Is your business struggling to reach customers? That’s probably because of poor SEO practices.
Customers use search engines like Google to look for products and services. If your business doesn’t show up on the top of the search results page, there’s an extremely low chance that your customers won’t know that you exist.
The good news is that you can skyrocket your rankings with these easy SEO hacks. Best of all, you don’t need to be a digital marketing expert to apply them to your SEO strategy.
#1 Stick to long-tail keywords
Are you incorporating long-tail keywords into your content? Compared to short-tail keywords that are general terms, long-tail keywords clearly indicate a user’s search intent. They’re what users would likely use to look up, for instance, a product that they want to purchase. Since fewer people search using long-tail keywords, this means that the cost-per-click is much, much lower.
Although long-tail keywords aren’t as popular, they’re still the best kinds of keywords to include in your content. When users use these keywords, you’ll know what they’re looking for.
For instance, if you knitted sweaters, your short-tail keyword would be “knitted sweaters”. But when users want to buy a knitted sweater, do you think they type “knitted sweaters”? Nope. They likely use long-tail keywords like “knitted sweaters for women” or “knitted sweater and skirt set”.
#2 Create evergreen content
Evergreen content is content that is continually relevant. It got its name from evergreen trees that stay fresh through the changing seasons. It doesn’t matter if it was published two or ten years ago—what matters is that it still attracts readers regularly.
What makes this one of the best SEO hacks is that it’s so easy. The idea is to concentrate on creating content that generates leads for a long period. Hence, avoid topics that’ll be out-of-date later. That way, you’ll have content that you can leverage for several years down the road.
Evergreen content can include:
- “How To” Guides
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Product Reviews
- Listicles
- Tutorials
- Testimonials
- Case Studies
#3 Build your backlinks
One of the best hacks for ranking high on Google is using backlinks. This is when a third-party website links to your website. Backlinks are valuable because they tell Google that your content is credible.
Think of it as getting a recommendation from well-known websites to prove to Google that your content is relevant and “worthy”. The more backlinks you have, the better you rank.
To build your backlinks, work with reputable websites in your industry. Look for broken links in their content and suggest replacing them with your own content. You should also create content that other websites would actually want to include in their content.
#4 Write great meta descriptions
Want people to choose your website when they see it on search engines? Write a great meta description that can generate click-throughs.
Although search engines don’t count the meta description in their ranking algorithm, they do count the click-through rate (CTR). So, if your content gets more clicks, it’ll move up in the ranks. For that reason, you need to ensure that your meta description draws users to your website.
Here are a few guidelines for writing meta descriptions:
- Keep it under 160 characters
- Write in the active voice
- Use enticing words (e.g. “must-see”, “amazing”, etc.)
- Include a call-to-action
- Include the search keyword
#5 Upload videos
Your competitors are likely taking advantage of video marketing. If you haven’t leveraged video content in your SEO strategy, we hate to break it to you, but you’ve got a lot of catching up to do. According to Cisco, video content will account for 82% of all internet traffic by 2022. With the growing demand for video, you’ll have to work harder to keep up.
Not convinced? These stats should convince you to start creating video content:
- 72 percent of consumers prefer to get information about products and services through videos
- 96 percent of consumers watch an explainer video to learn more about a given product
- 84 percent of consumers say that videos are the “convincing factor” in their purchases
So, what does this mean for your SEO strategy?
When you have video content, there’s a good chance that users will stay on your page for a longer time. When your website’s “dwell time” (the amount of time it takes for a user to look at your website, and then go back to the SERP) is long, that’ll signal Google to rocket your ranking.
#6 Establish a social media presence
Ask any PR and marketing agency and they’ll agree that one of the best SEO hacks is to be on social media. Not only is social media essential in building brand awareness, but it also helps you promote your website’s content. It doesn’t directly boost your ranking, but it does drive traffic to your website, telling Google that it has value.
Plus, social media profiles are often ranked higher compared to other kinds of results. For instance, if you were to search “Adidas”, you’d find Adidas’ Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at the top spots.
#7 Get Google reviews
What’s the best way to show people that you’re a reputable brand?
The answer: reviews.
Proof from actual customers can convince others to choose you over your competitors. Think about it this way—would you click on a link to a business with no ratings, or to one with 4-star ratings?
When Google sees that customers have reviewed your business, that’ll signal to them that you are legit. This is especially true if the reviews are from a relevant source, such as Google My Business. When customers leave a review, Google will reward you by moving you up in the SERP.
#8 Optimize webpage images
This is one of the oldest tricks in the SEO hack book. If the images on your website are too large, they won’t load, and your customer will no longer want to buy from your business. After all, who would want to buy your product when they don’t even know what it looks like?
Plus, uncompressed files can slow down your site’s speed. When this happens, do you think users will be willing to wait? They’ll hit the “back” button if your site doesn’t load in two seconds. This, in turn, can negatively affect your SEO since it tells Google that your site isn’t relevant.
Here are some quick fixes to make sure users don’t exit your website:
- Use alt tags
- Upload relevant images
- Use the best image format for web
- Reduce the file size
- Optimize the file name
- Add captions
Final thoughts
Yes, SEO takes a lot of work, but it isn’t as complicated as most marketers make it out to be. So, keep these SEO hacks in mind and put them to work. By applying these best hacks, you’ll see a boost in your SEO campaign in no time!
