Perhaps the most common phrase one hears in a discussion about website content is SEO or Search Engine Optimization. After all, if your website is not designed to be found by search engines, then all the website content-no matter how valuable- is unlikely to be found by others or more importantly, found by search engines. In fact, search engines are much more “intelligent” when it comes to sorting out the best websites for a particular search term than they were in days past. So, in order to make your website all that you need it to be for success, here are 10 elements you need to be sure that your website includes.
1. Content-You website content should be up to date and added frequently. In addition, be sure that your content includes the terms and long tail phrases that are relevant to your site.
2. Metadata– Be sure that these contain descriptive keywords that are associated with your site. However, be careful not to overdo this it will have a counterproductive effect!
3. Page Title– This is one of the most important elements of for SEO. Be sure that it is relevant, concise and contains keywords.
4. Header Tags– These help search engines select the key elements of the text. Use H1 for page or article titles and H2 or H3 for introductions/paragraphs.
5. Alt Attributes– These are typically used to indicate pictures or graphics.
6. Title Attributes– This is used to provide additional information for text or images. It is also used as an alternative to the Alt attribute.
7. Sitemap– This allows Google to know about the website’s pages and make certain that the site is crawled by search engines.
8. Links-These are a prime way to build a site’s visibility. However be sure that links are built “naturally” rather through practices such as submissions to link directories or link buying.
9. URLs-Be sure that your URL (domain name) is search engine friendly and contains relevant keywords.
10. Social Media-Be sure to take advantage of the real-time searches afforded by promoting your website on sites like Twitter and Facebook.
Use these 10 steps to improve your site’s SEO so that your business can make its mark and rise to the top of the search page.
