What is Important in SEO?

Written by Kevin Chow on .

What is Important in SEO? In the 90s and early 2000s, SEO primarily revolved around getting a website listed on popular directories, stuffing it with whatever terms you were optimizing for, and crowding the Meta data for search engines to assess. However, the web metrics and algorithms used by search engines to index and rank web content have advanced dramatically to provide users with the most appropriate, reliable, and superior quality recommendations for any particular search word or phrase. The intricacies and value of search engine optimization services have also evolved greatly to match the developments of search engines, but this has not made it easier for SEO experts to deliver the top spots in search engine results. 


Those who have researched SEO are aware of how complex the process may be overall. There are numerous factors that contribute to the success of an SEO campaign, but don’t let these stop you from building your website’s rank. Search engine optimization revolves around assisting your prospective clients to find your business online, which can be successfully attained by focusing your efforts on the following vital elements: 


1. Keywords 

Since the beginning of Search Engine Optimization, keywords have remained the most important element for a successful online marketing endeavor to date. Keywords are what searches are matched against. As such, any attempt to optimize a site or web page should start with researching the keywords. Unless you are able to identify the keywords that best identify your business, and relate to the searches of your prospective customers, you will end up wasting your time and money in online marketing without first researching key aspects of your business. 


When choosing the appropriate keywords to optimize for, you should also consider the keywords used by your competitors. The web will always be populated with web pages with content that is similar to yours, which can almost make it almost impossible to maintain top rating with a single keyword. It is normally advised to use two-word or three-word phrases for your keywords. 


After identifying the right keywords, you need to populate your website with those words. Keyword density, or recurrence of the keyword, is an indication of the relevance of that page to that keyword. A 3-5% density is ideal for the main keywords, and 1-2% for minor keywords. In addition, your keywords should be strategically placed for better ranking. Special places include the URL, page title, first paragraph, and the headings. 


2. Content 

Knowing your keywords is one thing, but you cannot simply place them in strategic places in an incomprehensible manner. While the content will be read and ranked by machines, it is meant to promote your sales as well. This means that it must be clear, concise and beneficial to users who land on your page after being directed there by search results. 

Some of the characteristics of good SEO content include: usefulness and engaging to human readers, ability to improve search engine ranking, and ability to attract links from other websites. You should also avoid spam and duplicate content since search engines may view your pages as redundant. The algorithm of search engines is updated regularly, but if you keep your content fresh, relevant and friendly to your audience, your rank will continue to push forward. 


What is Important in SEO?


3. Backlinks 

There are two kinds of links: inbound and outbound. Backlinks are also referred to as inbound links, and refer to links that come from another website to yours. Outbound links refer to the links on your website that direct people to other websites. 

Backlinks are important for SEO since they show the popularity of that site, or its importance, which gives it a sense of credibility to search engines. Backlinks are often more relevant when those websites are prominent and have similar content to yours. It is difficult to influence other websites to link to your website, which means that search engines recognize natural links built over time. You also rank higher if the text used in the hyperlink (anchor text) contains one of your keywords. 


4. Meta tags 

Meta tags include description tags and Meta keywords, which are basically a summary of the content in a particular page specifically placed for search engine crawlers. The Meta description tag for instance, contains a brief of your site, directing search engines to topics and themes that your website is relevant to. Search engines display the Meta description below the link to your webpage, which means that a well-written description can boost your traffic. Meta keywords were crucial for SEO in the past, but the algorithms have changed, making them less important. 


There are other factors that are important in SEO, but those are not as critical as the four mentioned above. If you address these elements, you will have taken a big leap forward in attracting more targeted traffic to your website and bringing your business to the next level.

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