[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Do you remember the resolutions you made for your blog on January 1, 2019?
High Sales?
More Readers?
Topping Google SERPs?
More Money?
We are in the middle of the third quarter, by this time you must have achieved all that. Haven’t you?
No? Still struggling even after offering original and quality content?
Thinking that Blogging is over is an obvious thought but here you are highly mistaken. Blogging is the heart and soul of every digital marketing strategy and will always be.
Think again. Have you pulled out all the stops to achieve your targets or have you just cobbled up the things hastily?
Bingo! It’s the SEO that needs rework or should I say you need to follow smart SEO strategies to get yourself on top of the search engine rankings.
Before going ahead, always remember “SEO is not a single day job, it needs your dedicated effort and patience.” Give time to the fruit for getting ripened.
So, here are the top 10 best DIY Search Engine Optimization tips which you need right now to improve your status quo.
1. Correct Keyword Research
Most of the people assume that they know their audience and the keywords with which they’ll be conducting a search on the internet. This is not how things work.
We have many tools and websites such as Google trends, AdWord, Keyword planner, Correlate, etc which help you analyze the current ongoing trends of the keywords and phrases. In-depth keyword research provides a fair understanding of the keywords used actually by customers to search for the products and services on the search engines.
Some other tools which can be used to gauge the demand for the keywords are Wordtracker, SEMrush, Ubersuggest, etc.
2. Remove the Things that Slow Down the Website
Gone are the days when people used to wait for 2-3 minutes for the website to load. It’s an era of 5G communication that has no space for slow runners. If your website or any web page is loading slow, then believe me you will be out of the league in no time.
Having a slow web page just douses the user experience and discourages the visitors to convert into customers.
Do you know speed is one of the top factors used as a metric in the Google Page Rank Algorithm? A one-second delay can lead to a 7% loss in audience conversion. A great web speed reduces bounce rates, improves search engine rankings, boosts conversions and reader satisfaction, thereby increasing your revenue.
According to Neil Patel, a user abandons a website if the loading time is more than 3 seconds.
Google says that visitors spend less time on a slow loading website and there is hardly any chance that they’ll return. On the other hand, a fast loading website offers a great user experience and reduces operative costs.
3. Understanding Your Competition
If you want to stand above the rest, you must do competitor analysis. Search the websites that have a similar working model as that of yours. The best way to do this is to search for your products and services on search engines and check the web results.
Have an in-depth analysis of these websites as to what all they are doing to gain ranking. Check their social media handles, their web pages and how they are engaging and targeting the audience.
Take a deeper look at their reviews, testimonials and other things which will help you to understand their digital marketing strategy.
Wish to be pro at blogging? Drop me an email at admin@theblogginghacks.com to enquire about my upcoming workshops on Blogging and Digital Marketing.
4. Length of Your Content
If you have seen the SERPs, you must have got the answer. Google ranks in-depth or detailed content on top. A blog fairly of 2000-2500 words is enough to qualify for the high rankings.
It’s a bit difficult to write such a detailed topic but it is necessary. No one is going to read your personal opinions, the audience is hungry for information and how well you connect with them. Writing “How to’s”, “ Top reasons” and other value-based topics will surely make a difference. Choose the title wisely.
5. Start Linking to Other Blogs
Yes! It is yet another great practice that is critical for your blog growth.
Most people think that inserting outbound links distract the readers and take them off-page. Linking to the most relevant and authoritative content sends trackable traffic. Thus, making your website more scalable and more valuable.
Always strive for few quality authoritative links rather than lionizing a dozen of poor links. Ensure that the content you are curating targets different segments of the blogosphere.
Gradually, these blogs become conversation starters on different websites and encourage the web owners to write about them and link back to you.
Good competitor analysis gives you an idea regarding the top ranking and most influential websites in the e-world.
6. Understanding Google Analytics
If you don’t gauge the metrics, you can’t optimize. Tracking your analytics is an important part of your SEO campaign.
After defining your SEO goals, you need a tool to monitor and track the growth to get a fair idea on what’s working and what’s not.
Tools such as Google Search Console, Google Analytics and other online web analytics solutions help you to know more about your traffic and conversions.
Make sure that you have installed web analytics before going live.
7. Use Relevant Meta Descriptions
Don’t underestimate the power of meta descriptions, after all, they are the first ones to attract the visitor to your website. Your meta description should be unique, relevant and catchy which should instantaneously prompt the user to click on your website.
8. Naming the URL
Never ever play with the naming of URLs.
If your users are not able to interpret your URL, then don’t expect that search bots and crawlers will understand it.
Having a long and understandable URL is perfectly fine but having a URL name that doesn’t make any sense won’t work. For example
https://theblogginghacks.com/top-3-fast-approval-ad-networks-for-new-bloggers/
This URL clearly tells what the blog is all about.
Now consider this link:
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/337824
Do you have any idea what this article is talking about?
Search bots are like infants who need spoon-feeding and guidance to crawl.
Also, long URLs are easy for humans to remember and recall.
The rule is valid for domain names as well!
9. Social Media- Just Milk It!
Social Media is powerful enough to make or break a brand. The promulgation effect on social media platform is not in hundred folds or thousand folds but it goes exponential.
Google algorithm has no place for social media but still, it is an integral part of every SEO campaign as it helps to bring a lot of traffic and visibility to the blog.
So, how can you use social media to boost your SERPs? Have a look:
Create a well researched and useful content which compels the audience to share. You can even start a social media contest.
Another way is to try to cover up every social media platform you know such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn, etc. keep posting and stay connected with the followers and audience.
Try to add a good number of relevant handles or hashtags in your post.
10. Be Consistent in Content Publication
Apart from just content creation, you need some x-factors which will help your blog stay updated and give a staunch competition to your competitors.
Make sure that you are offering a “fresh factor” to your blog every time. Even if you are not following any of the social media strategies or not able to pitch a great audience, the best thing which you can do it to publish content consistently.
By content I mean, fresh, relevant, optimized and engaging. Try embedding infographics, videos on your website to increase the freshness factor.
Just a little and dedicated effort from your side will guarantee you more organic traffic, more leads, more conversions and hence, more ROI.
What search engine optimization tips are you following for improving your blog’s rankings?
Need help? Feel free to reach out to me at admin@theblogginghacks.com. We will together find a way to get your blog back in action.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]