There are several easy ways to improve SEO. For example, incorporating more inbound links into your website will increase your PageRank. Adding well structured headings, SEO-friendly images, and engaging video to your page will also increase your chances of being found by search engines. All of these tactics are fairly simple, and can improve your website’s ranking in the search engine results. These methods have been universally recognized as relevant by SEO strategists.
Inbound Links Boost PageRank
Inbound links are important to a website’s authority and overall ranking. A Perficient study confirms that backlinks are beneficial to rankings, but the quality of the links is more important than the quantity. The more backlinks a website has, the better its page rank. In addition, the higher the page rank, the more important the inbound links are to your site. It is crucial to build a diverse set of inbound links from various sources.
A link’s anchor text – the clickable text in the link, or the alternative text in an image link – is important for boosting PageRank. The anchor text on the link gives search engines a hint as to what the destination page will be about. In the past, anchor text has been abused to facilitate “link bombing,” which involves using the same keyword phrase on thousands of websites. In addition to being useful for SEO, inbound links are also a good way to gauge the health of a website’s network.
Optimizing Your URL Structure
Organize your site’s content and categories in an easily-understood way with the help of an effective URL structure. This helps search engines understand the content of a page and is a fundamental element of on-site optimization. For example, a hair salon’s URL would include the term “haircut” in its name, as well as a description of the type of services offered by the business.
URLs should be short and logical. They should contain no more than two folders, and they should be free from unnecessary stop words and extra folders. Short, SEO-friendly URLs will entice users to visit the website. Moreover, a user-friendly URL will help your website rank higher and attract more visitors. While addressing SEO and usability issues in your URL structure, remember that Google updates its algorithm fairly often, so you need to stay updated with the latest updates to maintain your ranking.
Adding Headings
Adding headings to your website improves search engine optimization, but it is not as simple as putting words in the title. Headings add structure to the content of your website, and Google understands them better. A good example of a heading is the title of a blog post. It should be descriptive and centered on the reader. It should not contain keywords, but instead should be unique, descriptive, and informative. Aside from improving search engine optimization, using headings on your website can also help your site’s performance.
Adding headings to your website can be done with the WordPress Editor or directly in HTML. To add a heading, you need to place opening and closing HTML tags around the text you wish to format as a header. For example, if your content is called “Content Strategy,” use the H1 header format. For Squarespace users, follow the links below for directions. This will help them create a header.
Adding Images
Adding images to your website can be helpful for improving SEO. But you must consider the use of captions on images. Although they are often overlooked, captions are a valuable way to attract attention and enhance your SEO. When you add images to your website, you should follow the basic on-page SEO principles, such as keyword density and image quality. Make sure that the alt text is keyword-rich and describes the image in a meaningful way.
Firstly, optimize the file size of your images. Your images need to be of the right size and resolution. If you choose low-quality images, your site will appear fuzzy and less polished. Your image size must be close to its actual size, since excessively large images can slow down a site. Secondly, you should include title attributes, preferably a description and relevant keywords, to describe the image. If you are not sure how to do this, you can use an online image optimizer.
Adding Videos
Adding videos to your website can be beneficial to your search engine optimization efforts. Not only can they boost your website’s traffic, but they can also improve your content’s engagement. Videos are a great way to provide more original content, which viewers will appreciate. Although search engines can’t see the content, they can understand it through transcripts, which help them rank better for targeted keywords. Moreover, studies show that twenty percent of internet users prefer text over video.
Besides improving your videos’ search ranking, adding transcripts and captions can increase their user experience. You can obtain transcripts from a professional service or make your own. However, it is advisable to check the quality of the transcripts before publishing them. If the transcripts are inaccurate, Google may consider your video as “pure spam” and may lower its video search ranking. For this reason, it is important to use accurate transcripts and captions.
Adding Audio
Adding audio to your website can help boost your SEO. Although Google does not currently prioritize audio content as SEO, there are benefits to doing so. For starters, adding audio makes your content more accessible, which is important if you want to attract organic traffic. Besides, having audio versions on your website does not count as duplicate content, so it will not appear as duplicate content in the search results. It is therefore a wise decision to add audio content to your website.
Moreover, Google prioritizes mobile-friendly pages. It is estimated that over 80% of users will listen to a full podcast episode or at least parts of it. Therefore, integrating audio content to your online marketing plan is important if you want to stay ahead of the competition. Moreover, your audio content may surface in Google, which will require you to craft it differently. This way, you’ll be able to capture the attention of more people and increase your search engine optimization.