Digital marketing is moving pretty fast, keeping pace with technologies, implementing new strategies, and upgrading the existing development plans. Companies need to adjust and make sure all the processes correspond with the recent trends and innovations as platforms like Google are constantly updating their algorithms to deliver the most timely content for the users. Therefore, looking after SEO optimization is crucial and requires a lot of effort and dedication in order to reach good results.
Let’s have a look at the list of important features to consider when updating your SEO in 2020.
Keywords
A successful SEO campaign starts with relevant keywords, that are the basis of your strategy towards site optimization. As SEO is regularly improved, it is essential to change and update keywords as well. You can start with thorough research and add words that are most often used in search results when it comes to the products you promote.
When it comes to implementing keywords, the first thing you need to ensure is a page title which is clear and, at the same time, catchy. People should be able to understand whether it has everything they are looking for and be excited to check it out. Design each page you have targeting a certain keyword and add it in the title tag. If you want the web page to represent “men’s sports shoes”, ensure to include these words in the title tag. It will help you to increase click-through rates and attract more site visitors.
Secondly, pay attention to meta descriptions. They might have little to do with rankings but are helpful in increasing click-through rates. Besides, the phrase that the user is typing in the search field is now showing in bold, so consider adding some keywords in the meta description to drive more attention to your website and showcase that it has everything, or at least a good part of what people have been looking for.
Thirdly, insert keywords in an effortless way to make them a perfect fit for your content. Apart from helping with the rankings, they exist to point users in the direction towards the most appropriate piece of information, hence, should be embedded wisely. Don’t over exaggerate and try to use a moderate number of keywords as it might affect both user experience and website rankings.
Links
Another important feature of a successful SEO strategy are well-built links, both internal and outbound along with backlinks that promote you as a well-respected brand.
When different websites embed links directing users to your web page, search engines rate it higher and consider reputable and trusted. The more links, the higher ranking in search results. However, it is crucial to have your website featured on credible and authoritative sites in order to get a positive impact and stay ahead of other businesses alike. Moreover, posting content and waiting for someone to link to it is hardly effective, so you might need to act accordingly to earn some backlinks.
Tips for earning backlinks
When planning to promote your brand, research the market to find companies that write about similar things, and offer your products free of charge in exchange for a review. If they feature it in their blog, ask them to insert backlinks that will help with attracting potential leads and raising awareness of your brand.
On another note, there are most probably people who have already mentioned your company in their posts, articles, or reviews. Your goal is to ensure that they have also inserted a link directing to your website or a certain page. Unless there are no backlinks, you can approach them with a polite request to add them. It will be easy for them to make amendments and you will earn another credible reference.
Sharing infographics is another way of generating more backlinks. In case you have important and relevant data to post, you might consider putting it all together into infographics and publishing it on your website. Once it is done, get in contact with some reputable news or industry sites and ask if they are interested in posting it from their end and spreading some valuable information among their readers. Every repost stands for a new backlink.
Outbound linking
Outbound linking is a very tricky thing and should be treated carefully. Too many links to a large number of resources can be very distracting and direct visitors away from the website. On another hand, questionable links that are not trustworthy and reputable enough might influence search engines in a negative way. Outbound links should be used wisely and in small quantities. They are relevant when you are citing someone or when the linked source can provide more information on a specific topic.
Internal linking
Inbound linking, on another note, is useful to increase the site’s visibility and help visitors to better navigate it. People will stay longer on the site, go to other pages to check them out and get to know more about what you have to offer. Look through your website and try embedding internal links wherever they fit and benefit you. In case you mention your products in a blog or an article, add a link leading to your “services” page to make it easier and faster for first-comers to get there.
Say No to broken links
All the links on the website, either they are internal or outbound ones, should be active and working. Broken links will have a negative effect on the way users perceive and navigate your site and their experience in general. Besides, such links are harmful when it comes to SEO and site ranking. Check all the links on the website regularly and replace or remove the broken ones.
Content
Content is another great tool to help you improve when it comes to SEO as a marketing strategy. Despite taking quite a lot of time to manage, it is of great help to drive more website traffic and increase conversions.
Look after Content length
Every time people look for information on any topic on the Internet, search engines ensure to provide timely and proper content. This is the reason you should always monitor all the information you post. Besides, if you plan to include competitive key phrases, the content you create needs to be profound and lengthy. A strong page has no less than 1,800 words. Reviewing your website and adding on those pages that lack a few hundred words will be very beneficial. It seems like a small tweak but makes a huge difference for site traffic.
Avoid duplicate content
When filling your website with all kinds of data, it is essential to review the content and ensure that it is all unique. Adding duplicate information on several pages might lead to confusion with search engines not ranking them due to inability to determine the right page. The same goes for citing content from other sources. Make sure you are doing it properly and not blindly copying information. It will affect your brand’s reputation and, most probably, decrease your site in the search rankings if not totally remove it.
Update and Improve
There are tons of content added to multiple internet sources hourly. It means that much to your regret, information that you have provided a while ago is most probably strongly outdated. Ensure to review all the pages, delete irrelevant data, and add information that corresponds with the current trends and user preferences. If you have a blog with useful tips and articles, it will be highly beneficial to either rewrite old ones, add timely updates, or replace them with up-to-date advice.
Make use of multimedia
According to the recent trends, visual content is at its peak. If your site has mainly text blocks, it is just the time to alter it and embed more graphics, bright pictures, and engaging videos. They are great at attracting new people and keeping their attention. Videos, in particular, encourage people to spend more time on the website by providing entertaining and informative content . This adds to the site ranking in the search results and improves its overall performance.
Performance
Apart from working on the content and its relevance, you need to pay no less attention to the performance of the site to provide an ultimate customer experience. The site should be efficient and fast, with quality and regular maintenance.
Page speed
Everyone values speed. Besides, the faster your page loads, the higher it appears in search results. Check how much time it takes to open the website both on the desktop version and the mobile one, improving the speed if required. Fast loading websites help to make a good first impression and encourage visitors to stay rather than close it and choose another one.
Visual Content Optimization
If you have a lot of visual content, it is worth checking whether all the images are downloading and have appropriate sizing. When you upload large pictures, they will affect page speed and increase the loading time that will not help to make people stay. Apart from that, adding descriptions (ALT attributes) to each image you use is a very useful thing to do. If the device cannot display a picture, it will be easier to understand what it depicts with a proper description instead of it.
Wrap Up
SEO is not a one-time investment. As we move along with technologies, your website will always require constant upgrades to reach its highest performance. Things like website content with proper links, keywords, and updated information will always help your brand to stand apart and perform best among others. Invest your time in reviewing your existing site, removing broken links, errors, and outdated data. Ensure that all the information provided is clear and appealing, encouraging people to stay longer and explore more. The art of SEO starts with a little bit of patience and a lot of hard work to achieve the desired when it comes to a successful marketing strategy.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to get in touch and we will gladly assist you with any of your query.