In my detailed KIVA review, I have shared each step on how KIVA helps with on-page SEO and have analyzed each feature thoroughly for my readers. Ask your hosting provider to add an SSL certificate if you don’t have one yet. If your site isn’t optimized for SEO, your competitors will take those top spots instead. The more visible they are, the more traffic and customers they get. To see how these fundamentals are shifting, check out latest SEO Trends report and then dive into the basics below.

What does SEO stand for?

Add your target keywords, and the tool will provide recommendations for readability, originality, tone of voice, and SEO. For example, the search engine results page (SERP) for “how to make a latte at home” shows how-to videos and step-by-step guides. One way to determine intent is by reviewing the top-ranking pages for a keyword (also called doing a SERP analysis). Consider that most online experiences start with a search engine. When you use high quality images, you give users enough context and detail to decide which image best matches what they were looking for. For example, if people are looking for “daisies” and come across a rogue edelweiss in search results, a higher quality image would help them distinguish the type of flower.

Link to a few trusted external websites to show Google that you’ve done your research. When you search for something on Google, have you noticed quick answer boxes or websites appearing at the top? These are called featured results, and they get the most clicks. But SEO keeps working even when you’re not actively spending on marketing. If you want help from an eight figure entrepreneur who has built his businesses with SEO (Copyblogger CEO Tim Stoddart), consider joining the Copyblogger Academy.

Outsource SEO to an Agency

This can be trickier than just looking at your daily rankings but will give you a better idea of the success of your SEO strategy and how you’re perceived. One result of that is zero-click searches, where search engines show the complete answer to a search query in the search results. This can lead to fewer clicks to your website, but it still pays off to be the website that provides that answer. In fact, this is a good example of the direction in which SEO is going.

The purpose of a content audit is to assess the quality, relevance, and performance of existing content to identify opportunities for improvement. It is a strategic process that helps website owners and marketers make informed decisions about content creation, optimization, and overall content strategy. Keyword research is the process of identifying the specific words and phrases that people search for to find information, products, or services on the internet. Keyword Research is an important step in understanding what the user is searching. Add the keywords that matter most for your business, and the tool will track your rankings daily. The more high-quality backlinks (i.e., backlinks from reputable websites) you have pointing to your pages, the higher your site’s authority in the eyes of Google.

One of those users is a search engine, which helps people discover your content. A good URL structure can help both search engines and users read and understand a URL, which can result in improved user experience and better search ranking. They tell search engines that your content is credible and worth referencing. A strong link profile increases your domain authority and ranking potential. On-page SEO improves how search engines and users interact with your content. A well-optimized page increases ranking potential and keeps visitors engaged.

• Search engines display the first 50–60 characters of the title tag.
• You will know how to optimize website elements with sitemaps, storing, processing, indexing, and ranking.
• If people are sharing, liking, etc. your content on social media, the search engines take note and give you a boost in the search rankings for it.
• This lesson of the SEO tutorial elaborates on the importance of design in your SEO practices.
• Generate an XML sitemap to provide web crawlers with a map of your site.

SEO revolves around creating content that meets users’ search needs while ensuring a strong user experience (UX), thereby signaling to Google its worthiness for a higher ranking. It’s important because search engines can treat these kinds of links (backlinks) as indicators of your site’s trustworthiness and quality. For example, the SERP for “chocolate cake” is dominated by recipes on popular sites that search engines see as reputable. This means that other types of content and lesser-known sites might struggle to rank here. SEO helps local businesses get discovered by nearby customers, build credibility, and compete with larger brands.

Metadata refers to the information that you provide Google to describe what your webpage contains. Important aspects of metadata include title tags and meta descriptions. When you conduct a search on a search engine, each result is presented with a headline and description letting you know what kind of content you’ll find on the page. Providing BHS Links Google with that information will help both searchers and Google understand the most important parts of your pages.

Speaking on a popular podcast, at an industry event, or hosting a joint webinar are excellent content collaboration opportunities to help you earn links organically. However, they aren’t as powerful as links from other relevant industry blogs, as Google knows you can fill out these profiles yourself. These links are easy to create and help Google understand that you’re a legitimate website. If you have a local business, you can use a tool like BrightLocal to identify citations (review websites like Yelp, NextDoor, etc.).