Search engine optimization used to be a META tag, now it’s a lot more methodical.
Let’s be honest. No search engine matters more than Google. And in a land where Google rules supreme, you have to learn to play by their rules. Fortunately, the rules they’ve created aren’t evil, but there’s a reason that entire companies exist for SEO…because it’s very challenging to do correctly.Having the right SEO tools can be crucial for your business. When it comes to SEO, there is a range of different elements that all need to be incorporated into the foundation of your site to help ensure that you appear as close to the top of the research results as possible. This can include a solid internal link structure, backlinks to your site to incorporate local SEO into your strategy. There are many ways that you can manipulate the search engines, and a local SEO guide can advise you on how to grab hold and target those local searches for the benefit of your site. Know the red flags your PPC strategy needs a makeover.
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Along with the above-mentioned points, mastering SEO can be a tricky and tiresome task. To help, here are 7 things we’ve learned (many the hard way) that can save you the trouble:
1) Use an HTML/CSS framework so you can focus on the important things
It’s standard to want to create your own awesome website from the ground-up. If you’re a web developer, you dream of clean HTML and sexy SASS files. But there’s a reason great frameworks like Bootstrap and Foundation exist. Unless you have a reason not to use a framework, you should start there and focus on content, content, content.
2) Design a solid website structure and be concise
People are very aware of their time and aren’t going to read an essay about your website. Your website must be simple, structured, and compelling. Wireframe each page and break it down into segments. Try to truly ignore the fact that you know everything about your company – the rest of the world has to learn it. Optimizing your website structure using WordPress web design will help you enhance your search rankings, get more customers for your business, and have a better website overall.
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3) If you’re redirecting somewhere use a 301 or 302 via htaccess. Everything else is sketchy.
Google doesn’t like in-page redirects such as PHP Header. If you need to redirect somewhere upon initial visit of your website, use .htaccess to do a simple 301 (permanent) or 302 (temporary). Great tutorial here
4) Submit a sitemap XML file
This is a simple one, but often times forgotten. Google has a list of XML Generators here. Takes 5 minutes
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5) Create a blog
Create a company blog and write interesting and relevant posts. Make sure to have the URLs structured so keywords are in it. By default, blogs like WordPress use www.yoursite.com/blog/post.php?p=1234, which isn’t good for google rankings. Make sure to change it. This will also help you make money from guest posting.
6) The first sentence on each page is likely what Google will use
Keep in mind that the first sentence on each page, <h1> tag or not, is likely to be what Google registers as most important. Your first sentence should be carefully crafted.
7) Google knows a good website
This is the most important one. Google knows if people found what they were looking for when visiting your site, so developing compelling content that gets them to stay is crucial.
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This article was originally published at Enplug.com