Four Vital SEO Techniques That Are Often Overlooked
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Change is the only constant in the search engine optimization (SEO) game. As new algorithms filter results, communications teams must employ new techniques to adapt and respond. Those who stay informed on the latest SEO trends can be rewarded with the sought-after top spot in Google or Bing’s search results. Those who don’t risk losing ground – to the tune of a few spots or even Page 2 and beyond.
There are a few SEO techniques that will never go out of style. Proper keywords and backlinks will forever be a best practice. Still, there are a few strategies that are often overlooked.
The SEO Breakdown
Most of our suggestions can be completed fairly easily by your in-house communications team, but we’ve added a special “🤓” icon for techniques that may require more expertise.
Before we dive into these strategies, we’ll explain three SEO technical terms to maximize key takeaways:
Keywords: These are words and phrases that are entered into search engines like Google to help find a business or organization (i.e., “Top PR firms in N.J.” or “Affordable cities for relocation”).
Backlinks: When a webpage links to another website, it's called a backlink. You can build more backlinks through news coverage, partnerships with other firms and social media promotion of your blog posts. The more links from other websites to your site will improve your search ranking – and demonstrates both reliability and visibility in (often crowded) markets.
“Crawling” or “Crawled”: Crawling is the first part of having a search engine (Google, Bing, etc.) recognize your website and rank it in its search results. This occurs when a search engine bot “reads” a web page.
Below, you’ll find Violet PR’s recommended strategies for SEO success.
Our Four Recommended SEO Strategies
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Think Mobile First
Marketers live by accurate stats and data. Here are a few that SEO experts stand by:
Over 230 million U.S. consumers own smartphones.
Almost 40% of all e-commerce purchases during the holiday season are made on a smartphone.
79% of smartphone users have made a purchase online using their mobile device in the last 6 months.
Since smartphones have become an essential, everyday tool, these numbers will only increase. That may be why Google announced that the mobile version of your website will now be “crawled” before the desktop version. The future, it seems, is gravitating toward mobile. (That’s not to say you should neglect your desktop version, either, as that remains an effective traffic-driver.)
Aside from using the right keywords, here are a few simple tips to improve your mobile SEO efforts:
Organize content into clusters to make your page more scannable
Ensure all phone numbers are listed as text in the body and linked (not an image) , so visitors can simply tap-to-call
Use more video and pictures. Mobile sites are nearly always viewed on the go, and users aren’t likely to read lengthy blocks of text
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Don’t Be Robotic
Let’s remember, your site visitors are not robots. They are real people. Reading text that sounds unnatural is off-putting and can make your site seem unprofessional, or at the very least, less desirable.
Yes, keywords are important, but crafting high-quality and engaging content is the key to a successful website. Consider hiring a content team that specializes in developing site copy. That’s because in order to maximize SEO efforts, you’ll want to regularly push out “fresh” and “unique” content, both to engage the user and to be recognized on the latest Google “crawl.” (Steps like these boost one’s domain authority, which essentially is a reflection of how you rank on the web.)
When you begin writing, focus first on the messaging – keep your copy clear and easy to digest. When you’re done, go back and see where keywords fit in. Only incorporate keywords that sound natural; forcing them into your content could backfire when Google crawls the page. It will also make the content appear stale or clearly manufactured.
User Experience (UX) Is Priority No. 1
Your website’s user experience (UX) is more important than an algorithm. When push comes to shove, it doesn’t matter how many keywords you’ve incorporated or the number of alt tags on the site. If your site is difficult to navigate, users will exit quickly – hurting your ranking on Google and drastically reducing your chances of earning new business via your website.
As such, all sites and SEO strategies should provide a pleasant UX, which incorporates everything mentioned above:
● A secure site
● Mobile-friendly design
● Quality, relevant content
● A distinct visual appeal
● Pages and text that are timely and updated
(Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash)
Embrace HTTPS
These days, website security is absolutely essential. If your site does not have the latest security settings, visitors may be greeted with a pop-up that reads “Warning. The site you are visiting is not secure.” As you can imagine, this is not the ideal outcome for new visitors to a company page. It is also a poor performance indicator – which can be measured as “Time on Page.”
🤓Enter HTTPS.
While nearly everyone is used to seeing “HTTP” in website URLs, many folks are still not familiar with HTTPS. To put it simply:
HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the code responsible for how your site appears and how webpages should respond when your URL is typed into a browser. It is a great technology, but a bit outdated.
HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is simply a more up-to-date and secure version of HTTP.
Websites should use “HTTPS” in its domain because “HTTP” doesn’t have SSL (secure sockets layer), which encrypts your information so your connections are secured and protected. This improves SEO because secure sites receive higher rankings from search engines.
Primed for SEO Success
SEO is an ongoing marketing (and public relations) effort. Maintaining an updated website and consistently producing new, engaging content is vital to that cause. If you can make a concerted effort to implement the techniques mentioned here, then your website is primed for SEO success. And prepare to be “seen” on those major search engines!
Interested in learning more? Schedule an introduction call with our team at april@violetpr.com.
About Violet PR
Whether it's rebranding a city, drawing attention to a revitalized neighborhood, or promoting a new sustainable development, Violet PR helps clients make a difference. Through a combination of news stories, social media and compelling content, our N.J.-based boutique public relations firm helps clients attract more dollars and supporters. www.VioletPR.com