We had a chat with our SEO expert, James, to cover some burning questions about Search Engine Optimisation
What is SEO and how does it work?
SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, is the process of improving a website’s visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs) to increase traffic to the site. The goal of SEO is to understand what makes your website appealing to search engines and implement these changes, while still appealing to users.
What are keywords and how can you find relevant keywords?
Keywords are specific words or phrases that people search for. They are fundamental in matching user’s searches with content on your website and therefore form the very basis of SEO.
The best ways to identify keywords are using keyword research tools, analysing competitors and understanding the intent of your users. By utilising a combination of these three, you can understand exactly what your customers are looking to get out of your content, making SEO a fundamental part of any content marketing strategy.
What are short-tail and long-tail keywords and how can they be used?
Short-tail keywords are broad search terms consisting of one or two words that capture a keyphrase people are searching for e.g. “pizza toppings”. They generally have the highest volume of searches but this often translates to more competition as well.
Long-tail keywords are often more specific and usually consist of a few words or a question (e.g., “best toppings for pizza,” “what is the best topping for a pizza?”). They usually have lower search volume, but this generally translates to lower competition. Long-tail keywords are also generally more specific, meaning users who search these have a higher conversion rate.
What is the first thing a business should do when beginning their SEO journey?
The two most important things a business should do when beginning their SEO journey are keyword research and audit of existing content.
Keyword research – Keyword research can help you to understand which keywords people are searching for and marrying this up with the keywords that are most relevant to your business. Luckily there are a number of helpful tools such as Moz, Ahrefs or SEMrush to assist in this.
Audit of existing content – Your existing content is often a gold mine of keyword opportunities. Assessing your existing content with a list of target keywords will allow you to identify keyword gaps.
What are the most important Google ranking factors?
While there’s no official answer, Google says it prioritises “helpful, reliable, people-first content”. This is why a focus on user experience is so crucial to anyone looking to rank highly on Google, whatever the search term may be.
What is Domain Authority and what does it do?
Domain Authority is a score that predicts how likely a website is to rank on search engines based on the strength of your website domain. The score ranges from 1 to 100, with higher scores indicating a greater likelihood of ranking. Domain authority can be a useful indicator in understanding a website’s search engine visibility compared to others.The higher the domain authority, the easier it will be to rank for more competitive keywords.
What are backlinks and how do they affect SEO?
Inbound links (backlinks) from authoritative sites can positively impact a website’s credibility, authority, and search engine rankings. They signal to search engines that a web page and domain are trustworthy.
This also works the other way, as sites that Google deems as dangerous can negatively impact your site’s perceived health and domain authority. This usually means online directories or scam websites.
The quality of backlinks is more important than the quantity.
What are the benefits of incorporating a blog on your website?
Incorporating a blog on your site allows you to add regular written content to your website. Utilising a blog, in conjunction with an effective SEO strategy, can be instrumental in bringing traffic to your site.
What is the difference between on-page SEO and technical SEO?
Technical SEO is code heavy and focuses on ensuring the technical aspects of a website create a solid foundation for SEO.
On-page SEO focuses on optimising the content of a page for both search engines and users. These two work in tandem to ensure that a website has the highest possible chance of ranking well on search engines.
What’s the difference between White Hat vs. Black Hat SEO?
White Hat SEO focuses on improving rankings through legitimate means, in a way that aligns with Google’s guidelines. Black Hat SEO often consists of practices that artificially inflate the SEO value of your chosen page or domain. Black Hat SEO practices are deemed as unethical and violate Google’s guidelines.
Some black hat tactics include applying keywords too often, or in places they don’t belong (keyword stuffing), hiding or disguising keywords and links within a web page and buying links.
More than 25% of people will click on the first Google result.
What are your top tips for a business wanting to improve their SEO strategy?
In order to rank for people’s searches, you have to understand what people are searching for. Knowing your keywords is the best way to ensure you rank for the right terms. Trying to rank for terms that are too competitive can mean you see little results and ranking for terms that aren’t relevant can bring the wrong people to your website.
Do I need an SEO company?
At Landon Marketing, we can take the stress off your hands and create and implement an SEO strategy that will boost your rankings and website traffic.
Whether you are interested in learning more about how the different practices of SEO, social media or other aspects of digital marketing could benefit your business, then get in touch – we’d love to hear from you!
Our work
We work with a variety of clients in many diverse sectors, managing and carrying out their SEO strategies. Take a look at some examples of our work.
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