SEO approaches are defined as a series of actions of obtaining traffic from editorial, organic, natural, and free listings on web search engines. According to the Search Engine Journal (2017), 93% of consumers use search engines for purchase decisions. For your business to be found online easily, you need to utilize SEO. A higher ranking is a representation of more organic traffic, and it is possible to convert the traffic to prospects and boost the ROI of your SEO strategies. The following are suggestions on how to increase search traffic and make your website improve in ranking.
1. Maintain Relevance in Content
The quality of the web content that has been published on a web page can be the driving force of top search engine rankings for your site. Great content cannot be substituted for anything. The creation of useful content, especially for the intended reader, can increase site traffic. Increased traffic enhances site relevance and authority. It is essential to fine-tune web writing skills like the use of SEO terms such as keywords, multiple keyword phrasing, and how to place keywords.
● Keywords
Identify a specific keyword and target each page on your website. When choosing a keyword, view about how the user will search for a particular page using your chosen keyword phrase.
Examples of keyword search terms include:
– Application deadline
– What is environmental engineering?
– How to apply for a master’s scholarship?
● Multiple Keyword Phrases
In a real application, it is challenging to achieve a top search engine ranking for various keyword phrases on a page unless you are using similar expressions. For instance, a page can rank top for both ‘environmental engineering jobs’ and ‘environmental engineering careers.’ But, a single page is unlikely to rank using ‘dean of students’ and ‘student affairs’ as your multiple keyword phrases or ‘violence reporting procedures’ and ‘gender discrimination.’ In cases where you want to use various keyword phrases for your website, you need to do a separate webpage for every keyword you are targeting.
● Placing Keywords
Once you have chosen your keyword phrase for any given page, consider asking yourself the following questions:
– Will I use all of the keyword phrases or part of it on page subheadings and headings?
– Will I use all of the keyword phrases or parts of it in the page title?
– Will I use all of the keyword phrases or parts of it in the page URL?
By answering the above questions, you can improve your search engine rankings, but try to be natural and user-friendly. For instance, the word engineering cannot show up more than three times in URL. Usability and readability must outrank search engine optimization.
● Content
Beyond the page title, headings, and URL, content is also influential in search engine rankings. For better ranking, repeat your keyword phrase in the first and last paragraphs and several (two to four) times throughout the rest of the page. It is very vital to use heading tags, most importantly, the H1, bold text, and italicized text, to highlight the keyword phrases you have used, but do not overstate it. Emphasis tags and writing styles must read naturally. Never compromise great content for SEO. Don’t focus your writing on search engine optimization, but the user.
2. Regular Updating Of Your Content
Just like the way you would feel about great content, even search engines think the same way too. So, regularly update your web content. Updated content is a significant indicator that measures relevancy in a site, so maintain your content as fresh as possible. It is advisable to audit content on your website after the scheduled time, like quarterly. Review the information and place updates where and when required.
3. Metadata
In website design, each page at the top has a head’ tag space where metadata or any other text is inserted. If the UMC web team produced your CMS site, you have the pre-populated data already. However, it is essential to do a review of the metadata and update accordingly as your site is subject to changes.
● Title Metadata
It controls what is displayed as the headline on page titles. Title metadata is essential, and it is displayed at the top of your browser window within search engine results. For those that have a CMS website, the web developers likely created an automated system for you that create a Meta title for your pages depending on your page title. It is the reason why it is vital to use well-thought page titles that are rich in keyword phrases.
● Description Metadata
It is the use of text description by a browser in-page search. You may look at it as a window display of your website, so the summary of what is contained within should be concise and appealing, to encourage people to get in. Excellent description metadata should have two sentences, but search engines may sometimes not use Meta descriptions, though it is essential to give them that option.
● Keyword Metadata
It may not be used to tabulate the search engine rankings, but it is okay to put your keyword phrase in your metadata. You may include a variety, but the rule is to keep it between three to seven keyword phrases, with each having one to four words. An example is the food science degree’ phrase.
4. Maintain a Link-worthy Site
Instead of creating ‘click here’ links within the
text, your focus should be on making more relevant links. For example, it makes it more pertinent to write a destination key name rather than a ‘click here’ text. ‘Click here’ links have no value to the search engine as compares to destination names such as “food science degree’ which is rich in words and can improve your rankings and also improve the ranking as well as your link page. The use of descriptive links not only do they build SEO results but also creates value to what people are reading.
5. Use Alt Tags
The use of alt tags is significant because they help search engines to identify a page quickly, and increase organic traffic to the website, especially in text browsing. Visual and video medial should always be described using alt tags.
About the Author
Patrick Watt is a content writer, writing in several areas, primarily in business growth, value creation, M&A, and finance. Other interests also include content marketing and self-development. Say hi to Patrick on Twitter @patrickwattpat
