Every marketer needs a search
Following the Google algorithm updates, I developed some strategies. First of all, the component made by Google, BrainRank, based on an Artificial Intelligence (AI) able to identify the intent of users query, made a big change.
BrainRank? Make your content including more keywords in the same article/page, in order to
Writing for Google or for Your Target?
Be natural! That’s what Google wants. Write your content without keywords stuffing. Make it simpler than you can, using short sentences. What about the content length?
According to some statistics, 2,000 words per article/page is giving a better rank. It’s a quality signal for Google, as proof of complete and perfect content for every user!
Reading your content a visitor can find what he is looking for? If the answer is “yes”, means that you are writing for Google and for your target. This is the best match, without even contacting the best Search Engine Optimization agency!
You cannot make an SEO strategy based on BrainRank component, it’s like being lost in the desert because it would be hard! You cannot also guess what are the signals your content is giving to Google based on keywords! Freshness, domain authority, anchor text for internal linking: did you consider them?
SEO-Friendly URL Structure
This is an important part of your SEO plan! Think well about it, otherwise would be difficult to go back. Changing the slug, the path of the URLs, after that they are already crawled by Google, will affect your rank in the SERP.
Changing the URL structure? Bad idea! You are going to lose the position obtained! Better going for a 301 redirection! Share on XTake notes and start developing a URL structure that fit for your website. If you have a WordPress website, access to the “permalinks” feature. You need to make it clear, sticky in your mind, thinking about your goals and what kind of experience you want to give to your users.
The URL structure you set, can affect the pagerank on Google. Be sure to provide the best URL structure that fits for your business. Be sure to have a perfect flow that will make the user experience smoothy.
Search Engine Help: URL Length
Don’t make your URLs long because you are going to have an issue: you want your link completely shown in the SERP. Make a URL structure that can be reminded when a user switches off its laptop.
Also, the links path is really important, sorted by type of post, content, and topic. Think about it! Create a website menu and using it to create the URL structure as well. It needs to match with the menu, following the same path.
There is a structural concept behind it: “domain/category/keyword”, no one can get confused with that path, not even Google. First of all, because it’s clear the topic, and, also because every user can already imagine what can find landing on the article after clicking on that link.
Images Not Less Important Than Text
Did you know that some users are not able to display images properly on their browser? Exactly like that! Google wants an image description, in order to explain what the visual content is for browsers that cannot display the images.
You can set a caption if you want, not necessary though! What is a caption? It’s a text content below the image, used to give credits to a photographer for example.
Something really important? It’s mandatory, as a search engine help and for your
SE Help: What’s The Best Image Alt Text
To make it perfect, try to make a description that can explain the image to a blind person. The Alt Text will also appear when a user hovers the image using the mouse pointer.
Another search engine help is optimizing the sizes of your images. The size can make your website faster. The website speed is one of the most important ranking factors for SEO in 2019. If your website pages need more than 4 seconds to load, users will bounce them and will not return again. Make your images lighter would be the first optimization step.
I suggest using Photoshop, reducing the image size and saving the image for the web, as a jpeg/png. If you don’t have any software, you can use a free tool online: Pixlr.
Don’t Leave Your Website Alone
Google is starving for fresh contents. Remember to keep your website updated, otherwise, Google will consider it obsolete. That will affect your pagerank!
What is CTA? Don’t’ forget to include it in your body content! Fresh content is an SEO trick! You are going to be penalized if your content is outdated. Nobody wants to visit an old website.
Search for the last trendy keywords and make fresh content, without forgetting the BrainRank component, matching your content for different types of queries. You are going to give Google a good signal: you are still alive!
I suggest creating a spreadsheet with 2 tabs (keywords, title) in order to have your website topics always fresh, updating your plan weekly based on your audience and the website statistics. SEO is a marketing strategy, and as a marketing strategy, you need to track it, analyzing data in order to make a new better plan and reacting faster!
Where Shall I Mention Keywords?
According to the best SEO practices, you should care about the first 100 words of your content for pagerank purposes. Normally it’s the first paragraph of your page/article.
You should mention your focus keyword in the first paragraph! First of all, you are telling Google what your topic is about. Normally the first paragraph is an introduction, a short description/recap on what users can find reading the entire content.
It’s impossible to think about an introduction without mentioning the main
keyword for at least one time!
Remember to don’t use your keywords more than three/four times per keyword into your single webpage/post! Keywords stuffing is not working anymore for Google. You are making it wrong if you do it! Thinking that Google can consider your text content important because you mention the keywords several times would be the
Internal/External Links to Search Engine Help
Last search engine help I am going to give you: when you make a new webpage be sure to have links with anchor text pointing to other pages of your website. Be sure to link your important pages, sorting them on Google Search Console, according to impressions and clicks.
You have to optimize pages that visitors care about first! They have value for your audience and you have to consider them! Doing that, your users can reach other pages of your website and you will avoid a bounce rate if you give alternatives to visitors.
Which are your most important website pages? Tell it to Google! #InternalLinking Share on XIt will also be a signal for Google on which your most important pages are. The bounce rate is an important
Avoid inserting internal links saying “click here to”. Normally a link has a different color that you don’t need to say “click”. Be natural! I started this post like that, and I am going to finish like that as well!
Make it simpler, in order to give to the users the real expectation about what kind of article/content can read clicking on the anchor text/internal link. Do you want to mention Wikipedia or a website useful for your audience as I do? Yes, definitely a good SEO signal! Insert a link pointing to a trustable website. Don’t mention bad sources, only high authority outbound links though: they add value to your content!
Recap: Search Engine Help to increase organic traffic
SEO optimization
- Create a website URL path/structure
- Optimize images size and Alt Text
- Update your content for freshness signal
- Use the focus keyword in the first paragraph (first 100 words)
- Insert internal/external links
Google Search Console hints
- Track results using official Google tools
- Make a report with clicks, impressions, CRT, positions change
- Make a new plan to fix what Google Webmaster Tools are highlighting
