Improve your website's visibility yourself
Improve your website's online visibility by applying these simple tips. Learn how potential customers can find your website more easily through Google. That increases your online visibility and your chances of winning new customers.
What is SEO, and how does it help your website get found?
As the owner of a website you want potential customers to find and visit it. One effective way to achieve that is search engine optimisation (SEO). SEO is shorthand for the range of techniques and considerations used to improve a website's online visibility, so that it appears higher in search engines such as Google.
SEO can be hard to grasp, and it is not always obvious where to start. Some aspects require technical knowledge and expertise, but there are also simple, practical tips you can apply yourself to improve your website's SEO.
Can I do my own SEO?
SEO can be complicated because it depends on a number of factors, including the structure of the website, its content and the links pointing to it. Some aspects require technical knowledge, such as optimising site speed or organising the structure of your website.
Fortunately there are also straightforward tips you can apply yourself to improve your website's SEO — easy to carry out even without a technical background.
Five practical tips to improve your website's visibility yourself
Here are five simple tips you can apply yourself:
1. Optimise page titles and meta descriptions
Page titles and meta descriptions are the first things search engines and users see. It is therefore important to optimise these with relevant keywords and descriptive text. Make sure titles and descriptions are clear and appealing, so users want to click through. This will improve your position in the search results and lift your click-through rate.
2. Make the website mobile-friendly
Mobile devices now account for more than half of all internet traffic. It is therefore crucial that your website works well on smartphones and tablets. Make sure it is responsive and that the content is easy to read on smaller screens. This improves usability and lifts your position in the search results, because Google ranks mobile-friendly websites higher.
3. Build internal links
Internal linking means linking between pages within your own website. This helps search engines understand and index the site better. It can also keep users on the site by guiding them to related pages or content. Use internal links to organise your content and connect related pages. That makes for a better user experience and increases the chance that users stay longer and view more pages.
4. Use header tags
Header tags (H1, H2, H3 and so on) matter to users and search engines alike. Using them on your pages makes it easier for search engines to understand and index the content. Header tags also improve readability and usability. Use them to emphasise the structure of your content and make important information easier to find, for readers and search engines both.
Header tags are on display in this article too, recognisable by the size of the titles and subtitles.
One note: use only one H1 tag per page.
5. Produce good quality content
Ultimately, producing good quality content is one of the most important things you can do for your website's SEO. Make sure the content is relevant and valuable to your audience and that it contains the right keywords. Good content attracts more visitors and can lead to more links and social shares, which improves the site's visibility in search engines further. Good content also keeps visitors on the page longer as they take in the information, which helps the website score better.
Where do I go next with SEO?
SEO can look overwhelming at first, but there are simple steps you can take to improve your website's visibility. Implementing the tips above will make your website easier for potential customers to find, and generate more traffic.
Could you use more help, or would you like a free SEO check?