The effectiveness of SEO as a marketing tool depends on how well your target keywords rank on Google and other search engines. To get results, you must be in the top 10 and on Google’s first page. Why? According to a HubSpot study, 75% of users only looked at the first page of results. Here are some great SEO tips to help your posts rank on Google:
- Use title tags and meta descriptions that are interesting
- Optimize your website for user satisfaction
- Let your URL contain keywords
- Develop content that aligns with search intent
- Write long-form content
- Use internal links
- Make use of authoritative backlinks
- Use optimized images
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Use title tags and meta descriptions that are interesting
Google’s search algorithm values title tags and meta descriptions. Title tags directly impact search engine visibility, while meta descriptions can impact click-through rates (CTR).
Make your title tags concise but descriptive. Include your target keywords and their search intent. Avoid using duplicate title tags and keyword stuffing.
Keep your meta descriptions to 160 characters or less and focus on the main topic(s) of your content. For each post, write a unique meta description that includes your target keywords.
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Optimize your website for user satisfaction
Google prioritizes user experience in website rankings. Make sure your pages are responsive to please your visitors and Google.
Using subheadings, screenshots, images, and videos in your content are some ways to optimize your website. Also, use white space to improve readability.
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Let your URL contain keywords
Your URL should contain keywords to increase your content’s visibility to search engines and visitors. A good URL is short, easy to read, and includes your main keywords. To keep it short and sweet, avoid using stop words.
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Develop content that aligns with search intent
The content you create should be aligned with search intent or user intent to be more visible to Google. To do so, learn about search intent and use the right action words when writing content. User intents include navigation, information, commercial, and transactional.
The goal of navigational intent is to find specific apps or websites, while informational intent is to find specific data or information. In commercial intent, the user is considering a product or service. The goal of transactional intent is to buy. Always remember to align your content with the user’s intent.
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Write long-form content
Long-form content (3,000+ words) is another SEO best practice. According to SEMrush, long forms outperform other forms on Google. The study found that long-form content gets 400% more shares, traffic, and backlinks than short articles.
Long-form content should use keywords that balance difficulty and volume. Use long-tail and mid-tail keywords to reach your target audience.
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Use internal links
Internal links can help improve your Google ranking if used properly. These links help Google understand your site’s content and create a hierarchy of information. Link your website’s underperforming pages to your top-performing ones. Assign the top-performing pages to the content you link to.
Tools like SEMrush can assess the quality of your internal links. These tools can help you find and fix internal linking issues.
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Make use of authoritative backlinks
Backlinks are another important ranking factor for Google. However, spammy backlinks can harm your rankings. To avoid this, make sure your site has authoritative backlinks.
Studying and copying your competitors’ link building strategies can help you get high-quality backlinks. Examine your competitors’ backlink profiles and devise a strategy to steal their authoritative backlinks.
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Use optimized images
Images can improve the overall appeal and user experience of your website. Imagery can improve page loading speed and user experience if used correctly. Optimisation of images is required for best results.
Use JPEG or PNG image formats, compress them for faster loading, and add alt text to make them visible to Google. Compress your images with free tools like ImageOptim, ShortPixel, and TinyPNG. Lazy loading can also be used for non-critical images and videos to speed up page loading.