For some of us, search engine optimization has been a part of everyday life for so long, we can’t remember a time without keywords, metadata, and all that jazz.
But for newcomers, SEO is a strange, complex concept. And it can be hard to know what steps to take first.
That’s why we’ve put our heads together and come up with these four simple SEO tips to help you get started.
Get Your Keywords Right
Keywords are a fundamental element of good SEO. These ensure search engines display your website for certain queries and help users find your business. For example, if you specialize in women’s hats, keywords might include “women’s designer hats Orange County” or “pink women’s wedding hats”.
You can use a number of research tools to discover the right keywords for your business, but this can be time-consuming and daunting if you’re new to SEO. Working with a professional digital marketing team takes the hard work out of the process.
Understand Intent Behind Searches
What are people looking for when they enter a specific combination of words into a search engine?
The three user intents are:
- Informational: The user is looking for information on a topic, such as a how-to guide.
- Navigational: The user is trying to reach a certain website, such as a local store or YouTube.
- Transactional: The user wants to purchase a product or use a service.
The user intent determines the keywords you should use for each page. For example, informational intent might require keywords such as “how to bake a chocolate cake” or “how to change a car tire”.
Make Meta Descriptions Informative
Meta descriptions are the few lines of text which appear on search engine results pages. They tell you what you can expect if you click on the link, and should be optimized to maximize relevance.
This means thinking carefully about the user’s intent (see above) and the most important keywords. For example, if someone’s looking to learn how to bake a chocolate cake, the description should emphasize that the page features all the details they need to make the perfect cake. Use clear, simple language that engages users.
Create Content with Readers and Search Engines in Mind
Good content is informative, engaging, and written for humans before search engines. Yes, keywords are essential for boosting your ranking, but you can’t cram them into every paragraph. You might have gotten away with this a long time ago, but search engines will penalize you if your keyword density is too high.
Focus on answering users’ questions, helping them find the right products/services, and guiding them around your website. Understand who you’re writing for and keep the target reader in mind for every page of content written.
If you’re a beginner in SEO, these four tips can help you get your campaign off to a good start. But working with an Orange County SEO team will bring you real results much faster and leave you to focus on running your business.
Want to learn more? Get in touch with our Orange County SEO experts now!