.png)
So you know you’re supposed to be doing this “thing” called SEO or Search Engine Optimization to rank higher on Google and bring in passive traffic, but you’re not entirely sure where to start.
Good news, friend. We gotchu!
Keep on reading for our 3 best tips for SEO that you can get started on today.
1. Write mesmerizing meta descriptions.
The first of our 3 best tips for SEO is to write meta descriptions so mesmerizing that they compel people to click on your website!
You know when you go to Google and there’s that little description that shows up under the title telling you what it’s about? That is the meta description. And if you don’t write your own, Google will automatically create one for you.
Because this description is read when people are deciding which link to click on their search engine results page it’s super important that you put in the effort to write a compelling one that will help encourage people to click on yours.
Here’s one way you can do this, using the meta description for this page as an example. ;)
You know you’re supposed to be doing this “thing” called SEO but you’re not too sure where to start. No worries, we gotchu! The 3 best tips for SEO are...
So, the first thing you want to do is present a problem. Then, you want to show that you have the solution to this problem. But before you reveal it,
...you cut it off.
😈
This is literally psychology. We, as humans, have been conditioned that we need to know what the answer is, or what comes next! This is exactly why cliffhangers are so effective, so turn your meta description into a cliffhanger, too! Just keep in mind that you only have about 155 characters (not words!) before Google itself will cut you off.
Need a super simple way to count the characters of your meta description? Use this link: https://wordcounter.net/character-count.
2. Add lots of links.
Speaking of links, the second of our 3 best tips for SEO is to add alllll the links. Specifically though, interlinks and backlinks.
Interlinks
Interlinks, or internal links, are any links that redirect your traffic from one page on your website to another page on your website. In other words, this is how you guide your visitors (and Google!) to other relevant pages on your website.
When you add internal links, people will spend more time on your website which will 1. help you to rank higher on Google and 2. help convert those people coming from Google into buyers— especially if that internal link leads them to a sales page.
You probably already have internal links on your website’s navigation and hopefully on your homepage. But there are almost always more opportunities for interlinking!
Take blog posts as an example. When you write new blog posts it’s incredibly easy to link to another blog post that you’ve already written. Just make sure the content is directly related!
For example, our previous blog post on 3 Easy Ways To Research Good Keywords For Seo is relevant to this blog post and makes sense to link to it. But our previous blog post on How To Create A Brand Mood Board With Pinterest is definitely NOT relevant to this blog post and wouldn’t make sense to you OR Google if we linked to it.
Backlinks
Backlinks are any links that redirect your traffic from one page on your website to another page on someone else’s website. This is especially applicable for blog posts because Google’s algorithm favors articles that link to high-quality websites.
And you’ll want other people’s websites to link to your website, too! Having people link to your website helps to build up your domain authority which is another factor for ranking on Google.
You can get backlinks to your website in various ways. But one of the easiest is to link to your website from your social media accounts.
You can also easily check to see who’s currently linking to your website for free with Moz’s Link Explorer - and yes, that right there is an example of including a high-quality backlink in a blog post! ;)
3. Use newly named images
The third and final of our 3 best tips for SEO is all about your website’s images. In other words, don’t forget to properly name your images and add alt text!
Image names
This is an extra step that most people don’t bother with, but can actually have a big impact!
In fact, it’s super freaking important that you write new names for your images because search engines like Google crawl the internet using text-based search. Naming your images will help optimize your SEO as this shows you have relevant content on your website.
When you write the new names for your images, change the actual image name to include your keyword phrase separated by hyphens. For example, if your keyword phrase is “SEO best tips,” save that actual image name as “SEO-best-tips.jpg.”
Told ya that interlink on easy ways to research keywords for SEO from earlier would be relevant! But even if you don’t have your keywords picked out yet…. at the very least you should try to name your images something a little more meaningful than IMG-567.jpg.
Image alt text
Including alt text for your images is important for both accessibility and SEO purposes.
Put simply, alt text is a short written description of an image. This description is used when your image isn’t viewable. This could be because your website didn’t load quickly enough—which you’ll want to look into fixing because that will definitely hurt your SEO. Or this could be because someone can’t see the image due to low or no vision and uses a screen reader.
When you write your alt text, the first priority is describing what’s actually in the image. Keep it clear and concise. And then, if it fits naturally, you can include your keyword for SEO.
But do NOT ever stuff your keyword in there if it doesn’t make sense for the image! Keyword stuffing doesn’t just suck for accessibility, it will hurt your SEO, too.
It’s important that you keep in mind that SEO does not happen overnight. Search engine optimization is a long-term strategy for getting found by your exact dreamboat clients on Google. But if you implement our 3 best tips for SEO today and keep up with them, you’ll be well on your way to bringing in that passive traffic.
And now that you know how to optimize your website for SEO, let’s make sure your website design is optimized, too!
Because scary statistics alert: it takes less than a second for someone to decide if they like your website or not and 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience. #YIKES
YOU don't have to be part of that statistic, though!
If you're ready to take your website design to the next level and convert all those new visitors coming in from Google into buyers, we freaking gotchu! Just click right here to apply to work with us now.