9 Ways to Improve Search Engine Optimization

In this post, I’ll go over how to improve your search engine optimization using nine effective strategies. Ranking higher in search results can help you reach more customers and earn more revenue online, which is why it’s important to learn about the different ways to improve your SEO.

Want to boost your site’s rankings in search results for keywords and phrases related to your business? Of course, you do!

So, how can you improve your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy to achieve top rankings? Let’s get started!

1. Publish quality content for SEO

Search engines and site visitors alike love frequently updated, high-quality content. By creating content related to your industry, products, and services, you can improve your rankings in search results for keywords related to your business.

This is extremely valuable because ranking higher in results for more keywords allows more people to find and contact you online. Content is also important because it provides people with the information they need to learn more about your products or services and take the next steps with your business.

And it can help you earn valuable backlinks to your site, which I’ll discuss next.

Use Google position check tools like Google Search Console to monitor your new content’s rankings!

2. Earn relevant links

The number and quality of links to your site have a major impact on where your site ranks in search results. If you want to boost your rankings, you’ll need to earn relevant links from other high authority sites. This sends positive signals to Google, so earning links from a variety of reputable sites will help you achieve higher rankings in search results.

It’s important to note that you should never pay for links to your site, as this violates Google’s webmaster guidelines and can hurt your search rankings.

So how can you earn them naturally?

When you create and publish helpful content on your site, other sites will often be willing to link to it. You can make a list of reporters and bloggers in your industry and reach out to them to see if they’re willing to share your content on their site or use it as a source in a post. Forming connections with influencers in your niche can help you earn more links and improve your SEO efforts.

P.S. There are plenty of SEO tools that can help you build an effective, time-saving backlink strategy.

3. Improve your site’s load speed

Site speed also plays a role in search engine optimization. If your site takes more than a few seconds to load, you will likely experience high bounce rates, since visitors don’t want to stick around and wait for slow-loading sites.

In addition, search engines crawl fewer pages when they load slowly, which can hinder your indexation.

Improving your site speed can also boost conversions on your site. In fact, research shows that a one-second improvement in load time can increase your website’s conversions by 7%.

Google Search Console can help your business spot URLs that don’t deliver a fast, consistent experience.

Not sure if your site speed is up to par? Our page speed optimization services can help you improve your site speed, boost your rankings in search engine results, and convert more customers.

4. Optimize your images

Optimizing your images with alt text sends relevancy signals to search engines, which can help them see that the images on your page are related to the keywords a user searches. Alt text is used to describe images on your site, and it appears when images can’t be displayed.

Since search crawlers can only read your site’s HTML code, they won’t be able to understand images on your site without alt text – so including it makes it easier for search crawlers to understand the content of your pages and rank them higher in relevant search results.

SEO tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs can help you find images that need alt text fast!

5. Add keywords in strategic places

If you want to rank higher in search results for keywords or phrases related to your business, you need to add those keywords in places like your URLs, page titles, headings, and copy. Adding keywords to these places sends relevancy signals to search engines, and it helps your site appear in search engine results when people search those terms.

That being said, make sure to avoid keyword stuffing, or adding lots of keywords unnaturally on your pages. Doing this can have a negative impact on your SEO efforts, and you may even incur site penalties.

Not sure how to select and incorporate keywords on your site?

Check out our keyword research guide for more information on optimizing your SEO for this ranking factor.

6. Streamline your site structure and navigation

In order to improve your SEO, you will also need to optimize your site structure and navigation. If users can’t find the information they need on your site, they will waste no time clicking back to the search results.

This can contribute to a high bounce rate and low dwell times on your site, which sends negative signals to search engines. Incorporating a simple site structure and clean navigation can help search crawlers discover and index pages on your site, which is key for helping your pages rank higher in search results.

For more information on designing your site for top SEO results, check out our information architecture guide and custom web design plans.

7. Optimize your site for mobile

Now that Google is switching to a mobile-first index, it’s extremely important to ensure that your site is optimized for mobile search. SEO tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool can help you spot URLs that aren’t mobile-friendly.

The new index means that Google will now evaluate pages from a mobile user’s perspective in order to deliver the most relevant search results and use those results for both mobile and desktop searches. This means that if your site isn’t optimized for mobile, you will experience decreased search rankings even on desktop computers.

With nearly 60% of online searches now taking place from mobile devices, you need to ensure that your site uses responsive design if you want to maintain search rankings, attract new customers, and earn more revenue online.

8. Improve user experience on your site with SEO

Search engines want to display relevant, helpful information, and they aim to reward sites that provide a positive user experience (UX). The term user experience spans a variety of factors including usability, functionality, design, and more. To provide users with a great experience, you need to ensure that your site not only looks great, but that it also functions at its best.

This will help you provide value to users and as they spend more time on your site, they will learn more information about your business, products, and services. This also sends a positive signal to search engines like Google. So if you want to continue to achieve higher rankings in search results, make sure that your site incorporates great design and usability features.

9. Update your site on a regular basis

You might think that once your site starts ranking in search results, your job is done. But in reality, your job is far from finished. Just like your car and home require regular maintenance, your website requires frequent upkeep to ensure it continues to rank well in search results and earn leads for your business.

SEO isn’t a “set it and forget it” strategy — you’ll always be optimizing for SEO. Because Internet trends and technology are constantly changing, you need to keep your site updated in order to maintain top ranking spots. Staying on top of your site’s search engine optimization strategy is a big job.

So if you need help keeping your site fresh and updated, check out our SEO plans, and contact us today to speak with a strategist.

Need to improve your site’s SEO?

Contact WebFX today or give us a call at 888-601-5359 to improve your site’s SEO! We’ve been driving results for 25 years, and have driven over $3 billion in results for our clients in the past five years alone.