The digital realm we now live and breathe in is constantly changing and evolving. Businesses all over the world are relying on their online presence now more than ever. With a steady increase in search engine users, businesses are finding it more and more difficult to maintain their presence on these search engines. This increase in search engine activity has resulted in an increase in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Specialists. Businesses around the globe are hiring specialists to optimize their web pages for better search engine results. The better results a businesses’ web page can generate, the more business it is likely to have, and the more profit it will make. However, outsourcing this type of work might not fit within the budget for some business owners. Despite this, there are still many ways in which the average business owner can improve its web page’s search engine results WITHOUT an SEO specialist. I have compiled, what I believe are, the most important optimization tactics any business owner can use TODAY to optimize their web page’s search engine results rankings.
Avoid being Banned or Blacklisted
The most important thing a business owner MUST AVOID is getting banned or blacklisted by Google, or any other search engine. A ban on a search engine is about as bad as it can get if you are trying to optimize your results. Lucky for you, it is very difficult to get banned or blacklisted by Google. However, people make mistakes and these are a few things from Google’s Guidelines and Rules to keep in mind when uploading content to your site.
AVOID Link Schemes!
There are a few different types of link schemes. The most important ones to avoid are intentionally paying for links to and from your website and using too many links that are unnatural. As long as you keep it natural and don’t overdo the links you should be fine.
AVOID Hidden Text!
Hidden text is pretty self-explanatory. Some examples of hidden text include hiding text behind photos or using the same text color as the background of the web page. DO NOT do this. Search engine spiders can detect this and will penalize you for it.
AVOID Keyword Schemes!
There are many different types of keyword schemes. The most important one to avoid with your content is keyword stuffing. A lot of people make the mistake of using too many keywords within their content. Google will penalize you for using too many keywords. DO NOT overuse these.
For the most part, getting banned or blacklisted on Google is a pretty tough task. Most of the time a ban is the result of an intentional violation of Google rules and guidelines. These are still important things to keep in mind so that you do not end up getting penalized by Google!
Stay Organic and Create High Quality Content
I think this is pretty obvious. You want to provide the best Quality Content to visitors of your web page. This should be a no brainer. Approach the quality of content on your web page just as you would approach the quality of a service or product offered to a customer. It needs to be worth the visitor’s time. When they leave your page it should leave a positive, lasting impression on them. There are a few reasons for this.
First, high quality content provides value to the web page visitor. The substance of the content is critical. If a visitor perceives the content as being valuable, your web page has the potential to gain more visitors via word of mouth. Nobody wants to visit a web page that doesn’t give someone value.
Second, Google analyzes the quality of your content. This is determined by the “Pogo Stick” rate in Google’s search engine algorithms. “Pogo Sticking” is when someone visits a web page, then quickly backs out of that page back to the search results page on Google. Google uses a web page’s “Pogo Stick” rate to determine the quality of the content. If you have a high “Pogo Stick” rate, Google will penalize you by lowering your web pages search engine results. Make your page worth visiting so this doesn’t happen.
Third, keep your content grammatically correct, organized, and well spelled. This goes a long way. Having content that looks nice and has good flow will only help. If you are running out of ideas, try using something from your positive reviews. It will reduce your pogo stick rate and keep visitors interested in your web page. It will increase the credibility of the site and look more professional. No one wants to work with an amateur.
Too Much or Too Little Could Hurt you
One of the most important factors to good search engine results is finding what I call the “Sweet Spot”. The “Sweet Spot” applies to every aspect of search engine optimization. Various aspects include keywords, links, images, title, META tags, and more. Finding the “Sweet Spot” is absolutely critical. As said earlier, if you intentionally do too much to optimize search engine results, Google will find a way to penalize you. However, if you do not do enough then you are basically penalizing yourself for not providing enough quality information and content to improve your own search engine results. Provide the best quality content that is full of value to the visitor first and foremost, and then find the “Sweet Spot” in regards to everything else so that you can boost your results exponentially!
My Final Thoughts
Optimizing search engine results isn’t done over night. It takes practice and experimentation to find what might work best for you. My advice plus experimentation is a good start down the path towards better search engine results. However, continuous self-education on the best SEO practices is a must. Since the Internet is always changing, you will have to stay on top of the latest trends and practices. Stay persistent with it and you are bound to see positive results down the road.
