SEO can feel like a never-ending war, and in many ways, it is. Google and other search engines are constantly tweaking their algorithms to weed out subpar sites and allow the cream to rise to the top.
The issue, however, is that algorithm changes are not the main reason why so many sites perform so poorly. The reality is that too many still don’t understand the fundamentals of good SEO and how much improving on those could have an effect on their actual results. The good news is that it’s never too late to start, and it can sometimes take only a few steps to turn things around. Let’s take a look at a few things you can do today to improve your site’s search results.
The performance of your website has a direct and important influence on how well your site ranks. If you’re still using a shared hosting solution, consider switching. Going for a dedicated server at least could allow you to get good and consistent performance, provided you go with the right provider.
There are other things that you can do to improve performance besides going with a quality dedicated server solution. The first is to actually test your site’s speed.
If you want to do so, Google has a tool specifically for that. With their PageSpeed insights tool, you can not only see how well your pages perform but also some quick steps you can take to improve. It could be things like cleaning up your coding and removing unused elements, for instance. Other things you could check out include whether you can compress your images, remove heavy widgets you may have, or switch to a new, faster theme if you’re working with something like WordPress.
Another thing that can make a world of difference with search engines is navigation and on page SEO. Poor navigation and on page SEO will also have a direct effect on bounce rates, which will affect your search results negatively.
However, poor navigation is something that can be difficult to spot without the help of a professional. On page SEO is also something you may struggle with if you don’t have a clear understanding of coding and what good on page SEO actually represents. This is why you should consider working with search engine optimisation experts who will be able to give you an idea of what you’re doing wrong and where you can improve.
Teams like PWD, for instance, have been a staple in the SEO Perth scene for years and are recognised as one of the best teams in the country. They also have an informative article on the steps you can take to improve your on-page SEO. It gives you some of the fundamentals of sound on page SEO so you can have a solid foundation and start cleaning up your code. You can learn more at https://pwd.com.au/complete-guide-to-on-page-seo/.
Doing this alone could make a world of difference and improve Google’s view of your site. The side benefit is that you’ll be able to retain visitors better, and be able to turn more of them into paying customers as well.
Some people will claim that content length makes no impact on SEO, but that’s a lie. We know for a fact that search engines and people tend to favour more extensive pieces. One study by Backlinko, which was performed with a team of data scientists, analysed over one million searches online. What they found was that there was a direct correlation between long form content and higher rankings.
This could be due to many reasons, but one of the most compelling one is that long form content seems to attract much more links and shares than shorter content. One study by Moz and BuzzSumo found that articles that had 3000 words or more had an average of almost 3 times more domains referring to them than articles under 1000 words long.
This means that if you want your content to be socially active and bring tons of high-quality organic links to your site, then you will have to consider going for longer pieces more often. Not only do these seem to be favoured by search engines, but it will also affect your engagement metrics in so many ways. Long form articles are great if you want to increase your number of individual page visits to other pieces of content, for instance, and improve their metrics as a result.
SEO is a marathon and not a sprint, and you can only win through sustained effort. However, you might also be holding yourself back, and making a few adjustments could be all that it takes to start increasing your visibility on search engines.
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