Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an important element to consider when launching your website. But, what is SEO and what does it entail? This is one of the questions you will definitely find yourself thinking about before and after launching your website. In this article we explain about basics of SEO and how to do it properly?

To start with, Search Engine Optimization is a process of ensuring your site ranks higher on search engines. SEO is like placing your business along a major highway. What do you expect? Visibility of course and high sales conversions. To sum it, SEO is an essential add-on for your website to be noticed across search engines. Sounds exciting, let’s delve more into this concept.

Keyword Research

What does your website entail? This involves a deep focus on your business. As earlier stated, SEO is likened to placing your business on a major highway. In keyword research, we focus on making your business centralized to meet a particular group of persons. This will help to build page authority and domain authority which I will explain later. Ranking for specific keywords is determined by the following simple factors.

Relevance

How well suited is your business to meet that need? You can’t quench thirst with food. Suiting your business for a specific need is important. This establishes your website in a specific market. Before launching a website, decide on the main niche you want your website to rank. This will give you many keywords related to a particular niche. Furthermore, your website will be indexed much easier.

Competition

So you have placed your business on the highway, are there any competitors? Definitely there are going to be other similar websites on that niche. In this step, consider ranking for keywords with low competition but have a high search volume. To meet competition, it is always advisable to start with low competition then medium. This enables your website to gradually increase page authority. Page authority is measured on a scale of 1 to 100. It shows that a website has much knowledge and has been verified as true source of information.

Search Volume

Keywords with higher search volumes should be the main target. Actually, this is what determines competition. For a beginner, start with low then medium. Phasing out high competition is not easy. It takes time of constant Search Engine Optimization. SEO is not a one day process. This is a lifetime process which entails continuous re-adjustments.

Suggested Top Page Bid

Did you know websites pay to be ranked on Google Front Pages? This is termed as PPC (Pay per Click). Of course you don’t want to strain your budget. We are targeting to appear on organic search results. In this case, suggested top page bid is our bonus system. In Google Adwords Keyword Planner, suggested bid helps us to know how much websites owners pay for certain keywords. These are the words which we are going to rank for.

However, do not focus on the money part. Focus on relevance, competition and search volume. Suggested top page bid can never be constant or correct. It only helps us in determining unique rich keywords.

Competition Analysis

Before finishing keyword research, look at your competitor websites. Determine the keywords they are ranking for. This will give you additional information and more keywords. It is advisable to add a location to get more narrowed search results. E.g. Website Development in Kenya. Write down the top websites that show in top search results and do a keyword analysis. However, make sure you only pick the relevant keywords.

On – Page SEO elements

On-Page SEO elements account up to 20% in top website ranking factors. This involves use of title tags, Keywords in titles, presence of NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) information and domain authority. Title tags (H1, H2, and H3) are used by web crawlers to determine what a website is about. They act as anchor texts and are recommended by search engines. Moreover, include keywords in titles. This is another metric used by SERPS in website ranking.

Keywords are used to show what a site content is about. A NAP page is important to have in every website. It mainly acts as a call to action form which users can fill to contact you.  A NAP page should be simple and contain clear text and headings.

Writing Content for Your Website

Creating high quality content is an important SEO factor. This step should be easy if you have performed a proper keyword research. Focusing on a niche gives you many ideas on how to create quality content. Whether you are doing online content writing, online article writing or blog content writing, quality still remains a major determinant in SEO process.

So focus on quality over quantity. Having a good planned way of publishing content is important. This ensures you write long articles about a particular subject. In addition, a content delivery plan will ensure you rank for other keywords in your blog posts or articles.

There is no limit to amount of posts you can publish in a day, week or month. However, consistency is a must so you ensure a good bounce rate and increase website visitors. A content delivery plan also helps website owners to create long articles without having much pressure. In addition, websites which have been ranked top on Google Front Pages have over 2000 words in their posts.

Build an Internal Linking Structure

Majority of websites today lack a proper internal linking structure. This results to a high bounce rate and low average duration spend by users on a website. You can get all this data on Google Analytics Page or Bing Webmaster tools. An internal linking structure helps to maintain readers on a website and also increase interactivity. Internal links can be to a services page or to a contact form or other blog posts.

Having a good internal linking structure ensures interactivity throughout the site. This means that your archive posts will be seen and get traffic. Moreover, ensure to use anchor texts when building internal links. Similarly, ensure each service has a separate page. This will ensure your site is not empty. An empty site is characterized by lack of many pages or little information on pages.

Optimize Images

Image optimization is another SEO factor which many websites lack. Image optimization involves use of keywords in the image url and also the alternative text. Alternative texts helps explain what your image is about. Ensure to include keywords in the image url and alternative texts.

Moreover, you can optimize an image location if you have a Google My Business page. Changing the image url can be tricky if you have already saved a photo. Just ensure you save an image using the keywords you are ranking for. This automatically sets the image url with your keywords included. Also, avoid free images in .jpeg formats. Always create your unique photos using inkscape or Adobe Photoshop. Make sure to save the photo with the main keyword as the title and in .png formats.

Authors Conclusion

Search Engine Optimization is a continuous process. It is important to do SEO optimization before and after launching your website. This will give you more insights and also will showcase any error or drawbacks. I will be adding more SEO tips and tools as I evaluate new processes and trends. Moreover, if you have any SEO questions or are in need of SEO process, Book a Calendly Call and I will get in touch as we discuss about your website needs.