Understanding What SEO Best Practices Can Do For You

Like many small businesses, I too, back when I didn't know any better, thought that I could just slap together a website and traffic would magically come. But, in reality, that is not the case. Without SEO, your website is essentially invisible to people searching for the products or services you offer, which means missing out on valuable leads and sales. Scaling a business online requires playing by the SEO rules - it's a critical game-changer for entrepreneurs who want to make their mark. 

Types of SEO 

Many SEO experts end to agree that to improve your website’s ranking, there are three core areas of SEO to focus on: 

Technical SEO focuses on the backend elements of your website. Fine-tune your website's setup to get search engines crawling efficiently and cater to your users' comfort.

Here are a few best practices when it comes to Technical SEO (technical SEO checklist): 

Internal Links:

These are just as important, if not more, than external links because internal linking of web pages tell Google the hierarchy and relationship between all your website pages. Smarter site navigation starts with strong internal links that propel your on-page optimization forward.

Responsive Design:

Responsive design means that whether users are browsing on a computer or mobile device like a phone, your site looks good on all screens.

Site Speed:

A fast-loading speed of website is crucial for a positive user experience and can impact your search engine rankings. Don't let your website get bogged down by massive images and clunky code. Speed up your site by knocking out these two performance-killing habits.

XML Sitemap:

Search engines get a better grip on your website's layout with an XML sitemap, which helps them poke around and catalog every nook and cranny. 

On-Page SEO

This area refers to optimizing individual web pages to improve their search engine rankings and attract relevant organic traffic. On-Page SEO involves creating high-quality content that aligns with the search intent of your target audience.

Think of on-page SEO as putting a big fat arrow pointing to your amazing content, signaling to search engines that it's the best result for their users - and winning you prime real estate in the process. 

Here's a simple yet effective SEO checklist for optimizing web pages and blog posts. 

Keyword Research:

You’ll want to do keyword research to determine what search terms your target audience is using so that you can strategically use them on your web pages in the headers, sub-headers, and body text. You should aim to include a primary keyword and relevant secondary keywords to maximize your visibility.

Content Optimization:

The higher quality content you write that actually solves people's problems (using keywords your audience uses in their searches), the more authoritative Google will see you. The more authoritative Google sees you on a topic, the better you will rank for those Google searches. This is why content creation, unique, AI-free and human written, has become increasing important. 

Title tags:

Crafting effective title tags is a delicate balance: they need to satisfy search engine algorithms while appealing to human users. Write title tags that genuinely sum up your page's content, and you'll score points with both search engines and human visitors alike.

Meta Descriptions:

The more clickable your page title and description the higher your click-through-rate. The higher your click-through rate, the more relevant your website must be, which will send Google positive ranking signals.

Alt Text:

Want to cater to all users? Slap some detailed alt text onto your website images and watch as search engines and visually impaired visitors reap the benefits.

Structured Data and Schema Markup:

Implementing relevant structured data and schema markup helps search engines understand the context and structure of your data, allowing them to display rich snippets in search results and enhance your visibility. 

Off-Page SEO

Off-page optimization signals to search engines that your website is credible and trustworthy.

Backlinks:

Any time another site links back to your website using a hyperlink that is a backlink. However, all backlinks are not created equal. A high-quality backlink is when a very high-authority, well-respected, editorial website links back to your site organically. Best practices for backlinks can be very different based on the overall goals and objectives of the campaign you are building links for. Look at the whole picture when building backlinks by considering the domain's influence, how relevant the content is, and the actual words used to link back.

Guest Blogging:

One of the best ways to earn a backlink to your site is through guest blogging. Look for guest blog posting opportunities on high-authority, niche websites. Develop content that honestly resonates with the host site's visitors, then cleverly weave in links to your own website where it makes sense.

Link Building:

Conversation magic happens when we trade small talk for real conversation. Build strong online relationships by doing things the right way – no corner-cutting, no black hat tricks. Think of building connections with influencers and relevant websites as a solid business investment - it yields high-quality backlinks that boost your website's authority and inject a fresh stream of visitors.

Other Types of SEO Best Practices to Employ 

In addition to technical SEO, On-Page SEO, and Off-Page SEO, there are other best practices to employ if you want to rank higher, organically, in the search engines: 

Local SEO 

If you want to attract customers in a specific geographic area to either a brick-and-mortar store you own or perhaps a service you offer in a certain city or region, Local SEO is going to be crucial for your success. Local SEO will help increase the visibility of your business when someone searches “near me” in Google for products or services you might offer.

Some common local SEO best practices might include optimizing your business’s Google Business Profile. This includes things such as using local keywords throughout the copy on your Google Business Page and making sure that you choose the right business categories. Be sure to keep your address up to date, respond to reviews, and get more positive reviews from happy customers. 

Being found online is a cutthroat game, and ecommerce SEO is the secret to outsmarting your competitors and driving sales.

Getting an online store up to speed means putting e-commerce essentials first. Want to get your online store in front of buyers actively searching for what you sell? That's where e-commerce SEO comes in - a powerful tool to raise your visibility and reel in more customers. So what's the secret to ranking high on search engines? It’s simple: making sure your website appears on the first page of results for search queries related to your products - that's the Holy Grail of online visibility. Painting a clear picture for online shoppers, ecommerce SEO fine-tunes product pages and site architecture to create an intuitive buying experience.

For example, let's pretend you sell shoes online. Following SEO best practices will allow you to organically begin ranking for products that people are already searching for in your industry. Not only that, but high-quality SEO will also ensure that the people searching are in the market to make a purchase. 

Enterprise SEO 

Enterprise SEO typically involves implementing large-scale strategies and optimization techniques customized for very large corporations or organizations with hundreds, if not thousands, of pages on their website. To truly revamp a large and complex website, you need to think big picture - every single element counts. 

International SEO

International SEO involves optimizing a website and it’s content to rank in multiple languages and target specific geographic regions. Boost your global online presence by skillfully calibrating your website to compatible language versions of search engines. A key part of this is strategically assigning hreflang tags and refining your content to reflect local sensibilities and cultural nuances.

For any multinational business or organization looking to reach an international audience, global SEO is the only way to effectively execute that. Taking your business global means speaking your customers' language - and with a well-crafted international SEO strategy, you can tap into new markets and showcase your brand on the world stage. 

Newsworthy SEO

With newsworthy SEO, the focus is placed on content designed to attract attention for a shorter duration of time when news or industry updates are happening live. Newsworthy SEO involves creating and optimizing content around trending topics, breaking news, and time-sensitive events. 

Cracking the code of search engine optimization boils down to just three essential steps.

Think of the three steps of SEO this way: First, ensure your website is crawlable. Next, make your site relevant to search terms (target keywords) your perfect customer uses when searching online. What's the secret to converting browsers into buyers? Engage them deeply, and they'll be hooked – guaranteed to return for more.

Time to bring it all home – in this last leg, we're diving into the biggest ah-ha moments that'll stick with you long after you finish reading. 

Take Your Business to the Next Level with Ace SEO Consulting

If you're a local business or service provider looking to increase your online visibility, drive more leads, and grow your customer base, look no further than Ace SEO Consulting.  Our expert team has racked up almost two decades working with various types of clients, learning what works and what doesn't, and figuring out how to make every project a huge success. Don't let your competition outrank you - contact us today to learn more about our customized SEO solutions or let us do a free website audit of your website and show you essential steps you need to take towards dominating your local market!