In today’s competitive business landscape, you cannot afford to get lost in search engine results. And if you do not make any effort to stay visible in the results and get lost, it will mean that the day is not far away when you will be out of business.
Therefore, you should direct sincere efforts towards implementing the latest search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to rank your website higher in search engine results. It will increase your website traffic so that you will get more business.
Here, we recommend five simple yet powerful SEO strategies for you to implement and reap the benefits:
Include Structured Data Markup
Business practices are synonymous with change. Google searches today are not the same as they were 8-10 years ago. The search patterns nowadays are mostly dictated by the dynamic layout of the search engine result page.
What you get in a search engine result depends upon the query you used in the search. There are a variety of options that serve most of your search intent. There could be local results, related questions, images, videos, ads, etc.
Interestingly, only the ten blue links, one of the characteristic features of a search engine result page, have not yet changed.
It is also a feature that has brought in the trend of zero-click searches and the need for marketing within the search engine results pages (SERPs). Such types of markup are the best for drawing additional attention from the SERP. And schema usage makes search engines easier to understand the context of the page. And that leads to high search engine results.
Technically speaking, a rich result is an enhanced search result. If you implement structured data markup, then your page is likely to appear as a rich result. There are 30 types of rich results that Google hitherto offers. And one of the common types of rich results is the use of structured data to display reviews.
Improved Headline
If you are under the impression that headlines have nothing to do with search engine results, you are wrong. An appealing headline has a lot to do with attracting visitors to your website. Arguably, the headline is one of the strongest advertising features of an article, and it is also needless to say that the headline is the first thing that a user sees in a search result.
Therefore, it will help if you make an effort to create descriptive headlines so that they stand out and attract more clicks. Also, you need to optimize headlines for both users and search engines.
The following are some of the tips to optimize headlines:
- Place your keyword towards the end of the headline
- Do not extend your headline beyond 60 characters
- Use a descriptive title
- Use eye-catching words
- Have numbers–it increases the chances of more clicks
In essence, you need to focus on implementing headline strategies that generate interest and excitement in the associated topic. Simultaneously, optimize the headline for users and search engines to attract more clicks directly from the SERP.
Work on Your Meta Description
Meta descriptions have a lot to do in attracting or driving away visitors from clicking on your website. The descriptions are one of the most influential features of marketing your page in the SERP. So make sure you take adequate care in constructing your meta descriptions.
It will help if you make an effort to write a tempting meta description that helps users understand what they will get from clicking on your page.
Don’t take Google’s statement that they do not consider using keywords in the meta description as an on-page optimization factor too seriously. In fact, including keywords in meta description entails some benefits.
When you include keywords in your meta description, it optimizes your text for visitors. If a visitor is searching a keyword in your description, then the visitor is likely to click on your page when he sees it.
It helps if you use keywords towards the beginning of your meta description so that they are not cut off on smaller screen sizes. Also, make sure the description is within 150-160 characters.
Include a High-Ranking Video
Videos have become the most popular forms of content. With videos, you can not only connect with users on a deeper level but also leverage the advantage of additional traffic from YouTube.
Keep in mind that the search algorithm is different for ranking videos on YouTube because on-page optimization is given more weight. With the right optimization, you can easily rank a video within the top results of Google search.
The bottom line is that you can drive a lot of traffic to your website by including a video on your website.
The following are some tips for the optimization:
- Put your keyword in the title and filename
- Place a link to your website within the first two sentences of your description
- Put a transcript in the video description
- Place a link to other videos in your channel within your description
- Use timestamps within your video
- Tag with keywords and related videos
Link from a High Traffic Website
It helps if you include a link from a high traffic website with a similar audience which may also be interested in your website’s content. Such a link not only draws in relevant traffic to your website but also improves your page’s authority in search results.
You can ask site owners to link to your website content or ask their content manager to publish your website articles (and link to your website).
Make an effort to find related websites by searching with keywords that are similar to your own. The websites that will appear will have a similar audience.
Conclusion
Driving more traffic is not as difficult as you might think. There are effective ways to do so. Formulate your SEO strategy based on the steps outlined in this article.
