Six Basic SEO Techniques That Will Get Your Website Ranking Higher (And Make Google Happy)

Search engine optimization [SEO] is banded about a lot these days, so much that many business owners don't have a good understanding of what it is or how it works.

In this article we cover Six Basic Search Engine Optimisation techniques that anyone can do.

What Is SEO?

The purpose of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is to improve your site's ranking in organic (unpaid) search results on search engines such as Google, Bing and Safari.

Keyword Research - Understanding the Language of Your Target Audience

Understanding the language of your target audience is the first step in optimising your website for search engines. What are they searching for? What questions are they asking? How do they write those questions? If you can get inside your target audience's head and learn how they talk and think about your product or service, you're going to be able to communicate more effectively with them in the long run.

Keywords are basically "search terms" that people type into Google, Yahoo and Bing search engines in order to find products or services online. For example, if you ran a babysitting business and wanted to get more customers, you might want to think about adding "babysitting" as a keyword on your search engine optimisation (SEO) campaigns to attract new customers.

Descriptive URLs - Use simple and descriptive URLs for each page.

A descriptive URL helps search engines to understand the content of your page quickly and accurately. URLs that are long, complicated, and difficult to understand are bad for SEO and can result in your page being missed by search engines. Descriptive URLs help users to find what they're looking for and search engines to accurately interpret the content of each web page.

Your website should be designed so that every page has a descriptive URL that is short and easy to read. Consider how a user might type in a query about your site, and make sure you use words or phrases that match what they would type as a query into Google or Bing.

Page Titles - Use Keywords naturally.

To begin adding SEO value to your pages, you must select keywords to include within each page title. The higher you rank for specific keywords within a search engine result, the more traffic you'll receive from users who are searching for those terms.

TIP: Choose simple words and phrases that are easy for people to understand and remember. Include your chosen keywords in your page titles but don't overdo it - remember that overuse of keywords can have a negative effect on your ranking.

Meta Descriptions - Drive clicks by creating meta descriptions as if they are ad copy.

It's true that the meta description doesn't necessarily have direct impact on search ranking, but it can have a dramatic impact on your click-through rate, so it’s one of the most valuable spaces you have for driving clicks to your site.

You have a limited number of characters to work with, so write your meta descriptions like they were ad copy. When readers see your meta descriptions, they can decide in an instant whether or not they're going to click on your link -- so, make them count!

Content Optimisation – Be sensible with your keywords and variations.

We all know you're more likely to attract visitors if your content is relevant and informative. To that end, if you’re trying to con the system by packing your copy out with keywords, you’ll do more harm than good.

The best approach is to always focus on providing value to your customers. Use keywords sensibly and don't overdo it.

Remember that search engines are sophisticated -- they know when you're stuffing keywords in and will penalise your site for it. They also know when you're carefully writing for humans first and foremost, which carries value in its own right.

User Experience (UX) - Create an easy-to-use, easy-to-navigate site.

The user experience (UX) is the overall experience of using your website. Your visitors should be able to find what they are looking for, navigate through your site easily, and find it enjoyable to use.

By treating your visitors well, you're more likely to convert them into customers - Effective UX design is all about considering your users and their needs.

Consider the type of information they want, how they want to find it, where they will go once, they find it, and how you can lead them there with visual cues, text links, or animations.

Those who aren't able to quickly and easily navigate your website will move on without finding what they are looking for. Your chances of them buying from you or recommending you decrease significantly.