SEO 101: covering the basics

A complete SEO strategy is anything but basic. Many know that implementing SEO as a tactic to direct traffic your way is important, but SEO is only effective when done properly. A complete SEO strategy is very involved and it’s more than just keywords and optimized title tags. This seems easy enough, but there are many elements to an effective SEO plan. In this post, we’ll cover all of the basics to help your site rank and ensure users can find your business.

On-Page optimization

On-page SEO, as the name suggests happens on the website. It is essential because search engines use factors like optimized title tags and high-quality content with targeted keywords and internal links to determine the usefulness of a site. On-page or on-site optimization makes a site look polished and professional. These techniques also provide important information, hence making it more likely for users to spend time on your site. The more users linger on a site, the more useful search engines consider it and this will help your ranking.

Off-Site techniques

Off-site SEO on the other hand pertains to actions that happen off the page and help a site rank. It largely consists of backlinks or links to your site from another website. Backlinks can be incredibly useful, but there are some things to consider to make them a valuable tactic. The authority, credibility, and popularity of the site giving you the backlink are significant. The number of backlinks the site has and the anchor text used also comes into play.

Local SEO

Local SEO is incredibly important for companies that need a local audience, like doctors and venue spaces, as it is all about helping local customers find your business. An effective and strong local SEO strategy includes adding your business to directories, creating content that appeals to a local audience, including schema on your site, and more.

UX and Design

UX or user experience is about taking care of those users who find your site once they land on your site. UX is very closely linked to the design since a good design will allow for a good experience which plays a role in ranking. A well-designed site is like an organized store, as users can easily find what they need. Speed and loading time are important factors when it comes to design. Images and files should load quickly, and users should be able to easily move from one page to another without experiencing any sort of delay. On-page elements also contribute to the effectiveness of the design. It’s important to note that roughly 68% of all website traffic comes from users on mobile devices, therefore your site needs to be optimized for mobile devices.

SEO is a long game, but it is also an evolving process and that is why it requires consistency. If you are not familiar with the different concepts, implementing a successful SEO strategy can be a challenge. This is where we can help. Contact us to find out how our talented team can help take care of your SEO.