By Max Greene
Today, we’re all familiar with search engine optimization (SEO). By using the right keywords, getting quality backlinks to our website and writing high-quality content, we can rank well on Google and other search engines, and enjoy free, organic traffic as a result.
1. Install a WordPress Plugin
If you haven’t installed Yoast SEO on your website yet, then stop reading this article and do it now. This all-in-one WordPress plugin, which is free to use, allows you to customize your website and add relevant keywords, meta descriptions and other data that is sent to search engines and social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. You don’t need any knowledge in SEO to use it, and simply installing the plugin and running through its setup will help increase your rankings.
Make sure you follow tutorials online and on YouTube to get more out of the plugin, and consider upgrading to its premium version if you run a complex website that requires you to rank for multiple keywords and phrases on the same pages.
2. Blog Once a Week
There’s no hard and fast rule when it comes to content marketing, but adding a new blog post to your website once a week isn’t a lot to ask. Having fresh, engaging content on your website gives search engine robots a reason to come back to your website and crawl it. Be sure to include your chosen keywords in your blog posts and link internally to other parts of your website, and link out to third party resources if they offer value to your readers.
3. Make It Your Mission to Gain Links
Backlinks are one of the biggest ranking factors, so having other websites link back to yours is essential. Some digital marketers get links back to their website by guest blogging, but other options include paid promotion, outreach and sponsorship. Perhaps the most important, and cheapest, way to get backlinks is to write high-quality content that other webmasters will want to link back to. Resources, statistics and how-to guides are great ways of gaining backlinks, so bake them into your content marketing strategy.
4. Continually Update Existing Content
It’s one thing to spend time writing a great blog post that adds value to your website and your audience, but there’s no point in doing so unless you keep it regularly updated. Make sure that you conduct a regular content audit – go back and read through your old blog posts and make sure that all of the information is accurate, up-to-date and factually correct. The same rules apply for other parts of your website – your home, about, services and contact pages should all be regularly reviewed to ensure they’re relevant and up-to-date, and you should, of course, aim to incorporate your keywords into these pages, too.
Although these four tips won’t change the fate of your website overnight, they’ll definitely help you make steps in the positive direction. Remember that improving your SEO efforts will take time and energy – adopting ‘slow and steady’ approach will put you in the best possible position and ensure you’re ranking well on Google for years to come.
