Owning a site is a great way to provide information about your institution to others. Owning a website is only half the battle though. No one will enjoy your content unless they can find it.
One way to get your content seen is to help your site have better Google traffic. To get better google traffic you will need to have better Google search results.
Google traffic comes from better SEO (search engine optimization) rankings. SEO is a term used to describe how your website shows up in searches on search engines. The biggest in the game by far is Google so that is what most websites strive for.
Getting good organic Google traffic can help to get your site visible on search engines. Here’s how to do it.
Build an SEO Strategy that Gets Organic Google Traffic
Building your SEO strategy is key to improving your Google traffic. There are several things to consider when building an SEO strategy. The main thing is to figure out what your goals are for your website.
Following these steps can help you develop the perfect SEO strategy plan for your site.
Create a List of Keywords
Keywords are critical for high-ranking websites. You will need to have a main site keyword that you want to promote in search engines.
Each page of content you create should also have a keyword. There are two ways your site can get traffic in Google. Your site home page shows up in searches or one of your content articles shows up. Developing a strong list of keywords is important and becomes the basis for a lot of SEO tasks.
Research your keywords and spend a good amount of time creating solid terms. Research sites that are comparable to yours to see what keywords are working for them. Research topics you write about on your site and find the keywords that go with those topics. This research is easy to do using Google, it’s free and easy to do.
Google’s First Page
Now that you have your list of keywords it’s time to see what is out there. This is also easy to do. Go to Google and on the main page and type in your keyword into the search box. Review the first page of the results. This first page is important because that is where we want to rank. Review the results, what is working for this keyword.
For example, you search a keyword and you notice that most of the first page results include a top-five list. You will want to make sure to create a top-five list for your website. Seeing what the trends are and keeping up to date on them is important to keep your site rankings high.
Content: Create Different or Better
Having a list of keywords and a good idea of what content you need to create is a good way to start. When it comes to creating content there are two options. You can create something that is very different, or you can create something that is a lot better. Creating content that blends in will not help you stand out.
Your content should bring something different to the current content. Viewers will want to read your content if it is different from everything else they have read. This can help get your site clicks over other content.
If you have trouble coming up with something different then focus on making it better. Review the first page results and see what they are doing. Figure out how you can improve their content and apply it to yours. Looking at competitors is a good way to make sure your content is of higher quality.
Add a Hook
A key factor in Google rankings is the number of backlinks you have. Quality backlinks can help you move your content higher in search results. Getting quality backlinks requires some research as well. Check sites that have backlinks in your niche. What is the reason people are linking to that content? Find the hook.
For example, your topic is increasing reading rates. You notice that a lot of sites are linking to content with statistics. You will want to include statistics in your content.
Optimize Your On-Page SEO
On-page SEO is a big topic and should be a separate project. On-page SEO is important to make sure that you get your content in Google search results. There are a few key elements you should work on.
Linking to internal content helps your ranking. Chances are you have more than one piece of content about your keyword. So, link to your other content. This is simple, add a link to another piece of your content to one of your keywords in your article. Direct your readers to learn more about that topic many times they will read more of your content.
Create keyword-rich URLs. Create a short URL that has your main keywords in it. These have proven to rank better in the results. Keep those URLs short and simple.
Semantic SEO is when you use keywords related to your keywords in your content. So, if your keyword is cooking then you keyword that go with that like baking in your content as well. Research your keywords and see what other terms come up. These are your secondary keywords.
Applying Your Strategy
These are a few steps you can take to improve your organic Google traffic. Once you develop your strategy start applying it to your site. Check your rankings and notice any difference. You should start to enjoy higher rankings soon after using your new SEO strategy.
Mastering SEO takes time, consistency, and staying on top of any algorithm changes. When in doubt, it’s wise to turn to the professionals.
Call us today for more information on how we can help you enhance your ranking.