Search optimisation techniques, backlinks, pings, localisation… SEO is sometimes a tricky area of marketing to understand, but as full of gibberish as it can seem, it’s crucial in getting your website seen. We’ll take each step into further detail in the near future, but for the time being, let us demystify the basics:
Keywords
You might know what your page is about. Someone who happens to look at your blog post might know what your page is about. But unless you explicitly say the magic words (preferably several times) Google hasn’t got a clue. Say you want to be found by people searching for somewhere to hold their 18th birthday. They’ll probably Google something like ‘18th birthday venues’, but your functions page only talks about ‘parties in the VIP area’. Sounds great, but search engines aren’t psychic; don’t expect them to read your mind. Change that function page text to mention fabulous 18th birthday parties if you want the teeny-boppers clicking onto your site.
Links
The easiest way to understand links as search optimisation techniques is to see them as votes. A link on another page that points to yours is like that page’s stamp of approval. Search engines find these links and count them up to see who is Mr. Popularity; the idea is that if lots of people are “voting” for you, you must know what you’re talking about. This doesn’t mean you can just go pasting your URL everywhere – Google can smell a cheat and their low-quality links a mile off, and you’ll be penalised by a drop in your rank.
Social shares
Posting links to your website on social media should be considered not just for the potential shares on the network itself, but also for SEO. Search engines process socially shared links differently to other types of links, but they do count them; the jury is still out on just how much social shares contribute, but it’s a comparatively easy and affordable search optimisation technique nonetheless.
Feeling just about ready to tackle SEO yourself? Keep following Liquid 101 for more detailed breakdowns of each technique.
Too jargon-filled and time-consuming? Liquidity can help get your page into the top ranks while you focus on running your business. Contact us to find out how.