The 5 SEO Basics You Need to Perfect to Succeed Online

Did you know that 53% of website traffic comes from organic search results?  

It accounts for more traffic than social (6%) and paid search (27%) combined!

This shows that people are googling their way to sites, and your best chance of making sure that your target audience to lands on yours is to build a solid West Palm Beach SEO strategy.  

However, with the world of SEO is ever-developing and its best practices constantly changing, building a successful SEO can be a challenge.  

But, as long as you master the basics, you’ll be off to a winning start.

If you’re a marketer or somebody who runs a blog, a business or an eCommerce website in West Palm Beach, you’ll find this blog helpful.  

We are going to share with you the five SEO basics you need to perfect to pave way for a successful SEO.  

Without any more delays, let’s get started!

What Are the 5 SEO Basics You Need to Perfect to Succeed Online?

1. Link Building

Did you know that link-building is one of the most important signals used by Google to rank your site for search?

The more backlinks your page has, the more traffic it gets from Google. According to Ahrefs, the top results on the first page of Google’s SERPs have 3.8 times more backlinks than the results below them.  

But, why are they so critical for ranking? Well, Google thinks that the more high-authority sites point or link to you, the more trustworthy and reliable you are.  

Unfortunately, 91% of content online doesn’t get any organic traffic from Google because they don’t have any backlinks.  

Can you believe that 91% of all pages online aren’t visible to potential customers because they don’t have a backlink? Just imagine all the missed opportunities of making a sale! So, don’t let your website be a part of the 91%.  

Now, the question is: How exactly can you get links from high-authority sites?  

There are many ways you can get backlinks from high-quality sites, but as your go-to SEO company in West Palm Beach, these are the top four tactics that have worked well for us:

• Guest blogging is when you write for another website. It’s a proven and tested strategy that has helped us rank first to second for eight keywords. The challenging part, however, is finding sites that accept guest posting.  

We’ll let you in on a little secret. We go to Google and enter the topic we want to target and add a “write for us” or “guest article” in the end, like “digital marketing write for us”, for example. Google will then filter the results and show you sites that accept guest posting.  

• Publish link-worthy content. This is one of the most natural ways to attract backlinks from many other sites. Infographics and original case studies are two of the most linked content.  

Take the case of WPBeginner, for instance. Their infographic about interesting facts on WordPress received over 700 backlinks! You better consider publishing an infographic or a case study soon!

• Use HARO or Help a Reporter Out to get links from high authority sites. News websites and journalistic blogs are high authority sites by nature. So, when you get featured in these sites or they link back to you, it’s signaling Google that you’re trustworthy or you deserve a better ranking on search results.
• Write testimonials about the companies you’ve worked within the past. Reach out to them via email and thank them for their wonderful service or for the unforgettable experience of working together. Let them know that you’d be willing to give a testimonial if they wanted one. If they say yes, ask politely for a link if they don’t link back automatically.  

2. Publishing High-Quality Content

According to HubSpot, updating and republishing outdated blogs can increase your organic traffic by as much as 106%.  

If you have a couple of old blog posts that are sitting around for a while now and are no longer generating traffic as much as they did when you first published it, then consider updating them as your first task.

Here are the key elements you want to focus on when updating an old blog post:

• Update any outdated statistics. Make sure the data or statistics presented in your posts are still true. If they aren’t, replace them.
• Update your images, infographics, or other media.
• Check for any broken or outdated links or references. If there are, add new ones from your posts or current sources.

• Increase the word count and quality of your blog post.
• Check your page’s speed and make sure you optimized it for SEO.
• Search the keyword you want to rank for and check what the top three results have that your post doesn’t. Make sure to add those to your post.  

Once you’re done updating old posts, it’s time to focus on publishing new ones.  

When writing new content, there’s a technique you can use to avoid writing the same topic as another post on your site. It’s called topic clusters.  

Topic clusters are groups of subtopics that collectively cover an extensive subject area. What’s great about this technique is that it builds a strong internal linking framework, which helps users and searches engine bots find or crawl your content.  

Here’s an example:

Topic clusters are a great way to address an entire conversation that happens around a keyword.  

They also allow you to show your expertise and relevance regarding a certain topic and everything related to it.  

Start researching about keywords you want to rank for and create a topic cluster around it so you know what you should be writing and publishing about.  

3. Optimizing Headlines and Meta Descriptions

The headline and meta description of your content are the first two things users’ see in the search results.  

They have the power to sway potential customers to click on your content over others. So, you want to make the most out of them by using catchy headlines and enticing meta descriptions to attract clicks. The more clicks you get, the higher your click-through rate becomes.

CTR is an important ranking factor, which means that the higher it is, the better you’ll rank in SERPs.  

So, how can you create catchy headlines and convincing meta descriptions?

Below are some headlines best practices you should follow:

• Use numbers, list words, and digits.  

Ex. 10 Secrets to Sexier Abs for Women

• Describe in detail what users can expect from clicking on your results. You don’t want to be vague or too cryptic because no one will see the point in clicking your result.

Here’s an example:

Vague headline: Workout at Home

Good Headline: 5 Easy Tips on How to Get Abs at Home (Zero Equipment Required)

• Show why clicking on your search result is worth it. However, you want to do this in style to avoid sounding desperate. One way of doing this is  by making a promise.  

Ex. Create Content That Converts in 5 Easy Steps

In this example, you’re making a promise that you’ll show them the easiest ways to create effective content that converts.  

• Create headlines that aim to educate your target audience. People are naturally curious. We always want to learn something new or improve our skills. Creating headlines that aim to educate can attract more clicks from your target audience.  

Ex. 3 Best Methods for Losing Fat  

Teaching A Toddler How to Talk: 5 Proven and Tested Techniques

• Ask questions to arouse your audience’s curiosity. Remember to use the 5W’s: who, what, where, when, where, why.  

Ex. Do you Think You Know Your Body Type? Quiz Yourself and Find Out!

Why Can’t I Stop Eating? Tips on How to Curb Compulsive Eating

Now that you know what your headlines should look like, let’s discuss the best practices for meta descriptions:

• Keep your meta descriptions short.  Meta descriptions can be of any length, but Google shortens snippets between 155 and 160 characters. We recommend you keep yours between 50-160 characters. Just be sure that it provides enough information about what users can expect from your search result.  
• Insert your keywords naturally to establish your relevance and to signal search engine bots. Avoid stuffing keywords because it could sound spammy, and users don’t like that.  
• Use an active voice and make sure it’s insightful enough to make users want more.  
• Include a compelling call to action to encourage users to click.  
• Feature specs if your product calls for it. If you’re selling gadgets, tools, or any products that require specifications, it’s best to include specifications in your meta descriptions.  

4. Local SEO

Local SEO focuses on increasing a business’s visibility in local search engine results. This can help your business rank for relevant “near me” queries, which can drive customers straight to your doorstep and boost sales.

According to Joel House Search Media, more than 50% of “near me” searches result in a physical visit, of which 28% result in purchases.  

If you own a local brick-and-mortar business in West Palm Beach, it’s best to optimize your website for West Palm Beach SEO.  

But, how exactly can you increase your website’s visibility for relevant keywords and search queries?

Here are the local SEO best practices you should follow:

• Claim your business at Google My Business.
• Enlist your business in other online business directories like Yelp, Yahoo, Facebook, etc.  
• Ask your customers to leave reviews. 85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations.  

• Create local content that is relevant to your business, like local charity runs or a local holiday.  
• Integrate your location into your keywords. “Gym in West Palm Beach” is a good example.
• Fill out your “About Us” page with accurate information about your business address, contact information, business hours, Google Maps, and a short description of what your business is about. Don’t forget to include your local keyword.
• Get backlinks from local, high-authority sites. It could be from local journalists who run a blog or from a local online news website.

5. Mobile SEO

Last but definitely not the least, you need to master the art of mobile optimization.  

We all know how important it is for a website to render well across all devices, especially on mobile. That’s because more and more people are using their phones to look for products or services that they’re thinking of buying.  

As per HubSpot Marketing Statistics, 61% of mobile searchers are more likely to contact a business if they have a mobile-friendly site. It is also predicted that by 2025, 73% of internet users will access the web solely via mobile devices only.  

This is why mobile is increasingly becoming a major factor in ranking, especially for local marketing.  

If you haven’t changed your website design into something more mobile-friendly, then switching to a responsive design is the best way to start.  

Aside from this, here are other ways to optimize for mobile:  

• Increase your page speed to prevent visitors from abandoning your site. According to Neil Patel, a renowned digital marketing guru, 40% of users abandon a website if it takes more than three seconds to load, and a one-second delay in page response can lead to a 7% decrease in conversions. This proves how crucial it is to optimize your page loading time.  
• Improve your site’s user experience. Using a responsive web design is only the first step towards providing a great user experience to web visitors. There are other elements you want to add to your site to boost their experiences, such as using a thumb-friendly design, easy-to-find CTAs, intuitive navigation, and larger fonts.
• Optimize for local SEO. Nectafy found that 88% of mobile searches for local businesses result in a call or store visit within 24 hours. That said, you want to make sure potential customers can easily find you in search results by optimizing for local SEO. You should also make it easier for them to contact you by putting your contact information in your description.  

• Implement intuitive navigation for your site. Make it effortless for mobile users to access the information they want to get from your website by using an easy-to-use navigation bar.  

Looking for an SEO Expert in West Palm Beach?

Whether you’re a marketer, a business owner, or somebody who runs a blog, mastering these five SEO basics will surely help increase your visibility online, generate more traffic to your site, and allow you to get more leads!  

Building links, publishing high-quality content, optimizing headlines and meta descriptions, local SEO, and optimizing for mobile are the five SEO basics you need to master to be able to build a successful SEO.  

Need help with West Palm Beach SEO? Don’t hesitate to reach out to us! Digital Resource is your go-to digital marketing company. Our SEO experts can help you build a solid SEO strategy that is guaranteed to generate you more traffic, more leads, and definitely more sales!

Contact us today for a free consultation!

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