WHAT IS SEO?
SEO, known in full as Search Engine Optimisation, is the process of making a website as visible on the search results as possible. SEO involves aspects such as Keyword Research to find the best search terms related to your website, On-Page Optimisation which involves adjusting headings, and content to make it more search engine-friendly. Off-Page Optimisation is the other part of SEO, which involves getting backlinks from other websites that can drive genuine traffic back to your site.
WHY DO I NEED SEO?
To summarise in the simplest terms, SEO is important to make your website function as a hub for all of your digital traffic, and actually gain any conversions from this. If you have a website for your business, particularly if it is a local business, you want to appear as high as possible on the Google search results for terms relating to your business. One of the main things to optimise for is your brand name, and then things related to your niche or your products.
WHAT IS ON-PAGE SEO?
On-Page SEO refers to the practice of optimising individual web pages to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic in search engines. Unlike off-page SEO, which involves external signals like backlinks, on-page SEO focuses on the aspects of your website that you can control directly, such as content, HTML source code, and website architecture.
WHAT IS OFF-PAGE SEO?
Off-Page SEO is the alternate – although best used combined with On-Page – form of optimisation. It includes any activity done off a website in the effort of increasing it’s SERP rankings from the outside. Common practices in Off-Page SEO include building a backlink profile, paid ads, and social media marketing.
KEY ELEMENTS OF ON-PAGE SEO
Title Tags and Meta Descriptions: These are critical HTML elements that represent the title and summary of your page. A well-crafted title tag and meta description can significantly impact your page’s click-through rate (CTR) from search engine results pages (SERPs).
High-Quality Content: Content is king in the world of SEO. Your content needs to be original, valuable, and relevant to your audience. It should also include keywords that your target audience uses to find solutions or information related to your business.
Header Tags and Keyword Usage: Proper use of header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) helps organise your content and makes it easier for readers and search engines to understand the structure of your page. Including relevant keywords in these headers and throughout your content is also essential for on-page optimisation.
URL Structure: URLs should be simple, readable, and include keywords relevant to your page’s content. A well-structured URL not only helps search engines understand your page but also provides a better user experience.
Image Optimisation: Images can enhance user engagement, but they need to be optimised for speed and search engines. This includes using descriptive file names, alt tags, and compressing images for faster loading times.
Mobile Responsiveness: With the increasing use of mobile devices, having a mobile-friendly website is a necessity. Google’s mobile-first indexing means your site’s mobile version will be used for indexing and ranking.
Page Speed: Page loading speed is a critical factor for both user experience and search engine rankings. Optimising your site’s speed involves compressing images, leveraging browser caching, and improving server response time.
WHAT IS LINK BUILDING?
Link building is the process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own. A hyperlink (usually just called a link) is a way for users to navigate between pages on the internet. Search engines use these links to crawl the web; they will crawl the links between the individual pages on your website, and they will crawl the links between entire websites.
WHY IS LINK BUILDING IMPORTANT?
Content Creation & Promotion: Create compelling, unique, and high-quality content that people will naturally want to reference and link to. Once you’ve created it, promote your content through social media or other channels to increase its visibility.
Guest Blogging: Writing articles for other relevant blogs in your industry is a great way to reach a new audience and gain quality backlinks.
Broken Link Building: Find broken links on other websites and suggest your own content as a replacement. This not only helps webmasters fix a problem but also provides you with an opportunity to gain a backlink.
Utilising Infographics: Infographics are highly shareable and can help you earn backlinks. Create visually appealing and informative infographics relevant to your niche.
Competitor Analysis: Analyse your competitors’ backlinks. If they are getting links from certain websites, chances are you could too.
LINK BUILDING BEST PRACTICES
Improves Site Authority: Links from reputable sites are seen by search engines as a vote of confidence. They indicate that your site is a valuable resource, deserving of citation. This improves your site’s authority and can significantly boost your ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Increases Traffic: Beyond SEO, links from high-traffic websites can lead to an increase in direct traffic to your site. This can be a significant source of visitors who are already interested in your content, products, or services.
Builds Relationships: Link building often involves outreach to other relevant websites and blogs in your industry. This outreach can help you build long-term relationships with key influencers in your field, which can be incredibly valuable over time.
WHAT IS TECHNICAL SEO?
Website Speed: Site speed is a critical factor in user experience and search engine rankings. Technical SEO involves optimising your website to load quickly, which includes compressing images, leveraging browser caching, and improving server response time.
Mobile-Friendliness: With the increasing use of mobile devices, having a mobile-responsive website is essential. Technical SEO ensures that your site is easily navigable and accessible on all devices.
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL): SSL is a security technology that creates an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. Websites with SSL (indicated by HTTPS in the URL) are favoured by search engines as they provide a secure connection.
Structured Data: This involves implementing Schema markup to help search engines understand the content of your website and provide more informative results to users.
XML Sitemaps: An XML sitemap lists a website’s important pages, making sure search engines can find and crawl them all. It also helps search engines understand your website structure.
Crawl Errors: Technical SEO involves identifying and fixing crawl errors, ensuring that search engines can successfully crawl through your site without encountering broken links or dead ends.
Duplicate Content: Identifying and resolving duplicate content issues is crucial to prevent diluting your site’s relevancy and authority.
WHY IS TECHNICAL SEO IMPORTANT?
Enhances User Experience: A technically sound website offers a better user experience, which is a key factor in retaining visitors and improving engagement.
Improves Search Engine Rankings: Search engines favour websites that are technically optimised. A well-structured, fast-loading, and error-free site is more likely to rank higher in search results.
Facilitates Better Crawling and Indexing: By addressing technical aspects, you ensure that search engines can efficiently crawl and index your website, which is essential for visibility in search results.
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