These days, SEO is a buzzword experts toss out again and again with good reason. No business owner wants his company to show up on page 4 of Google search results--the horrors! Fortunately, your SEO can be improved and while bettering it isn’t an overnight fix, these time-honored strategies will help to reverse the devastation.
Give Careful Consideration When Selecting Your Keywords
Keywords are a core feature of well-designed SEO. That said, you’ll want to do your homework when selecting them. Fortunately, Google Keyword Tool is one great way to get a leg up on your competitors; it allows you to test search phrases and provides alternative keyword searches so you can make comparisons. With just a little research, you can make a positive impact on your search engine rankings.
Deliver Fresh Content
Google does have a freshness algorithm that takes into account how timely information is on a website. So, not only do businesses want to provide great, relevant content, but they also want to continually offer new content. One great way to keep your content fresh is to have a blog or press/newsroom section on your website. Not only will they improve your SEO, but they also provide incentives for your customers and clients to revisit your site on a regular basis.
Optimize Your Images for SEO
There are three things that you want to take into consideration when it comes to images on your website: the file name of the image, its title tag, and its alt tag. The file name—if it consists of multiple words—should be separated with hyphens and a descriptive. The reasoning? Google interprets dashes as word separators and underscores as word joiners. For instance, the phrase red-herring would be read as “red herring” by Google whereas the phrase red_herring, would be translated as “redherring.”
The alt tag—which provides a description of the image if the image isn’t available—should include keywords and a relevant description for SEO. Lastly, don’t forget the title tag which contains the text that users see when they mouse over an image. As with the alt tag, you want to include your keywords in the title as well.
Finally…
As with anything, seeing improvements in your search engine rankings can take time. So, commit to a long-term strategy and continually refine your approach as needed. With consistent dedication, you can expect to see your search engine rankings rise.