We received a few emails regarding our post yesterday about how Google’s changing algorithms scare most SEOs but we don’t really mind because we haven’t seen any major negative impacts from any of their updates. The comments were mostly asking for specific advice for the website SEO doit yourselfers. Of course our goal in writing these posts and promoting our site is to get more customers for ourselves, but we also have a desire to help those who can’t afford or don’t want to pay for SEO services. I should have included this with the original post, but here are a few quick tips on how to honestly get your site ranked better while not having to worry (too much) about possible future algorithm updates.
1. Add content often
Content is king. We all know this by now. But writing unique, interesting, useful content on a regular basis is anywhere from a p.i.t.a. to nearly impossible. Who has the time to research and write good content several times a week? If you want a successful website then you have the time. Write a solid blog post or article at least twice a week. If you are using someone else’s article as “inspiration” you better make darn sure you make it your own and don’t copy anything, even the flow. Simply paraphrasing another article will not help and will likely get you in trouble. Don’t rewrite someone else’s article – write your own!
2. Share your content
Simple enough – post your newly written articles everywhere you can – Google +, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, pin the graphics, etc. The more exposure your site gets the more chances someone will find you and the more likely the search engines will appreciate your efforts.
3. Google+ Authorship
Have you seen search results with people’s faces next to them? That’s Google+ Authorship listings. You’re basically linking your pages to your G+ profile and vice versa. Here are the basics:
- Make sure your Google + profile photo has a goodheadshot.
- Make sure a byline containing your name appears on each page of your content and the name matches the name on your Google+ profile.
- Use an email address on the same domain as your site or use the link method to verify.
4. Don’t link out too much
Some people think if they link to credible sources such as government agencies and news sites their site will be more credible. Wrong! Think about it – you can link to whomever you want. Why would that make you more credible? If there’s something relevant to link to (see above) then do it, but don’t link for the sake of linking.
5. Don’t add inbound links too quickly
I think I’ve mentioned this a few (thousand) times. Natural link building service takes time. If you get a lot of links in a short period the search engines will think you’re doing something to game the system. In the 1:1,000,000 chance you wrote a brilliant piece and it goes viral you’ll be fine 🙂
6. Monitor your webmaster tools
Messy code, bad internal links and inaccurate sitemaps (among other things) can hurt your site. Google Webmaster tools will help find them. You then need to fix them.
7. Don’t TRY to optimize your site
If you’re writing an article for SEO purposes then you’re likely to spam the goodness out of it. Assuming you’re an expert in your field you should be able to write naturally and Google will figure out what you’re talking about.
8. Improve page load time
If you’re on a low cost hosting account you may not have much control over this, but it’s important nonetheless. Google wants to give their users the best sites based on searches and that includes not having to wait around for pages to load. That being said, there are a few things you can do to speed up your site. I could list them all here, but it would triple the size of this post. I’ll add a post in the future that deals with this specific topic. In the mean time give us a call and we’ll give you some specific advice on speeding up your site.
I’ve seen it dozens of times. Prospective clients recently had another firm redesign their website hoping the new modern look will drive more conversions and increase traffic. Unfortunately it often does the exact opposite. The sad truth is many design firms simply don’t understand the full value of SEO or how to implement it, especially when relaunching a site. There is an art and science to ensuring the SEO value and traffic your old site had carries on to the new.
I realized I’ve been neglecting my site all week and wanted to get in a quick post before I go to 
Local brand awareness matters more now then ever. Google and other search engines are catering to the searcher’s location more than the national audience. That means if if someone in Garland searched for “flower shop” then businesses that are in Garland (assuming their sites are locally optimized) will likely appear first in the list. Makes sense. Why would Google tell you about a flower shop that’s in Plano or Frisco if you’re in Garland. In these cases “good” SEO means less than “good” local optimization. Of course good SEO will still determine what Garland flower shop gets ranked highest among their local competitors.
The homepage of your website is meant to be an entry way into the rest of your content. Or at least is used to be. Once upon a time your homepage was needed to explain to visitors and search engines what your site was about and all the details within. Every keyword you could think of was stuffed in and the amount content of a typical homepage was close to every other page on the site combined.
