How text affects your SEO

As we saw in our previous blog, search engine optimization, commonly referred to by its acronym SEO, is a key aspect of any digital marketing strategy, along with other elements such as content marketing, pay per click advertising, affiliate marketing, marketing automation, email marketing, online publications, sponsored content and social media marketing.

 

What is SEO?

SEO is the process of improving your rank on search engines so that your company is seen first when people search for key words related to your product, service or business. Importantly, SEO is “organic” advertising, i.e. not something you pay for, so it must be achieved by increasing the quality of your website as well as the quantity of its exposure.

 

Why is SEO important?

Other aspects of a digital marketing strategy that we mentioned above are all important marketing strategies for differing reasons, but when it comes to generating traffic to your website, there’s no better strategy than strong SEO. Search engines bring visitors to your website more than anything else, so it’s critical that your SEO strategy is given plenty of focused attention.

 

How Does SEO work?

Search Engines, like Google and Bing, try to provide online consumers with the best possible results every time they do a search, no matter what they’re looking for. To do that, every search engine has built-in algorithms that “read” every website submitted to it for key information about that business. The words used on your website, then, are a critical component to a search engine understanding what you do, how you do it, and who you do it for.

 

How Do I Achieve Successful SEO?

Globally, there’s a lot of competition for the coveted #1 spot on a Google search. But it all boils down to knowing your target audience and tailoring your website so that it provides them with the best possible user experience. If you can achieve this, you have mastered SEO.

 

Things you should be doing to improve your SEO:

• Understand your target audience and design your website around them.
• Update your website content regularly with relevant information. A blog is a great way to do this.
• Fill your website with information and content that answers the question ‘how can I help clients and consumers?’ Make this information clear, engaging and easy-to-find.
• Make your content easily sharable.
• Constantly and continuously use words in your website that clearly and honestly define what makes you unique, valuable, and engaging.

 

Search engines are smart. Very smart. And they penalize websites that try to fool them without putting in the work to give consumers the information they’re seeking when they search online. Trying to take the easy route to SEO through inconsistent, unauthentic or unoriginal content, or attempting to trick search engine algorithms with backdoor coding or deceitful web pages or content are sure-fire ways to fail in your SEO marketing.

 

Things to avoid in your SEO strategy:

• Don’t copy information or text from other websites. Your content should be original and unique.
• Don’t participate in link schemes. Consumer engagement to your website should be organic.
• Don’t have pages on your website with little to no text. Study and use the key words that your target audience are looking for.
• Don’t use key words for the sake of using key words. Text used in your website should be natural and authentic.
• Don’t try to create a website for a search engine algorithm. Focus your website on providing a positive user experience.
• Don’t make your website visitors wait. Web page speed is important.

 

Should you Hire a SEO Consultant?

Although it’s something that can be done in-house, it’s not a bad idea to allow a professional handle your SEO, as they have the experience needed to evaluate your current position and put these tips into practice so that your website can achieve its full potential.  At Peppermint, a creative and digital marketing agency in Estepona (Marbella, Málaga), we’ve got SEO experts who would be happy to take a look at your website and offer some advice on ways you can achieve as well as maintain SEO success, no matter where it currently stands.