for search engines, there are a few key things you can do to ensure that your site is as visible as possible. One of the most important things you can do is install and configure an SEO plugin.
There are a number of different SEO plugins available for WordPress, but our favorite is Yoast SEO. Yoast SEO is a comprehensive plugin that allows you to control all aspects of your site’s SEO, from titles and metatags to XML sitemaps and social media integration.
Installing and configuring an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO is a vital step in optimizing your WordPress site for search engines. For more tips on how to optimize your WordPress site for search engines, be sure to check out our other blog posts.
Keyword Research
If you want to improve your chances of ranking in the search engines, then you need to do keyword research. This will help you find the right keywords to target that your audience is searching for. You can use a tool like Google Keyword Planner to help you with this.
Identify your competitors
When you’re thinking about your SEO strategy and the keywords you want to target, it’s important to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. In order to improve your SEO and get ahead of your competitors, you need to first understand who your online competitors are. Once you have a list of potential rivals, you can start to take a closer look at their strategies and find ways to differentiate yourself.
Here are a few tips for identifying your online competitors:
-Search for your targeted keywords on Google and see who appears in the top results. These are usually companies that have a strong SEO presence and are already ranking well for your target keywords.
-Check social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to see who is talking about your industry or product. These companies may not be ranking well yet, but they could be potential rivals down the road.
-Look at industry-specific forums, directories, or review sites to find companies that offer similar products or services.
-If you sell physical products, look for companies that sell similar products in brick-and-mortar stores. These companies may not have an online presence yet, but they could be competing with you in the future.
Conduct a keyword gap analysis
When you have a list of target keywords, it’s time to conduct a keyword gap analysis. This will help you determine which of your target keywords you are already ranking for, and which ones you are not.
There are a few different ways to conduct a keyword gap analysis. One way is to use a tool like Moz Keyword Explorer. Another way is to do a manual search on Google.
To do a manual search, simply go to Google and type in your target keyword. Then, scroll through the results and take note of where your website is ranking. If you don’t see your website listed, then you know you have some work to do!
Find your main ‘money’ keywords
The first step in any keyword research is to find your main ‘money’ keywords – the ones that are going to have the most impact on your business. These are usually single words or short phrases, and they should be relevant to your products or services.
To find your money keywords, start by brainstorming a list of potential terms. Once you have a list, you can use a tool like Google AdWords Keyword Planner to get more ideas and get accurate estimates of search volume.
Once you’ve identified your money keywords, the next step is to start incorporating them into your website and marketing materials. Use them in your website title, meta tags, header tags, and throughout the body of your site. In addition, use them in any offline marketing materials such as brochures or print ads.
Technical SEO
In this article, we’ll be discussing technical SEO – what it is, and why it’s important. Technical SEO is the process of optimizing a website for the search engines. It’s a broad term that can encompass a lot of different things, but at its core, technical SEO is about making sure that your website is easy for the search engines to crawl and index.
Leverage “Inspect URL” feature in GSC
Google Search Console (GSC), formerly Google Webmaster Tools (GWT), is a free service that helps you maintain your site’s presence in Google search results. GSC provides valuable insights about your website, such as which keywords are driving traffic to your site, how often your site appears in search results, and which countries your site is being visited from.
One of the most useful features in GSC is the “Inspect URL” tool. This tool allows you to view how Google sees your website, and can be used to debug issues with your website’s crawlability or indexation.
To use the “Inspect URL” tool, simply enter a URL into the GSC search bar and click “Inspect.” If there are any issues with the way Google is crawling or indexing your website, you will see a message informing you of the issue. You can then use this information to fix the issue and help improve your website’s ranking in Google search results.
Ensure your website is mobile-friendly
These days, more people are using their mobile devices to access the internet than ever before. In fact, recent statistics show that over 60% of all web traffic comes from mobile devices.
This trend is only going to continue to grow, which is why it’s so important to make sure that your website is mobile-friendly. If it’s not, you’re likely to lose a lot of potential customers and miss out on a lot of business.
There are a few different ways to make sure your website is mobile-friendly. One is to use a responsive design, which means that your website will automatically adjust to fit any screen size.
Another option is to create a separate mobile version of your website. This can be time-consuming and expensive, but it’s often worth it in the long run.
Whichever route you choose, just make sure that your website is mobile-friendly. It could make all the difference in your business.
Check your site’s loading speed
The loading speed of your site is important for a number of reasons. First, it impacts your website’s user experience. If your site takes too long to load, users are likely to get frustrated and leave. Second, site speed is a ranking factor for search engines. So, if you want your site to rank well, you need to make sure it loads quickly.
There are a number of ways to improve your site’s loading speed, including optimizing your images, using a content delivery network (CDN), and minifying your code.
One easy way to check your site’s loading speed is to use Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool. Just enter your URL and Google will give you a report detailing how you can improve your site’s speed.
On-page and Content
On-page SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the practice of optimizing a website to rank higher in search engine results and drive organic traffic.
Fix duplicate, missing, and truncated title tags
When it comes to title tags, there are three main issues that you want to avoid: duplicate title tags, missing title tags, and truncated title tags.
Duplicate title tags can occur when you have more than one page with the same or similar titles. This can confuse search engines and users, and it can dilute your keyword placements.
Missing title tags are just what they sound like – pages without a title tag. This is usually caused by poorly coded templates or dynamically generated pages.
Truncated title tags happen when your title tag is cut off because it’s too long. This usually happens because the page’s template doesn’t account for longer titles, or because the user didn’t enter a shorter title when they should have.
Find and fix duplicate or missing meta descriptions
A good meta description shows up in SERPS (Search Engine Results Pages) and convinces searchers to click on your listing.
Here’s how you can find and fix duplicate or missing meta descriptions on your website:
- Use a site crawler, like Screaming Frog, to find pages without meta descriptions.
- Check each page to see if there is unique, relevant content that could be used as a meta description.
- If you find duplicate or missing meta descriptions, update the pages accordingly.
Find and fix multiple H1 tags
One of the most common errors when it comes to on-page SEO is having multiple H1 tags on a page. This can happen when you have multiple instances of headers, such as a subheading and an H1 tag. It can also happen if you have an H1 tag followed by an H2 tag followed by another H1 tag. Either way, this is considered bad for SEO because it can be confusing for search engine crawlers and may result in your page being less easily found in search engine results pages (SERPs).
To fix this, simply find all instances of H1 tags on your page and remove all but one. If you have a subheading followed by an H1 tag, you can either remove the H1 tag or change the subheading to another header tag (such as an H2). Remember, there should only be one H1 tag per page!
Off-Page SEO
If you are looking to improve your website’s ranking in the search engines, then you need to focus on Off-Page SEO. This is because Off-Page SEO factors are what help search engines determine where your website should rank. There are a number of things you can do to improve your Off-Page SEO, and this section will cover some of the most effective methods.
Analyze your competitor’s link profile
Off-Page SEO refers to all of the activities that you can do outside of your website to help you rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). Many people think of Off-Page SEO as link building, but it is so much more than that!
Here are some of the most effective Off-Page SEO activities:
- Analyze your competitor’s link profile.
- Find relevant industry directories and submit your website.
- post on relevant forums and include a link to your website in your signature.
- Write guest blogs for high-quality websites in your industry.
- Submit your website to social bookmarking sites.
Conduct a link intersect analysis
Link intersect analysis is Barracuda’s method of finding the most influential sites for a given keyword. It combines link data withBarraRank to give a holistic measure of site quality.
Target your competitors’ broken backlinks
One of the most common questions I get asked is “How can I quickly and easily find my competitors’ broken backlinks?”
There are a few different ways that you can go about this, but my personal favourite is using a tool called Monitor Backlinks.
What is Monitor Backlinks?
Monitor Backlinks is a tool that allows you to see all the backlinks that are pointing to your competitors’ websites. You can then use this information to your advantage by reaching out to the website owners and asking them to link to your site instead.
To use Monitor Backlinks, simply enter your competitor’s URL into the “competitor URL” field and click “Add”.