“What exactly is SEO?”
“Is it tough to practice good SEO?”
“I’m starting a website. What can I do to make it SEO-friendly?”
If you’re new to SEO, these are questions that might have crossed your mind. As an SEO content agency in Singapore, we’ve learned quite a lot about SEO through our own study and helping clients with these needs.
In today’s online search landscape, it’s almost impossible to escape SEO. Unless you don’t want more traffic for your site. In this article, we’ll clarify some common questions and share SEO tips and tricks that you can put into practice right away.
But first, what is SEO?
SEO, short for Search Engine Optimisation, is all about improving your website’s (company.com) or webpage’s (company.com/website) ranking on search engines.
And when it comes to search engines, we aren’t just referring to Google.
Since we’re talking about ‘Search Engine Optimisation’ here, SEO can apply for any search engine. Whether it’s Bing, Yahoo, GoGoDuck, or eCommerce platforms like Lazada and Amazon, SEO comes into play.
Is SEO difficult?
It actually isn’t. Today, search engines like Google monitor almost all kinds of online content activity. If you’re running a site, you might practically be doing SEO every day.
For example, creating a job post and linking it back to your website is a practice that improves your SEO. So does posting a picture on Pinterest using your company account. When it comes to optimising SEO, it isn’t only about building links back to your site, it’s also about creating meaningful relationships between them.
How can I get ahead in the SEO game?
Want to climb Google’s search rankings? Here are some simple SEO tips, some of which you might already be doing:
- Get listed on online directories like Yellow Pages and Google Business
- Create job posts on sites such as Glintz and JobStreet
- Contribute guest posts on other platforms
- Respond to queries on forums like Quora with your company name and website
- Create social media accounts—whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or Dribbble
The list can go on, but the above are just a few easy tips you can start with. Doing all of these can significantly improve your site’s reputation and domain ranking, boosting your SEO performance.
Any SEO content agency in Singapore will tell you this: the more you practice SEO, the more you’ll understand that it boils down to helping search engines recognise that your site is authoritative and serves users’ needs well.
Optimising SEO for your website
Are you a web designer or content creator working on a new website?
If you’re a designer, you probably know that intuitive design and beautiful visuals are key to a great user experience. However, it’s also worth keeping in mind that for users to experience your work, the site needs good SEO so people can find it in the first place.
It’s somewhat similar for content creators. Quality content is itself a hallmark of good SEO. But deliberate and well-executed SEO practices can take things to a new level, so your content ranks well and more people get to enjoy it.
Whether you’re site owner, designer, or content creator, here are some best practices that will benefit your site’s SEO:
Optimise for keywords
Use your most valuable keywords in your titles and headings, and of course your body content. Remember not to “stuff” too many keywords on the same page. Doing so can be counter-productive for your SEO.
Don’t overlook meta titles and meta descriptions
Check that all these are optimised. For example, a great meta description should be of an optimum length, entices people to click into the page, and contains the target keywords.
Images can help your SEO too
Where possible, use unique images you’ve created. Also, remember to optimise your image file names and alt text. Include your targeted keywords in them, and ensure they accurately reflect what the image is about.
Keep an eye on load times
Your content needs to load fast. If you’re leveraging SEO as a core means to generate leads, minimise the use of animation as they can slow down your site.
Constantly refresh your content
Regular content updates are great for SEO. If you update your site’s blog frequently, put your blog on your homepage. That way, search engines can easily tell that your site is always updated with fresh content.
Spend more time on your company profile and product/service descriptions
Aim to make the content genuinely useful and relevant for your audience.
Will your SEO improve if you publish more content?
The short answer is yes and no.
Yes, if the additional volume of content you put out is relevant, useful, and SEO-friendly.
No, if you’re publishing more content that’s repetitive, over-optimised for SEO, or of low quality.
If you’re working with an SEO content agency that’s helping you to create content, you need to make sure their content actually adds value to your target audience.
Learn how SEO articles that address your audiences’ needs can boost your site’s SEO.
Over the years, search engines have become more intelligent at differentiating useful content from spammy ones. Today, Google is much smarter at telling whether your content is relevant and if it addresses what users are searching for.
If you publish lots of content that seems spammy rather than helpful, it won’t help your SEO. In fact, your SEO might even suffer.
That’s it for this post. In subsequent ones, we’ll share more simple SEO tips that can take your site further.