Search engine optimization (SEO) is a tough task that requires lots of efforts and you know it. If you are just starting out, here are 10 SEO tips and tricks that will help you boost your search engine rankings.
#1. Write content for your visitors, not for search engines
If you want to please search engines, then first please your site visitors. Write content that provides value to your site visitors and is relevant to the topic. Search engines will reward you for high quality content that creates value to people.
#2. Focus on less competitive keywords with higher search volume
You need to focus on finding the less competitive keywords with higher search volume. Less/medium competitive keywords are pretty easier to rank compared to the highly competitive ones. These keywords, once ranked on the first page of search engines, will give you great results.
#3. Focus on long tail keywords
Long tail keywords (usually contain three or more phrases) are easier to rank and are more specific. It is a good strategy to focus on long tail keywords related to your niche so that you can bring more targeted traffic towards your website.
#4. Use the keyword phrase in your headlines, title tag, and URL
Search engines always check what is written in your headlines (h1, h2 etc), title tag, and URL. Thus, it is a great idea to include your keyword phrase in your headlines, title tag, as well as URL for better ranking.
#5. Have a great social media presence
Search engines always keep an eye on your social media presence. If you are able to get your content naturally shared on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Linked in, Google plus etc, then your website ranking will increase dramatically.
#6. Quality backlinking
Make sure that the links coming to your website are high quality and are from relevant websites. Search engines always check for “relevance” so you need to make sure that you are obtaining backlinks from relevant and reputed websites. If you are not sure how to obtain high quality backlinks, you can read this article – “6 SEO strategies to obtain high quality backlinks“.
#7. Don’t go for paid links
Never go for paid links or any kind of link exchanges. Search engine algorithms are very powerful than you can imagine, so don’t risk yourself by going with paid or unnatural links.
#8. Get links from .edu, and .gov sites
Search engines consider .edu and .gov sites more credible so if your website can get links from such websites, that would be really great. Getting links from .edu and .gov websites will increase the credibility and reputation of your website.
#9. Get links from reputable sites and similar sites of your industry
Getting 100 links from relevant or higher ranked websites is way better than getting 1000 links from irrelevant or lower ranked websites. You should get links from higher ranked websites and similar sites of your industry to boost your rankings and to stay away from search engine penalties.
#10. Update your blog or website regularly with fresh content
Search engines love websites that frequently add fresh content. If you regularly update your blog or website with fresh, informative and relevant content, then you can achieve a higher freshness score. This will help your website have an edge over other websites that haven’t updated for months or years.