Do you own a website of some kind? If so, have you ever run it through Google’s page speed checker tool to see how fast it is?
If you have, you most likely got some feedback from Google on how you could improve your site’s download speeds. And by improving your site’s download speeds, you also improve SEO, which is a huge bonus.
But what if you want to take your SEO strategy to the next level? Is there anything that you can do today to make your site more SEO-friendly?
In this article, we’ll give you 7 tips and tricks that you can use to improve your website’s SEO. We’ll tell you how to format content, how to use media files the right way, and even how you can make SEO simple and easy to understand.
1. Link to Other Credible Websites
If you know anything about SEO, you most likely know that the more backlinks your website has, the better. While backlinks are something that you should be concerned about, links to other credible websites on your website are also important.
Our advice? Try to have 2-3 links to other credible websites per every 1,000 words. Search engines like Google really like those kinds of links, as it shows that you’re linking to where you found your information.
Simply put, it makes your website more credible in the eyes of search engines, which of course is a good thing.
2. Master Content Formatting
We’ll be honest. One of the most overlooked aspects of SEO has to do with the formatting of content. Websites care a great deal about tons of SEO-related topics, but when it comes to formatting, many sites simply miss the mark.
The good news? Formatting for SEO is easy! All you need to do is use paragraphs, short sentences, and headers to organize your bodies of text.
A pro tip? Never post a giant wall of text, as it overwhelms readers. Search engines know this, so they don’t recommend users to those sites.
3. Work to Speed Up Your Site
Did you already run your site through Google’s page speed checker? Got a bad score? If so, don’t worry, as there are plenty of things that you can do right now to speed up your site.
In fact, Google should have recommended a few things to you after your speed test. We recommend that you do all of them, as again, your website’s loading speeds are quite important to your site’s SEO.
On top of that, make sure to limit the amount of media you use on each post or page. That way you can make sure your website loads fast for users, especially those on mobile devices.
4. Use Your Keywords in Images
Speaking of media files and images, if you’re looking to make posts more SEO-friendly, you need to make sure you’re using keywords in your image titles. Of course, you also need to know a great deal about keyword research, too.
Because one of the best SEO practices has to do with mastering keyword research, which can be tricky, especially if your niche is uber-competitive.
Once you have your keywords, though, make sure you put those keywords in your image titles and alternate tags. That way search engines can recognize those pictures and the articles attached to them when people search for those keywords.
5. Use a Simple URL Structure
Another way to boost your site’s SEO, especially when it comes to articles, has to do with URL structure. Keeping a simple URL structure that relates to your keyword, instead of something random, is very much recommend.
In fact, your keyword 100% needs to be in your URL if you want to get positive SEO results. Because of this, having your title be your URL structure is the best way to go, as it checks this box automatically.
6. Write Over 1,000 Words Per Post
People have been asking how much they should be writing for SEO purposes for decades now. After all, there has to be a particular number that search engines like Google are looking for, right?
While there’s no golden rule to follow, there is a minimum threshold that we recommend that you shoot for every time you create content.
That number? At least 1,000 words. With that in mind, the closer that you can get to 1,500 words, the better, as that seems to be the sweet spot that websites are having success with.
7. Write for Humans First
We get it. You want your website to rank high on search engines so you can start getting more traffic, and thus, generating more revenue for your site.
But it’s important to remember that search engines are smart. And above all else, they want to recommend users to credible websites that offer a positive user experience.
That’s why we recommend that you focus on user experience and the user above all else. Create content for real people first and worry about SEO second.
If you do that and create quality content, odds are you’ll get those top search engine rankings that you’re looking for.
Still Not Sure How to Improve SEO?
If you want to improve SEO on your website, be sure to keep your users in mind first. Focusing on their user experience will lead to you checking almost all SEO boxes, which of course is the overall goal here.
After all, all search engines only want is to redirect users to quality content and sites. If you check those two boxes, you should be good to go.
Do you own a website? Are you always looking for more helpful SEO tips and tricks? If so, check back with our blog often for tons of useful ideas and information related to SEO.