A Guide to Effective SEO Tactics to Improve Ranking

Technical SEO: Analyse of Website's technical aspects that affect its rankings.

Code Efficiency

Website optimization depends on the quality of the code used to create the website. Bloated code can slow down website load times and reduce the code-to text (on-page content) ratio. Google is more likely to accept on-page optimizations. Google is more able to understand the semantic meaning of a webpage if it has less code. This improves rankings.

Website speed

Google's ranking algorithm for search results is constantly updated to improve user experience. Google considers the website's speed when ranking sites. A faster website will provide a better user experience for visitors. Therefore, Google will provide a faster website than a slower website. This is because visitors will have a better experience on a faster website. Page loading times should not exceed 2.5 seconds.

Mobile responsiveness

A website's responsiveness is another important ranking factor. This means that it adapts to any device used to view it. A responsive website delivers a better user experience. Websites that don't support responsive design display the entire website width meant for desktops on a tablet or smartphone. The page must be smaller to fit. This usually makes it un-viewable. Google will deliver a responsive mobile website over a non-responsive one, all other things being equal.

SSL/HTTPS

Google prefers secure websites, just like its users. Websites that contain malware are prime examples of unsecured and poor websites. No one wants to infect their computer by visiting a website that isn't secure. Therefore, Google is increasing the importance of having a secure website. They are promoting HTTPS websites more than HTTP sites.

HTTPS means that the website has an SSL certificate. SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer. It's a communication protocol that creates a secure link between a website visitor and the website. Google is concerned about protecting the visitor's information and will rank websites that are SSL protected (HTTPS) over those not (HTTP).

Alex Chris has written a great article about technical SEO: What is Technical SEO? The Best Practices to Improve Rankings

On-page SEO: Optimization of visible elements on pages that affect rankings.

Page Title and Meta Description

SEO rankings are dependent on the title tag and meta description of a web page. To help Google understand your page's semantic meaning, each should include your primary keyword(s). You should not keyword stuff (old-school SEO) but use a variation of your keywords. It is best to use synonyms, word variations and alter the order of words in a keyword phrase. Professional SEO companies will be able to optimize meta descriptions and title tags to improve Google search query ranking and organic traffic.

Page titles and meta descriptions are also important because they allow you to distinguish your website page results from those of your competitors. Google's most recent optimization factors, such as bounce rate, time on site, and click-through rates, are now considered best SEO practices. Google will rank pages that are viewed more often and have higher visitor engagement if it can identify that one page is being viewed over a longer time period. A page title and description that is both interesting and accurate will increase click-through rates and decrease bounce rate.

Headings (Headers).

Google rewards web pages that are intuitively structured. Headings are used to organize content on a page. Major topics are outlined in a similar way to a term paper outline. They use prominent headers. These heading tags would be used to identify more macro ideas and include H1 and H2 heading tags in SEO. These content areas have less prominent headings, such as H3 or H4. Rankings are greatly affected by the proper use of header tags. I have seen a significant improvement in website rankings when simply changing the H1 of the homepage. SEO service providers are skilled in optimizing and using headings to improve Google rankings.

On-page Content

To determine the page's potential ranking, it is important to have good content. Google tracks visitor usage metrics such as bounce rate and time on page, as mentioned previously. These ranking improvements might be temporary if your professional SEO company is only optimizing titles, meta description, and headings in order to improve rankings.

The visitor must ultimately find value in the content. Boringly listing services is one example. The page will be more useful to visitors if it includes information about the value or benefits of the services. The page should be concise and attractive, have a layout that is easy to navigate, and use rich media (videos or graphics). If you can improve visitor engagement, the rankings will have greater staying power.

Sam Warren's article on-page SEO Guide & Optimization checklist has more information.

Off-page SEO: Implementation optimization elements that are not directly related to the page.

Off-page SEO techniques can help improve a website's domain authority. This is a measure of a website's credibility and ability to rank well. Off-page SEO is a way to help a website rank well for search terms by helping search engines understand its semantic meaning. However, on-page SEO can also position a website to rank higher for those search terms.

Social Media

Social media can help increase brand awareness and improve website traffic. Social media participation increases the chances of users visiting a website via social media. Google is committed to providing quality content to its users, and this applies to off-page SEO. The frequency with which content has been shared online is one of the best indicators that quality content is being created. Social media marketing can be a great way to encourage sharing of content from a website.

Backlinks

Backlinks are at the core of Google's ranking algorithm. Google considers backlinks to be similar to word-of mouth referrals. Google considers a website more relevant if it receives more backlinks. This will increase a website's ranking. Backlinks are crucial to domain authority and ranking well. This area is also prone to spam abuse.

SEO agencies that are not following best practices in link building may be focusing on quantity rather than quality. Quality backlinks are more important than quantity for improving rankings. A quality backlink from an authoritative, trusted website is more valuable than 10, or 100, poor quality links. To get high-quality backlinks, you must provide valuable content that other websites can reference and want to share with their visitors.

Please refer to Mustaasam Salesem's article 11 Smart Offpage SEO Techniques You Should Use Right Now.

Organic SEO: Increasing rankings in the "organic" search area.

Businesses with an international and national focus need to be aware of the importance of organic SEO. This SEO type focuses on improving rankings in the organic search results, as opposed to the "local pack", by optimizing a website according to Google's search engine algorithm. The traditional or classic search engine optimization (or organic SEO) begins with keyword research. There are many articles available on the internet about how to optimize your organic SEO for better Google rankings. This type of SEO service includes both on-page and off-page optimization. It also includes meta tag and page title optimization.

Google has more information on organic SEO in the article "Do You Need an SEO?".

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1. Local SEO: Improving search engine rankings in the "local-package" area.

Businesses that rely on local customers or regional customers need to use local SEO services. Local SEO services are more popular than general organic search optimization. Local optimization focuses on being found in the local pack. This is an area of Google results that displays a map and a listing for 3 local businesses. Smaller businesses that rely on local customers have a great opportunity in the local listings area. Local SEO is different from organic SEO. Local SEO is beneficial for many types of businesses, including restaurants, auto repair shops and electricians.

Bright Local's article "What Is Local SEO?" will help you learn more about SEO in your area.

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1. Voice SEO: Improving voice search rankings

Voice Search Optimization is the latest form of search engine optimization. Voice search is preferred by a majority of people to typing. This is why voice search will account for more than half of all searches by 2020. Priorities for voice search optimization include a fast website (page loading time less than 4 seconds), SSL website encryption, and a clearly defined question and answer of around 30 words.

Brian Dean from Backlinko shares valuable insights on voice search in his article, "We Analyzed 10,000 Google Home Search Results". Here are the lessons we learned about voice search SEO.

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1. Reputation Management

A professional SEO company should also offer online reputation management services as part of their search optimization services. Online reviews are a popular way for internet users to make purchasing decisions. Amazon reviews are perhaps the most popular online reviews. Potential customers looking for product reviews can use these reviews to help them make an informed decision.

People looking to hire a company for services can use company and service reviews in the same way as product reviews. These reviews can either help or hurt an organization. Companies with positive reviews are more likely to be hired than companies with negative reviews. Reputation management services can help you increase positive reviews and reduce negative ones. SEO agency services must help clients respond positively to online reviews.

Alex Phelps' article Reputation Management - 5 ways you can build your brand, and 5 ways to keep it from being destroyed

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1. Search Engine Marketing

Search engine marketing services can improve an organization's online visibility. There is a strong correlation between how many impressions a company gets and the likelihood of acquiring new customers. We see an increase in traffic to and engagement on a website when people are more familiar with the brand. Search marketing can increase brand awareness, website traffic, and conversion rates.

Wikipedia has more information on search engine marketing, and its history.

Conclusion

SEO (search engine optimization) is the process of improving search engine rankings and generating more traffic. There are many types of SEO services. They focus on two elements: search optimization and online visibility. A search engine optimization company can implement on-page, off-page, and technical SEO to help you rank high in search engines such as Google and Bing. They may also offer local SEO services and organic SEO. Traditional organic SEO is focused on improving rankings in the search engine results. Local SEO is focused on improving rankings in the "local-pack", an area of search engine results that includes three local businesses. Businesses that depend on local customers or regional customers will find it important to use local SEO. Organic SEO is important for businesses that have a national or international focus. Online optimization is incomplete without reputation management. It fosters positive perceptions of the organization, its products and services. Search engine marketing is about increasing brand awareness and visibility online. Search engine marketing and reputation management both increase the chances of potential customers becoming customers.