Everything You Need to Know About SEO

Usually, marketers running websites have a limited understanding of search engine optimization (SEO). Some only focus on their product and service offerings, while others create straightforward navigation tools to improve the shopping experience. Well, SEO goes beyond this. It is a fast-paced and dynamic field that is evolving rapidly. From new algorithm updates to ranking factors, every marketer must stay well-informed and learn about the changes.

After all, SEO is more complex than ever today. It takes more than sprinkling keywords in the content and building external links. You have to keep track of emerging trends such as voice and visual searches to optimize your website accordingly. Similarly, you have to learn about upcoming algorithmic changes, i.e., page experience, to secure your site’s position on the top results. In short, you have to develop an SEO strategy to dominate your competition and increase rankings.

However, before diving into the technicalities of SEO, understand the critical components of SEO. You have to create great content that captivates the visitors to your webpage. Similarly, you have to earn links from credible sites to direct more traffic. And lastly, optimize your website for the technical aspects including, keywords, URL optimization, HTML source code, etc. In case you don’t know much about the SEO world, let us help you out.

Here is everything you should know about SEO.

1. Integrate Canonical Tags

As thousands of websites compete online, the problem of duplicate and identical URLs is on the rise. You can find different webpages with the same URL content, making it arduous for users to find brands.

It also causes several SEO problems when search engines crawl to varying URLs with identical content. After all, duplication reduces the site’s ranking ability. Before this happens to your website, integrate canonical tags in your URL. It tells search engines that the URL is original, preventing problems caused by duplicate content on URLs.

Do you have any idea how canonical tags work? If not, look into this beginner’s guide to canonical tags to understand how these tags can improve search rankings.

Remember to spot-check the URLs, especially on eCommerce sites. Sometimes, incorrect code leads sites to craft a different canonical tag for every type of URL. Hence, ensure the tags you add are accurate and relevant.

2. Optimize Content for Search Intent

The fundamental goal of search engines is to satisfy the user’s search intent. It pertains to the reason why people conduct a particular search online. As a marketer, you have to decipher the psychology behind search queries to offer users relevant content. Typically, there are three types of search queries. Have a look below.

  • Informational Intent: These are more like generic searches where people want to learn more about the product and service offerings. Hence, you have to offer educational content. Perhaps, you can list the best ways to find an affordable laptop or features one should consider before buying a computer.
  • Navigational Intent: These searchers already have a specific product or company in mind but need assistance in getting to a particular webpage. Therefore, you have to direct users to your homepage and help them complete their purchase journey.
  • Transactional Intent: Transactional queries intend to take action, such as buy a product or subscribe to a newsletter. Thus, you have to include enough call-to-action in your content to ensure people can follow.

three types of search queries

To gain traction in the SEO world, you have to accommodate all types of searches on the website. Alongside increasing rankings, it can improve conversion prospects.   

3. Follow the 10x Content Strategy

The wonders of content marketing are no surprise to anyone. It captivates readers, attracts them to websites, and keeps the traffic flowing. However, with oversaturated markets, the conventional content strategy might not bring the desired results.

But there is one strategy that works perfectly – creating content that is 10x better than competitors. You can cover the topics more thoroughly, ensure information is up-to-date, and create original data,

Moreover, include research and data in your content to develop trust and authority. Also, use visual elements to enhance the web page’s aesthetic appeal and turn more eyes on it.

You can add custom-made visuals, graphics, infographics, or videos. Besides this, explore new content formats in your niche to gain an edge in the market. You can create podcasts to target a new audience base or host live video sessions.

4. Improve User Experience

When working with SEO, you are working with two separate customers. One, your human readers, and other, the bots that search engines use to index websites. Therefore, you have to create a positive user experience for both. Here are some ways to elevate the user experience.

  • Mobile-Friendliness: According to a report, more than 60% of people search from mobile devices. You can use Google’s mobile-friendly tool to ensure the website loads on mobile devices without any zoom-in and out issues.

mobile vs desktop

  • Sitemap: A sitemap is an XML file that gathers all the pages on a website. Google spiders use these lists to find content, leading to better indexing.
  • Loading Speed: Both search engines and humans prioritize a website’s loading speed. You should find out how quickly your pages load and explore ways to improve loading speed further. If you have a lot of images on site, compress the images to avoid loading issues.

page load speed

  • SSL Certificate: Now, HTTPS is officially one of the ranking factors. Google gives a higher preference to websites that have an SSL certification. After all, with rising cyber threats, Google has to ensure its users having a secure surfing experience.

5. Expand Your Keyword List

Although short-tail keywords have a substantial search volume, their ranking difficulty is also high. Hence, you have to think beyond that and expand your keyword list. Google search results and professional keyword tools can help you discover different keywords that people use these days.

It can give you insights into what problems they face and how they talk about your niche. Precisely, you have to utilize every opportunity to speak to customers and discern the language they are using.

You can look into online communities where people discuss different topics with each other. Otherwise, dig into social media stats to decipher customer’s evolving tastes and fashion. Most importantly, understand the metrics behind every keyword you target.

In addition to difficulty and search volume, figure out the real-time search traffic potential for every keyword. That way, you can target keywords that are most likely to send traffic your way.  

Final Words

The SEO world is enormous, and keeping up with everything does seem like an uphill battle. Instead of trying everything simultaneously, you have to adopt the step-by-step approach.

Start from the basics, understand how optimization factors, and learn about the common ranking factors. Once you are well-versed with the basics, look into technical SEO to upscale your strategy. You can optimize for featured snippets, use sitemaps, or prepare the site for upcoming algorithmic changes.

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