Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is complex and constantly changing, so website owners are pushed to stay up-to-speed with today’s best SEO practices. I have found that three practices will always carry their weight when it comes to successful SEO. These should be the first steps you take when starting a Search Engine Optimization program.

Page Titles, Meta Tags and Descriptions

The first things that users see when they type a query in a search engine are Page Titles, Meta Tags and Meta Descriptions. Meta tags, also known as keywords and key phrases, are very important because they sum up your website in single words and/or phrases.

Page titles are important because they are the first descriptive content the user sees after typing in a query. The more closely your page title matches what the user typed into the search box, the more likely your page will be ranked higher and clicked on.

The Meta Description is also important because it gives the searcher a brief description of the information on the page.

Current and Relevant Content

For many brands, their social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) now account for a large percentage of their web presence.  And, responding to the popularity of social media, search engines have created real-time search results. So, consider this: If search engines are pulling up-to-the-minute Twitter feeds on their first page, how would your website rank on the first page without current content?

If your website’s content is more than a few weeks old, you may see the site start to slip in the rankings.  But that doesn’t mean you should post just any old content.  You must add content that’s both consistent with your website’s purpose and relevant to your target market.  If you have current and relevant information, your web pages will definitely rank higher.

Link Building

Link building has always been king in the Search Engine Optimization world, but it’s also the most difficult goal to achieve.  The best practice for link building is to do it naturally. You do that by starting link bait campaigns: providing relevant, current and useful content to your visitors. Give them a reason to link to that page from their own blogs or  websites.  Post your new study with plenty of facts, stats,  numbers and graphs; create a 101 list for your business; offer industry-specific tips and advice; start a blog or create regular polls or surveys, etc.  Any content that your visitors will want to share with others via their own site is good link bait.

These three steps will help you attract quality traffic to your website. For more details, give us a call at 866/473-9000.