Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is often perceived as impossible to understand by novice website owners and creators. While it is true that any website would benefit greatly from experienced, professional SEO services, many people simply cannot afford to keep an SEO on payroll on a consistent, month-to-month basis. For people in this category, all hope is not lost.
There are several easy-to-understand Search Engine Optimization techniques that almost anyone with a website can implement, and can offer a significant boost to your online visibility. Although there are many techniques that can be utilized outside of your website to increase visibility, this list contains advice specifically referring to on-site tips.
Before diving into this list, the most important factor in a visible, successful website is the actual site content itself. Without unique, informative or entertaining content, even the best SEO techniques will not help your website in achieving your individual goals. Content should be written for the end-user; not necessarily for a search engine spider. Although getting your website indexed is important, creating and organizing content in a useful way for visitors can make the difference between success and failure online.
Additional elementary Search Engine Optimization points to consider:
Use relevant title and description meta tags
Don’t just try to keyword-stuff these fields, as that won’t help your ranking- and won’t provide a good user experience. These meta tags should be used to accurately describe each page and the content within.
Don’t waste your time on keyword meta tags
While it is fine to utilize these for a few, specifically relevant keywords, most search engines do not even look at these tags when indexing your site, let alone use them for rankings. Spending time researching and writing these is just wasted time that could be used creating appealing content for your visitors.
Utilize canonical tagging
Canonical tags can help prevent your site from being penalized by the major search engines for duplicate content, which is especially important if you manage a blog containing category and topical indexing.
Shorten page load time
While the time it takes a page to load isn’t the most important factor for indexing, it is highly important from a user-experience point of view.
Limit Flash and Images
Not only do these increase load time, but they are not good ways for search engine spiders to recognize and index your content.
Create a sitemap
Sitemaps should be created in both XML and HTML format. XML is best for the search engine spiders, while HTML is good for your users to easily locate specific pages within your site that they are looking for.
These tips are simply basic Search Engine Optimization guidelines, and are not a substitute for professional, expert SEO advice. However, incorporating these elements into your website can help improve your overall visibility online, which can help to contribute to the success of your marketing goal