How to Increase SEO Rank
I would dare to say that everyone, young and old, in American
culture has used a search engine at some point in their lives. We have the cumulative knowledge of the entire recorded history of the earth at our finger tips, and searching through physical copies in order to tap into this knowledge has been made obsolete by the internet. Search engines now allow us to type any thought or question into a search bar, and thousands upon thousands of links populate for relevant pages… or at least we hope they are relevant. So in the hopes of continuing the growth of great content, here are 7 ways to increase SEO rank.
7 Steps to Increase SEO Rank
If you have ever wondered how website ranking works, you are not the first. Many businesses pay dividends for search engine optimization agencies to get their website on the first page of Google. However, you don’t need millions to ensure that your relevant information will appear at the forefront of an internet user’s search (See How to Drive Traffic to Your Website). Here are some SEO strategies that will tell you how to increase SEO rank.
1. Include Keyword in Title
The title is what appears in the tab at the top of your browser. Make sure your keyword is descriptive and appropriate for the content on your page so that you can improve your ranking and be connected with internet users that want what you have to offer.
2. Include Keyword in Header
The Header is what a lay person would call the title. This is the large, bolded phrase centered at the top of your page. Including a keyword here will not only help with search engine optimization and increased rankings, but it will help the internet user’s understanding of what you’re all about.
3. Include Keyword and Synonyms in Page Body
This one might seem obvious, but I have an important disclaimer. You don’t want to include the Keyword that you used in your title and header more than once or twice in the body of your page. Search engine optimization services like google might penalize the use of keyword repetition to keep people from keyword stuffing. This is where the use of synonyms comes into play. Use your keyword synonyms to keep the page body relevant while avoiding ranking penalization (See Getting The Most Potential Out Of Your SEO Strategy).
4. Include Keywords in Alt Text of your Pictures
When search engine algorithms try to rank your site, they cannot look at your pictures. These equations can only evaluate alphanumeric (letters and numbers) content. That’s why you should always include a keyword in the alternate text of your picture. Put the keywork you are trying rank for in the alt text to help increase SEO rank.
5. Include Social Sharing Options
Make sure you include options to share or follow on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. Search engine algorithms take into account the number of shares that your page has. More importantly, internet users look at your shares too! More shares will show that you are a credible and useful source of information. The icing on the cake: the more links to your site through social media, the better your site will rank.
6. Include Keyword in URL
The URL serves as the unique address to your page on the internet. When an internet user searches for keyword, they will have a higher likelihood of finding your address, or where your page lives on the internet. Tailor your URL to your page’s purpose and your rankings will respond.
7. Include Keyword in Meta Description
The meta description is what shows up under the title link to your page when your keywords are entered in a search engine. Notice, many companies allow this to default to the first couple sentences of their page’s body, but this is usually not the most representative description for an internet user to skim over. Try to summarize your page’s purpose in a couple sentences, and be sure to include your keyword.
You might not have experience working with #5 and #6, so don’t be scared to contact and SEO agency depending on how important your rank is to you (See How does a SEO Agency help my Business). Now you have all of the tools that you need to optimize your rankings. Go get discovered!
