If you’ve recently launched your website, congratulations! You’ve joined the ranks of over 200 million active domains on the Internet.
In doing so, however, you’ve also joined the fierce battle for first-page search engine rankings.
Whether you’re hoping your site will help you sell products and services, spread information, or perform another helpful task, it will never reach its full potential if it doesn’t show up early in search results. To get found online, you’ll have to embark on a search engine optimization (SEO) journey, making your site stand out to visitors and search engine bots.
If your site wasn’t optimized for search engines before launch, there’s no better time to start than the present. Read on for some of the most actionable SEO tips you can put to work right away.
Evaluate the Big Three Website and SEO Categories
The three most important elements of SEO are things you’ve probably heard of before: keywords, content, and user experience (UX). New website SEO is often dismal because these categories haven’t been considered during the design or the launch of the site.
First, start by evaluating whether your headers, page titles, and menu bars are balanced between being easy for both visitors and search engine algorithms to understand. Using a navbar title like “The Story of Us” is quirky and fun, but it doesn’t communicate to an algorithm or inexperienced users that it’s equivalent to an “About” section. Also, use keywords in headers as appropriate, but make sure they sound natural and make sense in context.
Next, move on to analyzing your content. If you don’t have any content including blogs or web copy yet, getting some written should be at the top of your priority list. Make sure all your content is keyword optimized, easy for visitors to find, and solves problems or answers questions that potential clients face.
This is also a great time to add relevant keywords to less obvious places, like metadata and image alt tags.
Think Technical
Once your site is optimized for the big three and looks the way you want it to, make sure it’s also optimized for function.
This is the time to get pages to load at the fastest speed possible, check for broken features and links, and run user tests to identify any lingering navigational or UX issues. Mobile optimization is another vital thing to focus on during this step. As simple as they seem, doing these things will help to lower your bounce rate and keep people on your site for longer.
Also, it may help to investigate whether the pages are trying to rank for are indexed (findable by search engine bots). There are free browser extensions that can help you find and fix any de-indexed pages by searching for robots.txt files. You may also want to take this opportunity to de-index incomplete pages and re-list them once they’re finished.
Increase Your Digital Footprint
When trying to optimize a new website, it helps to look beyond your platform and build on the successes of others. By that, we mean using well-established websites to redirect traffic back to your site.
Reach out to high-ranking, non-competing sites in your industry to see if they’re willing to host a guest blog on their site. When your link appears often on reputable websites, search engines are more likely to recognize your page as valuable content.
Depending on the arrangement, you may or may not be credited for writing the post. Either way, when that site’s visitors read the post and click on your link, they’ll be directed to one of your landing pages.
Another fantastic way to increase your digital footprint is to delve into social media marketing. Social media platforms let you build your brand identity, interact with customers, and increase your site’s reach. Take advantage of both organic and paid advertising on sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Ask for Help
Most importantly, don’t try to understand the ins and outs of SEO on your own. People have made their careers out of analyzing search engine bots and how they prioritize one page over another. Take advantage of the work they’ve already done and read everything you can find online about how to SEO a website for success.
If you need SEO help beyond written guides and tutorials, don’t be afraid to reach out to the professionals. While getting an SEO-focused digital agency on your team may seem like an intimidating investment, the results speak for themselves. Entrusting your site to the pros eliminates the extended trial-and-error stage that’s unavoidable with DIY search engine optimization, meaning your site can get found online quicker.
Don’t Stop There
Have you already gone through all the tips in this guide? Well done! Pat yourself on the back and take a breather, but get ready to jump right back into the action.
That’s right—you aren’t done yet. In reality, SEO is a constant, dynamic force that even the best websites (or rather, especially the best websites) continue to spend a ton of time on. As digital culture and search engine algorithms continue to evolve, your strategy will need to update to match them.
Also remember that your SEO efforts aren’t evergreen. As other sites create new content and boost their own SERP rankings, your site will get buried if you don’t do the same. Keep analyzing your keywords, improving UX, and growing your digital footprint to stay on top.
Ready to Strengthen Your Digital Foundation and Get Found Online?
Struggling to get a website found online is something many of us are all too familiar with. With the right support system, though, sailing through the rankings into those coveted top three spots can be a breeze.
Have you been putting hours into your website and SEO, but feel like you’re just spinning your wheels? Or, on the contrary, are you too paralyzed with indecision and information overload to know where to begin?
Whichever situation you find yourself in, VujaDay Creative Digital Agency is there for you. Through a foundation of well-honed skills, digital expertise, and relationship building, we know exactly how to help sites like yours get found online. We can help with everything from local and organic SEO to PPC advertising, social media, and web design.
If you’re ready to launch your website to the next level, contact us online today—we’d love to talk and start working with you to build something great, together.
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