Search engine optimization (SEO) is a crucial but often tricky process for entrepreneurs who want organic leads.
To save time, we outlined the top SEO principles for those who want to establish a solid digital footprint. These SEO principles will help you get off the right foot and avoid horrible mistakes.
8 Basic SEO Principles for Entrepreneurs
So, you have designed your website, have some ideas for your blog, and are ready to take on the digital world. But wait, you still have to figure out one of the most crucial aspects of your marketing: SEO.
If you feel overwhelmed or confused now, we got your back. Check out the top eight principles of SEO you should live by:
1. Do keyword research.
You may have written the best content about a specific topic, but if it’s not based on proper keyword research, you won’t get the results you want.
When people search for information, they use keywords to find what they’re looking for. So, if you want these leads to find your page, you must use the right keywords.
Once you find the right keywords, integrate them into your content. Use them naturally and avoid overusing them. Remember, Google doesn’t like keyword stuffing, so use your keywords properly.
2. Use proper meta tags.
Meta tags are invisible tags providing search engines and users data about your page. In simpler terms, they make it easy for Google to know what your content is all about. Hence, they are crucial to SEO.
You can optimize meta tags to highlight important parts of your content. They can also help your page stand out in search results.
You don’t have to use all meta tags to rank. Use them only when appropriate.
However, you must always use the following meta tags: title, meta description, alt text, and header.
3. Write valuable content.
Let’s repaint a scenario: you may have the right keywords and tags, but if you don’t have valuable content, don’t expect your leads to become paying customers.
People like to know as much as possible about a product or service before buying it, and valuable content is your chance to do that. Your content must be informative and easy to read.
You shouldn’t sound too salesy as well. To do this, put a CTA at the end of your page to encourage people to take action.
4. Spread internal links properly.
Internal linking is another SEO principle that you shouldn't skip.
As the name implies, internal links are links pointing to other pages on your website. They can also be seen as backlinks to your other posts. Using internal links properly can help your audience find more helpful information on your site.
Given this, internal linking helps you get more clicks. On top of that, they help your audience know more about topics they’re already interested in.
Pro tip: use the right anchor text when using internal links. The anchor text must reflect the primary keyword used for the post. By doing this, search engines like Google will understand the context of your link better.
5. Pay attention to user experience.
SEO is not just about ranking and making content. It’s about user experience, too.
User experience involves page speed, navigation, and visuals. So, to enhance user experience, you must improve the said aspects.
Let’s start with page speed. People don’t like waiting for your page to load. If it takes too long to load, they’ll likely leave your site and visit a competitor’s page instead.
Research also says that people abandon your website if it takes more than three seconds to load. So if your website doesn’t load quickly enough, it’s time to change things.
Next, navigating your website must be easy. People shouldn’t get confused about where to find certain information. Use broad categories, which will help your content look more organized.
Lastly, you need to put visuals on your page. You can put images, graphs, infographics, and the like to enhance user experience. Doing so will make reading enjoyable and easy for your audience.
6. Optimize your images.
Speaking of visuals, you must optimize images. Entrepreneurs often skip this SEO principle because they think images have nothing to do with SEO.
Surprise, they do. Search engines have a dedicated tab for them, so they matter.
When optimizing images, you must remember two things: image size and alt text. Your image size must not be too big to load slowly, yet not too small to be blurry. Each image must also have an alt text reflecting the keywords you used.
7. Make your site mobile-friendly.
Search engines, especially Google, love mobile-friendly websites. Research shows that there are 4.32 billion unique mobile internet users in 2021.
Of course, Google knows this, so they want their search results to match most people's needs. By making your website mobile-friendly, your SEO efforts will be more effective.
8. Acquire backlinks.
Backlinks are another crucial SEO aspect that can make or break your efforts. They are points on which search engines base your authority.
If you have high-quality backlinks from high-authority websites, you can rank well. However, you must be careful of black-hat strategies that offer thousands of shady backlinks. They can get your website penalized.
Instead, use white-hat strategies like manual outreach link building to get backlinks safely. You can also put more effort into getting one way links instead of two-way links to get more SEO points.
Conclusion
Do you need help implementing the SEO principles above? Are you tired of seemingly endless SEO efforts that don’t get you anywhere?
We’re here to help. TriBu LinkBuilding is an experienced link building outsourcing agency that has been helping business owners get backlinks through white-hat strategies that Google won't penalize. Plus, you only have to pay after we get live links for you. Contact us to jumpstart your link building success now!