The world of SEO can be tricky to navigate, even for SEO boffins. This is because search engines are continuously updating and improving their algorithms.
So don’t give up if you haven’t gotten it right quite yet. There are many facets that make up a good SEO ranking and it takes time to pay all these aspects the necessary attention.
SEO is definitely worth putting some time into as SEO is one of the top factors that affect Google search rankings.
In this article, we have a look at the four top SEO tips, given by Neil Patel. Patel is considered somewhat of an SEO guru and is a popular influencer when it comes to all things business related. His other accolades include being a New York Times bestselling author, as well as being on Forbes’ list of Top Ten Marketers.
These methods are easy to employ and even the most basic of web users should be able to take these tips on board and make use of them.
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Compress Images to Increase loading speed
Not only will a slow loading page deter potential clients from your page, sluggish pages will also harm your SEO.
To realise how important loading page speed is for site traffic, consider the following statistics. 53% of internet users abandon a page if it takes more than just 3 seconds to load. If the site takes even more time than that, you can expect a very high bounce rate.
Luckily, there is a pretty easy way to increase your loading speed and that is by compressing all your images.
Did you know that, on average, images account for 68% of any given website’s total weight?
Even though it may seem like a simple fix, a surprising amount of people overlook compressing their images.
Many website owners do not realise the extent of their lagging loading speeds because they are accessing their site from their own device- which means that the site has most likely been cached.
A cached site is one that has previously loaded by your device and thus loads faster.
The best way to get a good idea of how fast your page is loading is to access it from a device that has not accessed your site before. Obviously, a good internet connection comes into play too.
But you can also get a precise page speed reading by using Google’s Page Speed Insights. Here you can accurately measure your site’s loading time for both desktops and mobile devices.
Additionally, this tool gives insight as to why your page may be loading slowly. And it is highly likely that images will crop up as the main cause.
The Speed Insights tool by Google will even go as far as to compile a list of which exact images are giving you the most problems.
While Google’s Speed Insights is a great tool, there are other useful ones such as RankPay and GTmetrix, which have their own sets of useful insights and features.
So, what is the best way to go about compressing images?
Well, we have established that big images cause slower loading speeds- so making images as small as possible without damaging the image quality is the answer to this problem.
Compressing an image too much can be detrimental as site viewers turn up their noses at sub-par, low-quality images.
Finding a happy medium can be tricky.
If you have Photoshop or Lightroom, you should ensure that the images that you intend on using on your site are no larger than 1,500 pixels in width.
If you don’t use the above programs, you can use a tool like TinyPNG to assist you in compressing your images. This service allows you to resize up to 20 images for free, and after that, there is a small fee involved.
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Improve your CTR by using Google Search Console
For those who are unfamiliar with CTR; it stands for Click Through Rate and it refers to the number of clicks any given link on your site gets.
CTR is a good indication of which links are getting attention and which are falling a bit flat.
Although CTR has not yet been proven as a ranking factor for SEO, having good CTR results will undeniably assist in your organic search results.
On top of that, having clean and attractive links on your site will attract more foot traffic and possible customers.
How to Find your Underachieving Pages using Google Search Console
- The first step in improving your pages is to get a good idea of your CTR so you know which pages need the most help.
- Log in to Google Search Console and click on Status (left-hand corner) and then on Performance.
- Here you will see your average CTR in the form of a percentage.
- Now, click on Pages at the bottom of the page and you’ll be given a list of the top performing pages on your site.
- You’ll need to click the ‘flip’ button in order for the list to be reversed and your worst performing will appear at the top.
- Have a look through these pages to find the ones that have low clicks and high impressions. This will show you which links are appearing in SERPs but are not getting much interest.
Fixing Underperforming Pages
There are quite a few ways to go about making the links leading to the underachieving pages more appealing.
Reviewing your meta descriptions is a very important aspect in making your links more ‘clickable’ as it is the small insight that a viewer gets into what the page will offer. A meta description should read naturally, be enticing and contain keywords.
Keyword strategy is another factor that can be looked into as well as the overall look and feel of the page.
Starting with the worst performing pages, you can work your way up until all your necessary links and pages have gotten a mini makeover. You should notice an improvement in your CTR.
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Linkless Quotes and Mentions
This may sound strange as it has been drummed into many of our heads to plague our posts with links aplenty- as links are what will boost your SEO.
There is a bit of speculation surrounding this method, but it has been proven that both Google and Bing have shown favour towards brands that get organic, linkless mentions over social media and the web.
Can you track your linkless mentions?
The thing about linkless mentions is that, for the most part, they are out of your control. But you can effectively track them.
There are many rep management campaign tools that can be employed for this specific function. Two of the most popular are Awario and SEMrush.
Awario is an easy-to-use tool that allows you to monitor conversations taking place about your brand in real time. You can even track conversations happening about competitor brands.
With Awario, you create a campaign that includes keywords that you wish to keep track of. Awario will then display a dashboard, giving insight of conversations and linkless mentions. On top of that they provide:
- Whether mentions are negative or positive
- The reach of the mentions
- The top influencers making mention of your brand
- What languages are in the mentions
- Which countries the mentions are coming from
- Which platforms mentions are coming from
Awario allows you to have a two-week free trial before starting a reasonable payment plan.
How to Use Linkless Mention Data to your Advantage
Now that you have a good idea of your linkless mention data- it is time to use it to your advantage.
For bigger brands, it is essential to keep track of what is being said about your brand and will help you nip any issues or complaints in the bud.
One of the best things you can do is respond to every reviews (both positive and negative) that crop up on review sites. This shows that your brand is active and accountable.
You should not be shy to make an effort to resolve issues and give sincere apologies to unhappy customers.
Another good tip is to be personal and relatable in your comments and resolutions. It shows the public that there are real people behind your brand name. There is nothing worse than a generic, automated response.
What else can you do to manage your linkless mentions
The bigger your brand, the more linkless mentions you will receive and the trickier it will be to manage all of them.
It may be advisable to employ an online marketing manager to handle social media, reviews and linkless mentions.
To ensure a steady stream of reviews and social media mentions, many brands make use of brand ambassadors and social media influencers to assist them in gaining a substantial following, which creates more online conversations about their brand.
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Voice Search Optimization
You may think things like Siri and voice searches are more time consuming than the old-school method of typing in your searches, but a surprising amount of people use audible searches.
An impressive 40% of adult internet users make use of voice searches one or more times a day. And 20% of searches done on mobile devices are done so by means of a voice search.
With voice searches becoming more popular, they will inadvertently affect SEO rankings. So it is advantageous to have your site content optimised for voice searches.
So how do you do this?
First you will need to gain an understanding of how Google ranks voice searches. There are two key factors- ‘Needs Met’ and ‘Speech Quality’.
Needs Met
Using the above examples, we can clearly see that the best ranking content for voice searches is extremely concise and informative- with no fluff surrounding the key info.
Speech Quality
While you may be tempted to write your content in a flamboyant style, for best results it’s been proven that content written at a 9th grade level is most effective.
Make sure your content is easy-to-read and can be understood by the average person.
FAQs
An FAQ section on your site can be an easy way to optimise your website for voice searches. This way you can keep more elaborate content on some of your pages.
The FAQ section should give easy-to-read and concise answers to typical questions that may be asked by your target market.
Having a few FAQs on your landing page is also an effective way to direct traffic to your primary page.
Blogs
Blogs can also be a great way to provide information on trending and interesting topics that provide answers for common voice searches, while giving slightly more detail and info than the FAQ section.
Longer content can provide an opportunity to include more key words and search terms on one page. A long-form blog is typically around 2000 words and providing these has worked wonders for many brands’ SEO rankings.
In Conclusion
Yes, SEO can be confusing and often makes its way onto the bottom of your list of priorities.
But remember the better your SEO, the higher your business revenue- so it is definitely worth putting a bit of time and extra effort into your SEO strategies.
Here at Weblab Durban, we admire and appreciate Neil Patel’s insight into SEO and other online marketing tools. Weblab does not just offer web design services but also works magic in the world of online marketing and social media- staying up to date with the latest algorithms and trends while employing long-lasting infrastructure into your brand’s online presence. It is vital for almost all companies to have a strong online presence so that potential clients can find them easily and before coming across competitor brands. Weblab have some exciting online marketing packages – for more information don’t hesitate in contacting us today.