If you have dabbled around and tried to do SEO work on your own business site you know it’s challenging to make changes that result in real online ranking improvement. In this article, we are going share with you 6 easy SEO secrets that any good Atlanta SEO Expert will put into play.
Digital Marketing pros understand that good SEO is the foundation of any digital marketing efforts. Good SEO boils down to providing the most accurate search results for a user’s search query. Pages that are optimized for search queries and specific keywords rank higher than others.
Search bots crawl and index millions of site each day. Those same search bots are programmed to analyze sites and match on page content and structure to rank sites. Sites that are following guidelines and best SEO practices are going to rank higher. Everyday it seems I’m explaining to people inquiring about SEO services that the the sites on the first page of Google are are not their by luck. There are over 200 ranking factors that google uses to establish the online rank of a site for specific keywords. If you follow best practices and guidelines you will improve your organic SEO Ranking. Here are 6 SEO Tips that you can complete in less than two hours that will help you improve your online presence.
TIP 1- Do your Keyword Research:
Keyword research should be the first thing you do since it will help you create content that revolves around those keywords. Google algorithms have evolved in the last 10-15 years so content needs to be natural, not spammy, and without what is referred to as “keyword stuffing”. Instead use other phrases that are similar but different. For example, “atlanta seo expert” could be reinforced by using “seo expert in Atlanta” in other sections for content including meta descriptions, page titles URL slugs, and Header Tags. Don’t worry, we will cover each one so read on. Just remember to keep it natural.
Tip 2- Nail Each Website Page Title:
Your page title should tell the reader what the page is about. Best Practice for Page Titles include utilizing keywords relevant to your page. In addition, when possible put the keywords at the beginning to the title. Doing so, helps search bots determine what the subject matter is. This is just one part, and search bots will look at other specific elements of you page to establish relevancy to a user’s search intent.
If you are not sure where to find your page title hover over the tab at the top of your current page and it will popup. See below:
Tip 3- Check your URL Slugs:
The URL slug is the portion of the web address that comes after the domain name. For example, In the URL https://goatlantaseo.com/atlanta-seo-expert-explains-top-6-seo-tips the blue portion of text is the URL slug. Similar to the Page title, the URL Slug should be descriptive and to the point and if possible have your primary keywords included. IMPORTANT NOTE – Do you not change your URL slug unless you understand enough about websites to make that change. Search Engines index websites with the domain name plus URL Slug. If you change that on a production site the links that google has indexed will be broken. You need to create 301 redirects to do this properly. If you are not sure how to do this talk to your Atlanta web designer.
Tip 4- Optimize your Head Tags (H1, H2, H3 Tags):
Header tags are another way to tell the search bots what your site is about. Use your primary keywords in your H1 Tag when possible. On your remaining Header tags (H2,H3,H4) use similar keyword combinations but do not use the same keywords that your used in your H1 tag. Mix it up with similar keywords and search terms. This should be fairly easy assuming that your have completed your keyword research.
TIP 5 – Don’t forget your image alt Tags:
For each image on your website you need to create an alt tag. This is just one more opportunity to reinforce to search engines what your site is about and how well it is aligned with search intent. When possible use keywords and synonyms to define your alt tabs if it makes sense. Key it natural when defining your alt-tags. See an example below:
TIP 6 – Make sure you are utilizing SSL (secure socket layer) encryption:
Google has indicated that sites with SSL installed will receive a ranking boost. An SSL certificate in not cheap, in fact, it can cost between $150-$300 per year. You can also do one for free if you search google and YouTube. Keep in mind though that will require you do a little work on your side since you will need to change code on your site 2-3 times per year but you may find that to be worth if you are a startup strapped for cash.
SSL is also great for helping to establish the credibility or your brand. Without SSL in Google Chrome your audience will receive a message that your site is insecure which might just be enough to scare potential clients away.
There are many more ways to improve your on-page SEO so research this topic for more ideas. Before you make any changes to your site we recommend that you back your site up. In addition, benchmark how your site ranks for for keywords important to you. If you optimize your site with the tips above you will see a significant boost in your ranking. On-Page SEO discussed in this post is only half the battle when it comes to ranking your site. In our next post we will discuss off-page SEO and why it’s also critical to your online ranking. We hope you’ll stay tuned.
Don’t fall behind the competition. Instead, get ahead by enjoying the benefits of an Atlanta SEO Agency. Your small business can stand out from the crowd and generate more sales than ever with great SEO!
Eager to get started? We’re here to help! See what our customers are saying on Google.
Contact us for a free online marketing consultation today.