4 Things We Need to Remember About SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) seems to have become so complex that it’s no wonder people forget a thing or two while creating their strategy.

In fact, rather than “forget,” people seem to take a couple of things for granted, especially when it comes to optimizing their on-page content. With all the changes continually being imposed by Google – the only player in the game that counts, the optimization of old content has become a necessity.

You simply have to monitor your SEO all the time, and the task tends to become burdensome when there are a gazillion of posts and other content types to keep an eye on.

Let’s take a look at the most crucial of steps to keep in mind when it comes to SEO.

1. Place Your Main Keyword in the Right Places

Right, keywords. They seem to be the first thing that comes to mind when SEO is mentioned, and not without a good reason.

While it’s undeniable that quality content will always find a way to some people, it also holds true that quality content enriched with the right keywords will find a way to a far greater audience.

Choosing the best keywords is simply not enough. They need to be placed properly, too. Whether you’re looking for keywords to rank for high-end table lamps or wedding videographers, you’ll need to place the chosen keywords in the URL, H1, first and last paragraphs, meta title, and meta description all the same.

Now, it is also important to remember that keyword mapping is what will bring more visitors to your website. What is it, exactly?

Simply put, people turn to Google to get concrete answers to whatever it is they need. That “whatever” is, in SEO terms, called search intent. In order for your website to reach a wider audience, it will need to satisfy search intent.

Since Google ranks websites based on the accuracy and quality of search intent answers, all the more reason for you to take your time choosing proper keywords.

Pro tip: Don’t use the same keyword for multiple pages. This is called “keyword cannibalization” and is certain to confuse Google. The proper way to do SEO is to choose a unique keyword for each page.

2. Include Internal Links

Links are the second most important thing in SEO. However, simply linking one blog post to another is far from being enough. There are two things to keep in mind here:

• Only evergreen content counts. Rather than creating multiple blog posts on the same topic, opt for updating the existing post with new information.
• Link a post to another post within the same content silo.

What is a content silo?

Content siloing is an efficient SEO technique that structures your website to optimize its ranking. All content pieces are organized based on the topics, which are called silos. E.g., a blog about the Bali lifestyle could link to places to eat in Bali, but not necessarily zoos in the United States.

That is to say, if your site deals with different themes, they should be clearly separated. Websites with the architecture designed specifically to fit relevant keywords that meet search intent are certain to pop up on the first page of Google search results.

3. Give Your Featured Image a Little Love

Probably the most overlooked aspect of SEO is image keywords. If you’re unaware of the fact that many people use Google image search, it’s time to become aware of it.

The main keyword should be included in the alt text so that it can begin to rank on Google Images. I.e., if your main keyword is Colorado Sundays, then you’ll want to use that for your alt text.

Pro tip: Don’t forget about keyword cannibalization! Think deeply about the right keyword for each image so that it corresponds to the target post.

4. Frequency of Posting

Just like email frequency matters, so does the frequency in which you post to your blog. Depending on the scope of your business, your content calendar and your audience, you should brainstorm the best frequency.

Keeping in mind that updating existing posts so that they remain evergreen is preferable to creating multiple posts revolving around the same topic, you should also consider cross-advertising.

E.g., sharing your posts on social media is a perfect way to increase your website visits, but you don’t necessarily have to always come up with new blog posts. Sharing older content for new followers to see is as good a strategy as any, so think how best to go about it when deciding on your content calendar.

Pro tip: If you cannot come up with quality content, don’t post. Otherwise, as often as you can compose worthwhile new posts, go ahead and post them.  

Conclusion

SEO may be complex, but some simple hacks can make it considerably easier. These four things people tend to forget are not that difficult, after all.

Any successful strategy relies on good planning, so take your time researching keywords and save them for later. Perform website audits regularly and keep posting quality content whenever possible. Add keywords to images!

In the long run, these four seemingly small SEO elements will contribute to massive success!