Web page content originally existed as nothing more than “bells and whistles”–flashing titles, spinning gifs and other attention-getters irrelevant to providing useful information to visitors. As internet users began relying on search engines to find specific websites that offered informative content, site owners figured out how search crawlers picked up and displayed websites in response to queries. Enter the art of SEO techniques.
Obeying Google’s sophisticated search algorithms and their emphasis on many other components of web page copy, such as quality of content, inclusion of authoritative links, the dynamic nature of the page and length of blogs or articles, means website owners should use most, if not all, of these 10 SEO strategies
1. Instead of latching onto keywords entered into the search bar by users and directing users to websites overflowing with these keywords, Google’s algorithm deliberately de-emphasizes the repetitive presence of keywords in favor of well-written, meaningful and semantically solid content.
2. Longer, in-depth content is actually an SEO strategy of which many site owners neglect to take advantage. Articles under 300 words suffer from the ability of Google’s new algorithm to recognize keyword stuffing, spammy material or material that offers nothing of substance to a user’s search.
3. Businesses that want their websites to rank high need to consistently replace stagnant content with organic content written by professional web writers who know how to pen error-free, accurate, carefully worded, informational prose. Website content needs updated frequently to remain friendly with Google’s search algorithm.
4. Content marketing is being actively leveraged as a lead generation technique that utilizes problem/solution format promoting the results of organic search engines. A primary lead generation technique involves content marketing, inbound marketing and optimizing web page copy via SEO strategies for maximum conversion rates.
5. Link baiting is an SEO strategy involving the creation of entertaining and even controversial content that bloggers and other websites link to as part of their strategy to attract readers to their page.
6. As Google’s algorithm improves in its ability to analyze, process and actually read content, the use of “unnatural” language, such as multiple punctuation (!!!! or ???), ‘net speak (LOL, BTW) and even innocuous grammatical errors (using “your” when “you’re” is needed) can negatively affect ranking of a website.
7. Do some detective work when choosing keyphrases. Avoid one and two-word keywords that are too general and focus on detailed keyphrases instead. For example, if a website sells women’s shoes, don’t use “shoes” as the keyword. Target niche keyphrases that are up against low competition but have higher search volumes, such as “pink and white running shoes” or “white ballet flats”. Including the name of a city or state also increases SERP.
8. Make sure to put keyword phrases in the title tag, the h1/h2 page headings, link text, the URL and as italicized or bolded text.
9. Stealing another site’s content is rampant on the Internet. If Google detects plagiarized material on your website, it could knock your site completely out of its algorithm reach. Run your website’s content through Copyscape at least once a week to make sure it hasn’t been “lifted” onto another site.
10. Pay to use a press release distribution company and publish a press release once a month about your company’s products and services. A good, trending PR can be picked up by thousands of news agencies on the Internet and provide tremendous exposure for your website.
