Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be wildly intricate and complex, but at its heart are some very simple techniques that help both search engine and human users alike understand your business better. The effect of this is that confidence builds with better understanding, and eventually, you should see some change in your search rankings. Remember, SEO isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.
Simple Steps to Improve Your SEO
First, you’re going to want to connect your website to Google Search Console. This is a very user-friendly system that allows you to see how people are discovering your website. There are various other paid tools available too, but you can’t go wrong with the basics here. Create a Search Console account, connect your property (website), and you’re off. Next, let’s look at your website itself.
Optimize Your Page Titles.
Search engines directly use page titles to classify information. It isn’t enough to simply label your pages as ‘home’ or ‘about.’ There are about 60 characters of space available for you to provide more context about your business. Use that space. Instead of having your homepage labelled as ‘home’, try ‘Hope Counselling | Therapy for Individuals & Couples | London, Ontario. In this example, not only does the page title include the business name, but it also include location information and common keywords that users will be searching for.
Input Meta Descriptions.
This section of your website provides even more space (around 300 characters) to provide contextual information about your business and each of your website’s pages. If you don’t customize your metadata, search engines will automatically pull it from your existing site content. This can be problematic for a number of reasons – it’s not a great user experience, it doesn’t allow you to control the messaging, etc. Most website builders have a section that will allow you to write your own meta description. Highlight your keywords, write for a human user, and include location data if that is relevant to your business.
Don’t Skip the Alt Text.
This is an absolutely essential part of your website; however, it is also one of the most skipped-over parts. Depending on the number of images on your website, adding alt text can be time-consuming but is necessary. Simply describe your image. This improves accessibility for those who are visually impaired as well as provides search engines with powerful contextual clues about your website. Don’t ‘keyword stuff’; this section should be written for human users first.
Check your website to make sure you have optimized your images, metadata, and page titles. These simple steps will help generate a wealth of information to search engines and human users, ultimately helping them find you more quickly and easily. If you need help, check out our services; we’re happy to provide a free consultation to get you started.