Search engine optimisation, also known as SEO, comprises both on-page and off-page SEO. Off-page SEO refers to anything completed away from the website. It primarily involves backlinks. On-page SEO refers to anything on the website itself, and this guide will help you get your website SEO-ready using best practices.
Keyword Research
The first step you need to take is to conduct comprehensive keyword research. It’s essential to ensure the proposed keywords you plan to target have reasonable search volumes. There is little point in ranking for a keyword that no one is searching for.
According to Ryan’s Digital Marketing agency, Google’s Keyword Planner is one of the best keyword research tools available. Rather than using data from only a month, it’s better to use an average across a calendar year.
SEO works best when every set of keywords has its page. Each set of keywords should strongly correlate with one another, including synonyms. If you find multiple web pages overlapping, combining them into one is best – Quality is more important than quantity.
Content
The words on the page are arguably the most important on-page SEO ranking factor. Google uses it to help evaluate how helpful a page will be in answering a user’s search query. It’s essential to comprehensively cover the topic so that a visitor that arrives will feel informed and up to date.
To help improve user experience, it’s best SEO practice to implement heading tags. Heading tags, also known as H tags, help create a structure for a page. They range from H1 to H6, with H1 representing the most crucial topic of the page. It’s best to use the H1 as the title for the page, and you should only use one H1 tag, or it may confuse search engines.
It’s crucial to ensure that your content is unique and nothing has been copied and pasted from other websites. It would be best to use a plagiarism checker to be sure. Google has confirmed that they don’t use the number of words on the page as a ranking factor. Therefore, it’s best to focus on creating interesting, helpful content to keep your visitors engaged.
Creating The URL
A web pages Uniform Resource Locator, or URL for short, helps website owners categorise the pages on their website. It should clearly and concisely outline the primary topic of the page. All letters should be in lowercase, and words need to be separated using hyphens.
Pro Tip: Every part of a URL should add value. By default, many websites are designed to include additional folders, such as the blog folder or folders to separate pages into months and years. However, the best SEO practice is to keep the entire URL as short and straightforward as possible.
Optimising Title & Description Tags
The title tag is a significant SEO ranking factor. It notifies search engines of the primary topic of the page, and it is also visible in the organic search results. It is usually bolded in larger lettering, located directly below the target URL in the search results.
Including the focus keyword at the beginning is essential, as Google will give it more importance. The best SEO practice is using title case lettering and separating all words using a pipe. Using your company name at the end to reinforce your brand is okay unless it is your primary keyword. In this scenario, you should include it at the beginning.
The space available is based on pixels which are set to 600. The number of characters that can fit in the space will vary as different characters use varying amounts. However, using between 50-60 characters is generally recommended. If your title tag is too long, Google will truncate it to ensure it fits the space correctly.
The description tag is an extended version of the title tag. It is also displayed in the organic search results and is in a smaller font under the title tag. Although it is not a direct SEO ranking factor, it will help indirectly because it can impact your listings Click Through Rate or CTR.
Pro Tip: You can include an emoji to help improve your web page CTR score. Including the word FREE in all caps can also draw more attention to your listing.
User Engagement
Dwell Time, Time on Page and Bounce Rate are important on-page SEO ranking factors. Google uses them collectively to determine whether a web page provides helpful and engaging content.
To help improve these metrics, you should make your content engaging and helpful. Using photos and videos can help. However, rather than using stock photography, it’s better to use original material. Creating infographics that help convey your information is a good way of collating your data for people in a rush.
Pro Tip: Ensure you optimise the alternate (ALT) text for all of your imagery. Search engines can determine when an image is included and its size. They also use its file name to help determine what it is. However, implementing the ALT text is the best practice and can help you rank better in Google images.
Page Speed
The time it takes for search engines to render a page can hugely impact user experience with your website. One of the quickest ways to ensure your website loads at a reasonable speed is to use a high-quality hosting server near your customer base. You should consider using a Content Delivery Network or CDN if your customers are based globally.
Ongoing Review and Maintenance
The age of a webpage is only a ranking factor if the search query requires it. For example, if someone searches for the population on the planet, a webpage’s age is considered by search engines. They want to ensure the results they provide are as accurate as possible.
However, unless the query is time-dependent, the quality of the post is far more critical than how recently it has been updated. The best SEO practice is only to make changes to a webpage if it is going to improve it.
On the other hand, it’s also essential to ensure your webpage is current and up to date. Therefore, conducting ongoing reviews is best to ensure that the information is still relevant.