SEO best practices are the strategies currently used by today’s experts that produce results and push your content to the top of the SERP.
Different sources will provide countless SEO best practices. The truth is that the type of SEO that qualifies as a best practice will depend largely upon the business itself, its competitors and its customers.
Learning about SEO best practices is wildly important considering that one study shows that 75% of search engine users never make it past the first SERP. If your content is not included in the top 10 search engine results, most consumers will never see it.
There are infinite possibilities for improving SEO and ranking higher on Google. Depending on who you ask, the list of best practices will differ. Among the most commonly considered best practices are:
- Including Keywords Early in Your Content. Keywords are important because they connect search engine users with your content. Keywords make it possible for users to find your site. Using them often will improve SEO, but where you place them also matters. Google pays attention to what appears at the beginning of your page and so should you.
- Design Unique Content. Being careful to avoid duplicate content is one of the most important things you can do when it comes to SEO. Aim for 100% unique content. This includes titles, headers, meta description tags, and images.
- Optimize Loading Speed. Google keeps its algorithm very close to the vest. However, they do, from time to time, talk about ranking signals on their webmaster blog. Loading speed is one of them.
- Track Results and Make Data-Driven Decisions. You can’t manage what you don’t measure, so be sure to leverage tools like Google Search Console. When you track impressions and click-throughs, you can assess if your SEO strategy is effective or if you should realign your efforts.