Search engine optimization is an essential part of operating any website—whether you’re a small business owner who hopes to direct more traffic to your online shop or simply a hobbyist writing a blog on your favourite topic for fun. Search engine optimization, called SEO for short, is designed to optimize the placement of a website in search engine results. SEO can be complicated, and it is easy for beginners to the concept to become overwhelmed. Thankfully, there are many SEO tips and tricks that are perfect for beginners. The following are 3 easy SEO tips for beginners that will help you improve your SEO.
Tip #1: Keep your titles short and simple
Think about the last time you searched for something on an online search engine. What did the search results look like? Search results on any major search engine, such as Google, are designed to allow viewers to make quick judgments about what websites are relevant and useful to their search. To this end, most search engines will only about 50-60 characters maximum for website titles. If your title is longer than this, you run the risk of it being shortened, which could reduce the perceived relevancy in a list of results.
Tip #2: Stick to your topic
SEO is designed to help users find websites that are relevant to their searches. It is important that you stick to the intended topic on your website pages so that search engines—and users—will deem it relevant in search results. For instance, let’s say that you run a website dedicated to dog grooming. If you post a blog about choosing the right kind of clipper for your dog’s breed, but deviate halfway through the blog to talk about types of food or toys the breed might like to play with, that page is no longer very relevant.
Tip #3: Think carefully about keywords
Keywords are an integral part SEO, and it’s important to think carefully about the keywords you’re choosing to focus on when you decide to optimize your website. It’s easy to fall into the trap of choosing a “popular” keyword; however it’s important not to fall into the trap of picking a keyword that isn’t specific enough.
You should consider keywords that are not only relevant to your website, but relevant to people looking for information. The easiest way to do this is to consider what keywords or phrases you look for when using a search engine. For example: If you were looking for used book stores in your area or an online shop that sells Christmas ornaments or a blog with information about new historical book reviews, what phrases would you use? You would most likely use keywords or phrases that contain certain descriptions that indicate what type of website you are looking for, rather than broad words or phrases which may bring up search results that aren’t as relevant.
Remember: Search engine optimization is an essential and useful tool for helping more people finds your website. It may seem complicated at first, but following these easy tips will help you on your way to improve your website’s SEO.
