Search Engine Optimization – Back to Basics
Think of the last time you went up to the third or even the second page of a Google search. If you don’t remember, you aren’t alone. None of us bothers looking so far as we get the desired results on the first page. It seems to be such a trivial matter but, if you are the one writing the webpage, not being at the top of the search engine results would lead to no one viewing your content.
The search engine is like a tennis instructor who wants to select the best few students for an upcoming international tournament. He looks at various parameters before finally coming to a conclusion. Search Engine Optimization is the different techniques and tactics that you, as a student employee to get into the good books of your instructor.
As I, myself am a noob in this, here is my attempt to scratch the surface of Search Engine Optimization.
There are two main branches of SEO, namely On-page SEO and Off-page SEO. The former dealing with controlling the factors in one’s webpage and the latter includes the ranking factors outside the page. A simple analogy is that of an actor. The effort and dedication that the actor puts into the film come under On-page SEO, while the promotions of the film and the box office numbers being a subset of the Off-page SEO.
We shall discuss in greater depths, about On-page SEO
On-Page SEO:
Here are some aspects that you should keep in mind.
- Content is Queen:
Recollect the last time your teacher fully clarified the doubts you had. It is such a satisfying and wholesome experience. This is the exact result that the viewers are looking for while using search engines. The only way by which you can truly stand out is by bringing up fresh and unique content to the table. Copying from other sites and duplicating will never give positive results in the long run.
- Keywords-The Click Bait:
These are the phrases that your webpage contains which help the viewers find your site. These are just like the attractive ‘END SEASON SALE’ banners that many shops put up. You must search for relevant and popular keywords related to your content. This research can be carried out through various means. Some of them are by using the suggested options in Google and YouTube, searching for these keywords on Reddit and Instagram, searching for ‘related keywords’ on Google, etc.
Also here are a few things you must avoid doing:
- It is not advisable to use unrelated keywords. However important the ranking list may be, using keywords that are nowhere close to the content benefits no one.
- Avoid over usage of the same keyword repeatedly. This leads to the viewers losing interest while reading and does not enhance the ranking list.
- Make it presentable and inviting:
Although we read large novels, it’s always a guilty pleasure to read books with quirky fonts and pictures. Make sure the format of your content doesn’t make the viewer fall asleep amidst reading it. A few techniques you could employ include adjusting the font sizes to your preference, adding bold headlines, maintaining ample spacing between paragraphs, including a few thumbnails, using bullet points, etc.
- Linking:
Another clever method is to provide internal links to other webpages, that contain additional information. Through this you can direct the viewer to other pages on your site, thereby increasing the number of views.
Also Read Another Helpful Post: 3 Ways to Incorporate SEO into your Inbound Marketing Strategy