Have you ever wondered how a site can stand out on the web? There are millions of pages available on the internet and if they appear in the main search results, it is not exactly by chance. Quite the opposite; Excelling in the first Google results is not as easy a task as it sounds.
It is necessary that you know how the search mechanisms work and be always updated on the changes that occur. If you have ever looked for information on this topic, you have surely come across the famous term SEO.
But what is SEO? In this article we will explain what this term is about and you will know the different strategies for your website to appear in the first places of Google.
What is SEO?
Before talking about strategy, it is important to know a little about the origin of this term. SEO we could say that is search engine optimization. According to this Search Engine Land post , this term was used for the first time in 1997 (same year Google was born); in a book in which its authors discuss the positioning of the website of a rock band called Jefferson Starship.
As its name implies, this tool is used so that your website appears in the first results of search engines such as Google, Yahoo or Bing. But how do you do it?
How are the positions of Google websites defined?
As you may have noticed, when talking about SEO it is practically mandatory that we talk about Google; And if you wonder how it works, we will tell you an answer that seems quite simple: the famous Google algorithm. These algorithms are in charge of filtering the results so that the most suitable ones always appear for those who are searching. The search and results process in Google is summarized in 3 steps; tracking, indexing and display of results.
Google identifies URLs according to a set of conditions; such as number of visits, existing links, new pages, etc. After this process, these pages are indexed or included in the search results taking into account different information such as publication date, publication region, title, etc.
Tips to help index your page in Google
Next we will give you some tips so that your website is indexed in an easier way. It is important that you know that the Google algorithm is constantly updated, so we recommend paying special attention to the following factors:
- The programming language chosen to create your website (HTML, JavaScript, PHP, etc). If you don’t know it, you can ask the programmer who built it.
- The loading speed of the website: is it very slow?
- The structure of URLs: do they really symbolize the content of the page?
- The consistency of navigation: can the visitor access all the content?
- Does the website support the screen size of mobile devices?
These are some of the factors that influence the performance of a website. When you start looking for more about what SEO is, you begin to understand that the main purpose is to promote a good experience for whoever enters your website; Well, this is your space on the internet and you certainly don’t want to make a bad impression.
If you want your website to appear organically (without paying) in Google; there are different strategies that you can use in your day to day. It is possible to attract traffic without paying more for it. You just need to build a good website to please the readers and also the search tools; This is decisive because the best performing websites are usually displayed in the first results of the search.
SEO for beginners: 5 tips you can put into practice
The basic principle of SEO for beginners is to invest in optimizing your website so that it is found by search engines. That is, you are going to use some strategies and techniques to make your website perform better on Google Yahoo, Bing, and others.
1. Use the right webmaster tools
Each search engine has a set of free tools; that can be used to give visibility into the results. You can start by using the Google Search Console tools to get tips on how your website is showing up in Google search results.
You will start to receive information about how many times Google is crawling your website. How many pages are cataloged and other useful notifications, such as links with errors or duplicate content.
Attention: for an even deeper understanding of your SEO performance, you can link your Google Webmaster account with your Google Analytics account .
2. Make your business easy to find
Most people type two or three simple words or a short phrase into the search box. These generic phrases are the most popular; and as a result, they generate greater search volume. Something like “cheap flights”, for example, for an airline or travel agency.
“Think like one of your clients and ask yourself what phrases you would use to search for what you offer in your company.”
However, the most popular phrases are also the most competitive. Therefore, it will be very difficult to appear on the first search page with just them.
It is necessary to find the balance between the generic and the specific; which may be less competitive, but still present a good search volume, such as “cheap flights to Miami” or “Flights from Boston to Miami.”
When choosing keywords to describe the focus of your business, try to balance between popular and more specific terms. Also remember to avoid very local jargon; industry-specific acronyms or abbreviations. You and your team may know what they mean, but the average consumer probably won’t.
3. Choose the correct title and description
Now that the keywords are defined, it is time to choose one of the most important parts for an SEO content page: the title and description.
These are the ones that will show your business on the results page of a search engine. The title of the page, which is referred to as the title tag in the website code; It must include the keyword with which you want to rise in the results ranking.
The description (meta description in the website code) should be a short phrase that provides more details about the business and information about what is on the page. A well done description helps the potential customer understand exactly what they will see after clicking.
If you use WordPress as a tool that manages the content for blog or website, you do not need to edit the codes.
4. Keep the content original, updated and simple
It doesn’t matter how many pages you manage on your website; the fundamental principles of online content production are the same. All important content must be original , found only on your site, and formatted as plain text.
This helps establish your site as an authority on a certain topic in search engines. And it increases the possibility that your pages have high keywords in the ranking of search engines.
Any highlighted text within an image will not be visible to a search engine crawler. And therefore, it will not be attributed to your site.
5. Remember that images are also content
It’s easy to focus exclusively on the written content of a website and forego visual content optimization. Don’t forget that original images are also valuable content, which can be powerful sources of traffic and new consumers.
Images are a way to show the differential of your products and services. So that the search engines understand the content of the images and catalog them correctly; add a text to describe each of the photos.
Make sure to make life easier for others who want to share your images on their own websites or through the most popular social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
How to attract more & more visitors to your website
Updating your website following the SEO tips is only the first step to attract more visitors to a website. You will notice that there are several strategies that can be used to generate more traffic on the web. Then we will name some like, have good content, promote the website to the right people (people who interest you and who have an interest in your business) and establish alliances to publicize your website. It may be new to many people, but it is better known as co-marketing when two companies make some content together.
Social networks
If you still do not use social networks to publicize or promote your business, you are missing the opportunity to strengthen your brand and win new customers . According to the Digital in 2018 study , Mexicans spend an average of 3 hours and 7 minutes per day on social platforms. The 3 most active social networks are: Facebook, Youtube, WhatsApp. For this reason, it is worth drawing a specific strategy to win over your audience on the networks and then direct them to your website. Use creativity, as this is a differential to stand out in the middle of so much information.
Content Marketing
Do you know content marketing? This strategy is becoming increasingly important in businesses with a digital presence. With this strategy it is possible to increase qualified traffic, expand the authority of your domain, receive a higher search volume, and all of this influences your market authority. So if you are not doing content marketing yet; it’s time to start. As this is not a short-term strategy, you should start by establishing a relationship of trust with your target audience; to gain evidence and drive more traffic to your website; and as a consequence sell more.
Now that you know what SEO is and you know some techniques for beginners; it’s time to start optimizing your website. If you have any questions about your website’s web hosting or loading speed, tell us, where you will receive the best content to create and improve your online presence on a monthly basis.
