If you want to be easily found online by your consumers you must use SEO by yourself or outsource it to an SEO company. Without SEO strategies in place it will mean that consumers won’t even know that you exist!
There are a significant amount of signals for search results that can either increase or decrease your ranking. When you follow the proven, white hat SEO strategies, you are likely to be rewarded. If you don’t, your ranking is likely to take a hit, or even worse, you may receive a penalty from Google.
One of the most important things in SEO is content. Google is now taking more time to weed out the poor quality content on websites. So this means that if your content is not up to scratch then your ranking probably not going to be as good as you want.
When developing an SEO strategy, it is important to follow a certain set of rules if you want to get the most out of it. Some of the below rules are probably common knowledge, however others tend to be overlooked which can actually be detrimental to your website.
Below are the top 4 rules for SEO that every marketer should be aware of:
1. Unique content
You cannot have a great SEO strategy if you don’t develop unique content. As said above, content is probably one of the biggest parts of SEO. It is so important that all your content on your website is unique. You can also find an SEO company that can create an unique content for your website.
Unique content means that the information on your website is useful, therefore more people will be interested in reading it.
Having well written content is crucial because it gives people a reason to stay on your website for longer. Unique content isn’t just about quality! You will need to give users something they haven’t read before, make it interesting. This gives users more reason to explore your website.
2. Keep your website up to date
For users it is very clear to see whether a website has been updated recently or not. Old websites that haven’t been updated for years are likely to not have users staying for very long.
This is why it is important for you to also keep your website up to date. You will need to stay active and look for new improvements or something that your competitor is doing.
It is unlikely that you will see an increase in ranking if your domain is inactive. It’s not just the components of your website that you should be changing, but also your content.
As times change, new and interesting stories develop which means there is always something to write about.
3. No keyword stuffing
Keywords are important because it is how a search engine finds out what is on your webpage. When a user types a keyword into the search bar, if your website is deemed relevant enough on those keywords, your website will come up in results.
Other important factors in SEO will then determine your ranking. Because keywords are so important many believe that the more keywords you put into your webpage, the better the ranking.
However, this is certainly not the case and if you are found to be keyword stuffing, you are likely to be penalised by Google.
You will know if you are reading content on a website that has been stuffed with keywords. Content that has keyword stuffing doesn’t make sense and it is difficult to follow, this frustrates users.
4. Only use high quality links
Link building is a very important part of SEO because it sends a signal to Google that your website has a certain level of authority. By gaining high quality links by reputable websites, it shows that your website is of a high quality.
Also, the links between different pages on your website need to be correct. There shouldn’t be any broken links as this leads to frustrated consumers. You will need to take your time and consistently check your website to ensure that all links are operational.
Final Thoughts
Rules are important in SEO and you will need to play by them so you can get the most out of your SEO strategy. By following these rules you are using proven and white hat tactics to reach your SEO goals. These rules will mean an improvement in your ranking as well as limiting the possibility of receiving a penalty from Google.