8 Search Engine Optimisation tips that drive web content

It’s no surprise that most buying decisions begin on search engines. Being on page one of Google, Bing and Yahoo for the most popular and relevant keywords is a sure fire way of driving solid traffic volumes. But with everybody scrapping for those sacred top places, it’s the little things that really make a big difference.

Here are eight search engine optimisation tips to ensure you reach the top fast:

1. Focus on the keywords customers are searching for

It sounds simple, but have you done your research around the keywords your prospects are searching for? There are a number of very helpful tools, including Google Keyword Planner and Google Trends, that can help you understand the exact terms your prospects are looking for. You need to make sure those exact keywords appear on your web page in a quality fashion.

Some search engines can handle a few synonyms, but you will have to compete with all those other sites who have specifically placed those words on their site.

2. Keyword density – don’t go overboard!

Remember to emphasise quality over quantity – you should ideally aim for a keyword density of between 1% and 5%. Anything over 6% and you face a risk of Google considering your content spammy, and penalising you.

The major search engines like natural content and will know when you are trying to abuse the search terms!

3. Quality over quantity

Another element to add to the quality over quantity issue, is to make sure that your SEO keywords don’t come across too robotically – after all, your customers still have to read the content. If it doesn’t come across as engaging then you might lose them before you’ve even started.

Make sure your content really means something to your users and/or your clients with a website that organically weaves in the keywords you need. Ensure that readers are engaged and proceed onto further pages, as a higher bounce rate can negatively impact your SEO efforts.

4. Don’t forget long-tail keywords

Keywords don’t always mean stand-alone words, they can include short phrases too. Again for example, your customer might not just search for ‘marketing’ or ‘marketing services,’ they might look for ‘why do businesses need marketing services’ or ‘how can marketing services work for my business.’ These are much trickier to drop in to your text, but a professional copywriter or marketing agency should be able to help you with this.

It is worth investigating, because the longer your keyword phrases are, the less likely your competition is using them, and when you find a key term that matches your key audience, you can expect a significant increase in your traffic.

A successful website could be considered like an iceberg. Above the surface is the core selection of focus keywords. Below the surface is the hundreds of long tail phrases being targeted by blog posts and other areas.

5. Make the most of your SEO content

While you are investigating keywords, you might also want to think about making the most of other elements that are valuable for SEO.

For example, make sure that any metadata is updated with the target keyword. Most SEO specialists recommend targeting just one keyword per page. Also, you can use image alt-text and create internal links, as well as relevant external inbound links.

6. Use LinkedIn

The world’s largest professional social network is now a valuable publishing platform in its own right. In theory, this means you should be making sure you are posting as frequently as possible. However, bear in mind once more that this should be quality over quantity.

If you get it right, you could experience a significant increase in traffic to your site, as well as raise your profile further within your industry – especially if you have a decent number of followers.

7. Remember your mobile

More people access information on the move than ever before. This means you have to make your website accessible on mobile platforms. But instead of developing websites for every type of device, why not consider responsive web design? This can adapt more easily to the size of the browser on every device, resulting in a better overall user and SEO experience.

8. Let CANDDi do its thing

SEO savvy businesses love using CANDDi with their search engine optimisation tips because of the powerful and unique intelligence the tool provides around the keywords that specific prospects are searching for, and their behaviour on the site.

After all, it is crucial to target the keywords that deliver the greatest prospect behaviour and best chance of ROI. If you are running an SEO programme, the CANDDi team will be pleased to show you the specific features that can turbocharge your results. Just call for details.