Beyond keywords and content research, there are a few technical steps you can take to optimize your site. These steps are simple tech tips and strategies to implement within and outside of your site to improve your SEO.

We gathered our information from Ahrefs’ free On-Page SEO Course. Technical SEO can get a bit complicated and watching the videos will give you a better idea of the concepts discussed below.

Optimizing Pages for Search Engines:

On-Page SEO Research: 

Check out your top-ranking competitors. First, check the relevance to your topic. Then look for similarities in the content.

• Identify similar titles or post structures. In what way are they sharing the information?
• Look for common content points. Use this opportunity to identify what you could do better than your competitors and what you like about what they are already doing.
• What are other commonalities you notice?

 

Technical SEO: 

1. Include your target keyword in your title if it makes sense to do so and won’t look clunky.
2. Use a short and descriptive URL slug.
   1. Example: www.yoursite.com/blog/5-eco-friendly-swaps
3. Your meta descriptions should all briefly summarize the page. This will influence click-through rates.
   1. Look out for the “No index” meta tag. Make sure there are none of these. Especially look out for them if you had someone else design your site, they may have accidentally left a “No Index” meta tag behind.
   2. Google is 60% likely to rewrite your meta descriptions so don’t worry about them too much.
4. Add internal links to and from your pages
5. Optimize your images. Make sure they are compressed for the web. Add a descriptive alt text for them as well.

Improving Readability: 

1. Write short sentences and short paragraphs
2. Use descriptive subheadings
3. Use large font
4. Avoid big words
5. Write as you speak. This will engage your audience and 

 

How to Get Backlinks:

Backlinks are just what they sound like, links from another site back to yours. When used correctly, they can lend your site authority and bring more followers with similar interests to your site.

There are three ways to get your backlinks on other sites but you want to be careful with what you choose.

• Create them – By manually adding links through the act of commenting on other blogs or by putting your URL in your social media profile. The other way is to add your site to directories, but then you may struggle to stand apart from the rest.
• Buy them – We do not recommend this because it goes against Google’s webmaster guidelines and you could be penalized.
• Earn them – By building a relationship with other sites and their editors or owners. This can be done in three different ways.
  • Through email outreach – remember the people receiving your emails are people just like you, it’s best to connect with them authentically and not give them a cookie-cutter pitch. Also, don’t get discouraged, it usually takes a lot of emails to get a bite.
  • Becoming a source for an online publication or media outlet – working with other sites and taking opportunities to write pieces for them is great for your site exposure and ranking.
  • Organically – a site links to you because they already know of you and value your content. This is the best way to get a backlink, but shouldn’t be relied upon as your only source of backlinks.

What you are looking for in a Backlink:

Relevance – Their content aligns with your content.

Authoritativeness – If you get links from high authority pages this lends credibility to your site.

Link-Building Strategy:

1. Prospecting – This is the process of searching for relevant pages and websites.
2. Vetting – Refining your list of possible sites that more narrowly align with your brand and will attract similar followers to those who already gravitate towards your mission.
3. Email Outreach – Finalize your pitches and reach out. Remember they are people like you and while you want your emails to be professional, you also want to connect with them on a personal level.

Once you connect with someone who is interested in working with you, we suggest you create backlinks authentically by having them either allow you to write a guest post or by having them work referrals of their own into their posts.

Want to discuss any of these topics in more detail or brainstorm ways to better connect with your audience? Schedule a call and let’s chat!