SEO Practices That Can Boost Traffic and Organic Rankings

If you are planning to build a website, be sure that you are familiar with the best SEO practices. SEO practices refer to the guidelines that can help you improve the organic rankings and traffic of your site in search engines such as Google. With higher rankings, you can look forward to more website visitors.

This is because the higher your site’s page ranking, the more searchers will read through your content. Keep in mind that the click-through rate (CTR) for the first ranking differs greatly from other positions. That is why it is important to follow the best SEO practices to help you rank as highly as possible. The following are some of the most important SEO practices you need to understand:.

Your Content Should Be Aligned with Search Intent

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User intent, or search intent, is the primary goal of every search query. Keep in mind that Google’s ultimate priority is satisfying search intent. Hence, the pages appearing on the first page of a Google search have successfully addressed search intent.

For example, if you search for “how to make oatmeal cookies,” the results will be blog posts or videos about the topic rather than e-commerce sites selling oatmeal cookies.

Google understands that those searching for this keyword phrase are seeking information rather than intending to make a purchase. Conversely, a search for “buy oatmeal cookies” yields results with e-commerce pages and product ads. In this case, Google recognizes that users searching for this keyword phrase are looking to make a purchase, so pages for oatmeal cookie recipes won’t be displayed.

To achieve a high ranking on Google, you need a deep understanding of search intent and ensure that your content aligns with it. There are four typical types of search intent: navigational (when people search for a particular page or website), informational (when people want to know more about something), transactional (when people want to complete a purchase or action), and commercial (when people are trying to learn more before making any purchase).

Take Advantage of Primary Keywords

Also known as target keywords, primary keywords are the keywords that best describe a certain topic on a page. So, if you want your site to rank on Google, then you should focus on one primary keyword on every page. The placement of your primary keyword also matters since it can help optimize the page.

So, when possible, try adding your primary keyword to certain elements such as the main headers, title tag, the page’s URL, and the introduction.

Write Strong Title Tags and Meta Descriptions

Two of the most significant meta tags on your page are the title tag and meta description.

Title Tags

Title tags are the headlines displayed in SERPs (search engine results pages), and users can click on these headlines to learn more about your content. From an SEO perspective, they are fundamental as they inform Google about your page’s content. Title tags are crucial because they offer users a quick preview, helping them decide which search result to click on.

It’s advisable to limit the number of characters in your title tags to 60 to ensure that the words on SERPs are not cut off, whether users are using their mobile or desktop. However, several important considerations come into play when creating title tags.

First, ensure you incorporate your target keyword, avoiding both keyword stuffing and duplicate title tags. Align your titles with search intent, and, most importantly, aim for titles that are descriptive yet concise.

Meta Descriptions

Meta descriptions are meta tags used to describe the content of a particular page. Typically located below the title and URL of your page in search engine results, meta descriptions play a crucial role in informing and capturing users’ attention with a concise, relevant summary of the page’s content. Think of it as a pitch, convincing people that your page is exactly what they’re looking for.

Keep your meta descriptions to a maximum of 160 characters, as any excess will be truncated by Google. Therefore, create a brief and accurate summary to engage users effectively.

When crafting your meta description, consider using an action-oriented description, create a unique meta description for each page, align it with the search intent, and, most importantly, include your primary keyword.

It’s essential to note that meta descriptions don’t directly impact the SEO ranking of a page. However, a well-written and optimized meta description can significantly contribute to your overall SEO efforts in various ways.

Optimize Your Page Loading Speed

Optimize Your Images

The images that you use on your website play a significant part in enhancing users’ experience. When done right, images can help in boosting your organic traffic as well as the overall SEO of your site. Fortunately, there are some ways that you can do to optimize your images.

Select the Best File Format

Oftentimes, images can significantly impact the loading time and overall page size of your website. It’s crucial to remember that page speed plays a significant role in providing a good user experience. First and foremost, you need to choose the best file format. The most commonly used image formats on the web are JPEG and PNG.

These formats differ in compression techniques, leading to variations in file sizes. Judging solely by file sizes, one might assume that JPEG is the superior format; however, this would be a misconception.

While JPEGs are preferred for photographs due to their visual appeal, PNGs are more suitable for images containing line drawings, text, and other elements. Another excellent option is WebP, an advanced image format offering lossy compression and outstanding lossless capabilities for web images.

According to Google, WebP images have a 34% smaller lossless size compared to JPEGs and are 26% smaller than PNGs.

Place Alt Text on Your Images

Alternative text or Alt text refers to the text incorporated in the HTML code and is used for describing the image used on a webpage. It can be used as a screen reader by users viewing the page and offers context for search engine crawlers. Even if Google can significantly understand images, it is still crucial to add alt text to images.

When adding alt text, be sure to include one primary keyword for context, limit it to 125 characters or below. Never include “picture of” or “image of” on your context.

Compress Your Images

To reduce the size of your images without affecting its quality, you should use image compression on your images. Take note that it will take longer for your page to load if you are using large file images. Therefore, don’t forget to compress your images before uploading them to your site.

Agile Development can help you in using SEO practices for your site. We can help you in getting your business online in no time. For more information, you can visit us at https://agiledev.org/.