As search engines update their algorithms every year, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is continually evolving. SEO is the process of naturally building your rankings on search engines, with the primary goal being to remain as close to the top as possible. Here’s how to benefit from SEO in 2020.
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Talk To Someone Who Knows What They Are Doing
To a certain extent, you can brush up on SEO knowledge yourself, but it can be tough to know what to know about SEO. Each day search engines update their algorithms and change criteria, and it can be challenging to keep on top of trends if your primary focus is not on SEO. Consulting a local SEO agency will ensure your content and website becomes the focus of someone who keeps on top of constantly changing trends.
You Have To Balance Keywords With High-Quality Content
In old-school SEO, keywords were the predominant driver of rankings. Now, even if keywords still play a massive part in SEO rankings, content is king. Visitors to your website want decent, readable content to supplement their website experience. Take advantage of long-tail keywords, which are the peripheral keywords your customers might use. For instance, if you’re a food blog, you might find that your users frequently search for ‘homemade Spanish tapas’ or ‘quick and easy meals.’ Do your research correctly and factor these long-tail keywords into your content creation.
Use Your Links Wisely
Links are a way to show the search engine that you are a reputable source, especially if you receive multiple citings from high-quality sites.
Key options to consider are:
- Outbound or external links from your site to other sites can still hold value if they cite reputable sources, but too many links outwards damage your rankings.
- Increasing the number of backlinks (links to your site from other sites) is the best way to maximize your SEO. Encourage friends with other sites to link to you, or send your product to an Influencer for review.
- The final way to maximize SEO through linking is internal linking (linking to content on your site internally). If you link high-quality pages together with a decent anchor text on your website, this still positively affects your rankings.
Get Rid Of Anything That Slows Your Website Down
Site speed factors into SEO and a poorly performing website can lower your rankings. The simplest way to do this is to use a free tool to check the loading times of your pages and shrink any slow loading images. You can also use a cache, so the latest version of your page is generated every time and simplify any redirects on your site. The same rule applies when fixing broken links or error messages on your page – all of these will lead you to be penalized by a search engine algorithm.
Hiring a local SEO agency will give you the time to focus on your own business needs. Still, these simple steps will assist in cleaning up your site, improving your rankings, and telling the search algorithms you are a respectable business.
