Basic SEO Tactics for New Webmasters

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In recent years SEO experts were shaken by several big changes of Google algorithm, but this doesn’t change the fact that well-optimized websites still perform much better on Google Search. SEO practices are constantly changing, and things that are effective today, might not work tomorrow. In spite of that, there are few postulates of good optimization, that haven’t changed for more than a decade. In this article we summed up useful advice that deal with: content, keywords and link-building, three most important segments of good website optimization.

Content

Google ranks websites depending on many different factors and on top of that list are factors that deal with website content. First and foremost the content needs to be original and relevant to website’s niche. Adding copied articles to websites, without content creator’s consent and link to the original article may lead to harsh penalties both on Google and in a court of law.

Content’s volume and frequency is also important and the rule of the thumb is that websites that post more frequently receive better ranking. Some other important content parameters are:

• Content should be interesting to the targeted audience;
• It should be diverse and include: articles, podcasts, galleries, video galleries, eBooks, etc;
• Articles should be longer than 500 words;
• It should contain only relevant links;

Keywords

Even the lamest website administrators know that keywords are important for search engine optimization. They are not as important as they used to be, be still that’s what turns on Google trackers. First step for optimizing your website with proper keywords is determining the list of words that explains your presentation in the best way. If you run a business website think about, what people who are looking for products or services you sell type in Google Search.

Where to place them?

After determining relevant keywords that describe website’s content in the best way, administrators need to figure out where to place them. These are some of the usual choices:

• Title tag – it shows up as headline in search results and it should contain at least one keyword that describes the post or the page in the best possible way.
• URL – page’s or post’s URL should be concise and readable, but it should also contain at least one keyword, in most cases the same one from title tag.
• Headers – h1 is the most and h6 is the least important header and they all should contain keywords.
• Body text – regular text should also contain keywords, but people should restrain from keyword stuffing. Optimal keyword density ranges from 1 to 3%.
• Image Alt Attributes – Google Images searches your page in a same way Google Web Search does. That’s why image names and alt attributes also need to contain keywords.

Link Building

Acquiring links from other websites is still very important for search engine optimization. Google trackers use link-crawl techniques and the number of links placed on other relevant websites in the niche is viewed as a very important parameter.

When trying to build links, you should give close attention to anchor text, which tells Google trackers (and website visitors) what kind of content can be found on the link. Process of link building starts with contacting administrators of websites or blogs, from the same niche. In this first conversation you should agree on topics and deadlines. Link placed in the article needs to be relevant to the topic and to its anchor text. Some link builders tend to create a completely new page that will serve as a landing page for guest article link.

Useful tools

Google Trends – Search tool that provides information about Google Searches and display search statistics broken with several filters that include: countries, languages, cities, regions, search terms, special events, trending topics, etc.

Google AdWords Keyword Planner – This tool is designed to set you with lists of keywords you should use in AdWords campaigns, but it is also very useful for search engine optimization. It provides information about popularity and usage of certain keywords, and it makes lists of relevant keywords for both optimization and AdWords usage.

SEO checker – SEO checkers analyze websites and provide reports about their level of optimization.
Although frequent changes in Google algorithm lead some experts to believe that search engine optimization is becoming pointless, this practices can still drastically increase website’s visibility and improve its conversion rates.

Please Note: This article was written by a guest writer and Evolutionary Designs may or may not agree with what is written. Please contact us if you have any questions about the writer or if you want to guest write for us.

Image source: Pixabay