In the genesis of search engine optimization (SEO), things looked very different than they do today. SEO was synonymous with black hat “tricks” such as keyword stuffing, content that was not human friendly, hidden text, and link building competitions. As of late SEO has become much less mysterious, and much more logical for the human mind to make sense of.
Today the basic goals of SEO are to:
- Help Google understand what your website is about by using keywords that are strategically placed (but not overdone).
- Engage your website visitors so they want to stick around.
- Get links that are genuine, not tricky.
With these goals in mind, we’ll now dive into the specifics:
1. Don’t Be Spammy
One huge mistake that people are still making based on old SEO trickery, is stuffing keywords. Here’s an example of a page title that I recently saw:
Life Insurance NYC | Manhattan Car Insurance Broker | New York Health Insurance | New Jersey Insurance Brokers
This same idea was used in the page description and content as well. This page has too many keywords, which makes it confusing for Google to know for sure what this one particular page is about. Google would rather show highly relevant results to its searchers about one particular topic rather than a page that talks about 10 different things. If you have 10 different keywords you need to rank for, it’s best to just create a page for each of those keywords so Google can clearly see what each page is about.
Talk with your SEO consultant to know exactly how you should place your keywords to ensure Google and people can understand what your website is about.
2. Make Your Website Visitors Stick Like Glue
It’s not just about putting in the hard work to get people to your website, but also figuring out how to get them to stay. The last thing you need is high bounce rates after all your efforts. This is why I emphasize quality, quality, quality! It’s highly important you have a website that is engaging to your visitors, answers the questions they have, and they land on your page for the very reason they were looking for. For this reason, I recommend you work with a professional web designer to ensure you website is the best it can be. A professional web designer can help you with a topnotch design and engaging and interesting content that will ensure your customers will stick like glue.
Website load time is also extremely important to Google, as it is one of the factors it uses to rank websites for SEO. Your web designer will be able to ensure a fast website by considering image sizes, hosting options, and web caching.
3. Genuine Links
Gone are the days of trying to find every directory in existence to list your business in, and post to every forum with a salesy/spammy link to your website. This kind of link building is bound to get you penalized in no time at all.
Link building is not just a matter of numbers (he with the most links wins!). It’s about having links that are true to your business. Take a look at some of the activities your business is already involved with and see if there is a link opportunity. Here are some examples to consider:
- Association memberships and leadership positions
- B to B partnerships
- Referral relationships with other businesses
- Newsworthy items you can submit a press release for to the local newspaper or business journal
Yes directories are important, but you don’t need thousands of directory listings to be successful (or even hundreds for that matter). Take your most important keywords and search Google to see what directories show up first to find out which ones are most important for your industry.
Have you been trying to do your own SEO and wondered why all your efforts are just getting your further and further from page one of search results? It’s worth the cost to hire a professional web designer and SEO consultant. Thankfully with DoubleDome you get both. Talk to one of our consultants today for a free consultation. You can reach us at 888-799-6067 or by filling out our consultant contact form online.
