There’s no denying that getting a new site live and into the search engines is an intimidating task. However, getting your idea live is just the beginning of a long route ahead. This is because not grasping the best SEO practices in the beginning can leave your site in tatters with no clicks, visitors or sales. However, with so many SEO techniques around (and some that are no longer effective) it is becoming increasingly impossible to establish which ones are still functional.
Read on to learn five vital SEO tips for your new website.
REMOVE ANYTHING THAT SLOWS DOWN YOUR SITE.
Today, the loading speed of a web page is a significant factor in SEO. Previously, you could get away with a slow-loading site. People of a particular generation can recall the agony of waiting for several minutes for a page to completely load itself. Today, such pace will kill your website before it may take off as a sluggish pace will hamper the user experience and will eventually discourage people from completing the sale. Statistically, 40% of visitors will forsake a website that takes a little more than 3 seconds to load.
As businesses become more aware of the opportunities available to yield targeted leads and increase revenue through SEO, there is a massive demand for speed. Therefore, get rid of non-critical elements that slow down your site. If you are a WordPress user, consider deactivating plugins you might have installed and activated but do not need regularly. Moreover, declutter your sidebar and put only essential widgets there.
THE DYNAMICS OF CONVERSIONS
You need to pay close attention to the dynamics of your conversions. Remember, conversions can assume many forms such as product purchases, content downloads, correct short and long tail keywords, meaningful interactions with elements of your site and form completions. All of them either generate revenue instantly or shift visitors into the next step of your buying cycle. Therefore, pay close attention to the metrics that are under-converting and examine them through several tests. One such test is A/B testing which is recommended by the SEO experts at Lexel. Part of their SEO services includes this test as they feel it’s integral if you want to come up with an efficient strategy that will increase conversions.
Only conduct such tests alone if you’re confident in your ability to perform them correctly. This is because the vagaries of SEO can get overwhelming for a new entrepreneur with a humble understanding of the behind the scenes mechanics.
LINK TO OTHER WEBSITES WITH RELEVANT CONTENT
Linking out to other websites can be critical to your growth, but most people take it with a pinch of salt as it takes people off their pages. However, link building remains an integral part of a smart SEO strategy. This is because linking out transmits trackable traffic which makes your site a more scalable and valuable resource.
You cannot expect to get from others if you are unwilling to give first. For instance, if you aspire to get inbound links from credible websites, one of the simplest ways to do that is to show your eagerness to link out to those websites from your own content. Furthermore, link building is about quality and not quantity. You will build more credibility in your market if you have a few credible links rather than dozens of poor quality links.
WRITE FOR PEOPLE NOT ENGINES
If you are still guilty of stuffing keywords to drive search results instead of respecting the
real qualities of engaging valuable content, then change that mindset to avoid penalties from Google. Do not prioritise search engines over human beings reading your work. Write content for people who have eyes to read and money to spend on your products. Remember, search spiders are just scripts, they do not buy products nor engage with individuals on social media and they won’t become a loyal customer.
Formulate content that actually offers help. When you put people first, you will rationally write meaningful content that will be rewarded by the search engines as search engines follow users. It is not the other way round.
ENCOURAGE CREDIBLE WEBSITES TO LINK TO YOU
To a considerable degree, inbound links are still the lifeline of search engine rankings. This is because content marketing is all about creating valuable, engaging content and giving people a need and urge to link to your website, and share your content on their social media profiles.
A major factor involved in the success of any website is the underlying investment of time, money and resources into creating quality content. When you are at the cutting edge of your market, creating functional content and linking to definitive blogs will drive more people to connect to your space naturally. It is the crux of effective link building.
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