When I started working on websites the majority of jobs were simple proofreading tasks, looking at webpages and checking for spelling errors – not any more. Nowadays my clients know that they need SEO friendly copy for their webpages to help them gain that all-important search engine ranking, preferably on page one and preferably near the top. However, the world of search engine ranking can seem a bit cloak and dagger, with rules changing and sneaky tactics quickly penalised.
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| I am always trying to improve my own website |
Copy
needs to stay fresh and certain unwritten rules have to be followed to ensure
that your website won’t slip away onto page 55 of a search engine result where
nobody will ever find it. This is when a few simple steps can make all the
difference to how your website performs, so here are my top five tips I’ve
learnt along the way.
- Tip 1:
Unique content. Just like universities run plagiarism software to check that
students aren’t copying work, search engines know if your website is a carbon
copy of a similar page elsewhere. This is why simply copying and pasting a
press release on your ‘news’ page just won’t cut the mustard. High quality copy
will incorporate essential keywords naturally as well as retain the readership
to improve click through to other parts of the same website. Copy needs to be
relevant, on brand, and updated regularly for maximum impact on search engine
results.
A copywriter's toolkit - Tip 2: Choose your keywords wisely. Select only a few relevant keywords for each page and be certain to use them strategically, preferably in the heading as well as in the body copy, but don’t be too repetitious as it can actually leave you lower down the ranking. Always be sure that they make sense as well, there is no point shoving in keywords to help your search engine ranking if it’ll reduce your click through rate because it’s irrelevant in context.
- Tip 3: Pay attention to your title tags, meta tags and picture tags/titles. Different websites work in different ways but all of these need to complement the keywords (or even include the keywords where possible). It can seem a boring and thankless task but search engines look at an entire website – even the bits you ignore or can’t ‘see’ – so make sure every bit is as relevant as possible.
- Tip 4: Include links in your copy and make sure that other sites link back to you too. Again, don’t stick links in for the sake of it but if you reference another company or a person pop an embedded link to their website into your copy and make sure you let them know. Hopefully they will then return the favour by sharing a link to the article on their website or social media. You should also link back to your own website wherever it’s suitable, it keeps the bounce rate low and visitor interest sustained.
- Tip 5:
Use social media. Don’t dismiss social media as something errant kids at bus
stops use, everybody is using it and that includes your clients. Sign up to
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc and use them to your advantage. Create ‘how to’
videos for YouTube and share them to your Facebook followers, or run competitions
via Twitter to encourage your customers to engage and promote your brand. And
let’s not forget that customers love to air their grievances on social media,
so if you’re not there monitoring what’s being said then the search engines
will undoubtedly be doing it for you and bringing it up in their results for
everyone else to see!
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So
there you have it, five simple SEO friendly ways to keep the search engines
happy. Big businesses spend thousands (or even millions) a year to promote
their websites, but it’s little tips like this that can help boost your
profile, and all without spending any pennies at all.
All
blog content and photos are Copyright of Charisse Sayers Proofreader &
Copywriter www.charisse-sayers.com I
welcome all feedback and would love to know your thoughts so please get in
touch, comment, share, like and generally get involved!
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