3 Simple SEO Rules Everyone Needs to Know

Search Engine Optimization. 

It’s been around for a while now (since “a while” in Internet terms means over a year). No matter what business you’re in, you’ve probably heard of SEO.

When SEO first became a legitimate “thing,” there were certain steps you could take to optimize your website. You could use meta-keywords, cover text on your site by using white text on a white background, and put your site on hundreds of free online directories.

These days, things have changed. Google and the other search engines have put more value in the right places and less value in what’s easy to do.

For any site, here are the 3 best things you can do.

1. Create a terrific user experience.

User experience is an SEO issue you ask? Absolutely.

A well designed navigation or site architecture is vital both for search engines and for your users. Since this is easiest when you start, be sure to keep the organization of your website in mind as you’re building it.

Ask yourself questions like: How will visitors want to navigate? How will they click through the website? What information will be the most important to them? How can I display that information in the best way possible?

2. Use the right keywords in the right places.

Keywords continue to be, well, key.

You know your business better than anyone, but you need to know your customers better than your competitors in order to beat them online. Be sure to use those keywords – as they make sense – throughout your website. Here are the key places on your site that you should incorporate your major keywords:

• Title tags
• Meta-descriptions
• Content
• Blog

You can use tools like Google Trends and the Google Keyword Planner to help research and discover keyword opportunities for your website.

3. Create meaningful content.

Years ago, the rule for blogposts, social media posts, and email newsletters was (arguably) quantity over quality. These days, it’s quality over quantity. So if you only have an hour or two a week to devote to blogging or other marketing content, use it to write really great content.

Use your blog to focus on long tail keywords, FAQs, and more. Use your social media profiles to truly engage your audience, and use your email newsletter to entice your audience to click and learn more.