Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for any website’s success. The practice is constantly evolving, but the gist is that you need to keep up your rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs). Search engines like Google use algorithms to evaluate sites and web pages to calculate their overall authority and usefulness. The higher the rankings, the higher these pages appear in search results.
Your rankings are determined by an aggregate of factors, but you can make an educated guess as to how well you’ll rank using your domain authority (DA). This is a Moz metric that scores your site 1-100 based on how well it’s likely to rank in SERPs. Since it’s a comparative measure, there isn’t really such a thing as a “good” or “bad” DA score; you just need to outscore others in your niche to stay ahead. Since the internet constantly expands with more content and new competitors, rankings are more important than ever. First-page search results account for 71% of clicks, so being on even the second page can be a dire situation. This may all sound bleak, but here are some techniques you can master to start moving up.
Keyword Research
Keywords are basically words and phrases that catch the attention of search engines, and you should be including them throughout your site whenever possible. Use them in headlines for original content, put them in URLs, use them throughout your landing pages, and even put them in your metadata if you can.
When deciding on keywords, you’re looking for things that are general enough that many people could search for them but that still relates to your topic/niche in some way. Depending on your site’s focus, this may be challenging. It’s important to remember that no site covers everything, so even if you’re running an opinion blog or a general information site, try to think of a few keys topics to choose keywords for. Consider your target audience’s intent. Are they buying from you? Learning from you? Use a particular intent to narrow your focus.
Original Content Production
One of the best ways you can attract more users is by creating content that shows off your site and what you can offer. Original content can be anything from blog posts to instructional videos on YouTube. Don’t just wait for users to come to you–show them what you can offer. Guest blog on bigger sites in your niche. Host a podcast about topics that interest your target audience. Create tools that can solve problems that users have.
Search engines are looking for content that gives users the most value. Think about what you can do better than the competition, or at least think about how you can do it differently. The more original and useful content you can offer, the more likely you are to stand out in the rankings.
Link Building
Link building is one of the oldest SEO practices, and it’s still going strong today. If you want to boost your site’s ranking and credibility, you’ll need links from other reputable sites. If you aren’t already having content hosted on other sites, you might want to look into it, so you can link back to your own. It’s also possible to find other site owners in your niche who may agree to mutual links, though this approach can come off as desperate if not handled well. Linking to high authority sources on your own site can gradually improve your own authority as well. Alternatively, you could hire a professional service like Link Laboratory. These services offer link building campaigns to increase your search visibility.
Whatever other SEO techniques you use, don’t forget to optimize your site for mobile devices. Mobile-friendliness is a ranking factor these days, and mobile devices make up a huge percentage of overall traffic.
