10 Basic SEO Principles Everyone Should Know 

The SEO landscape is a kaleidoscope of shifting algorithms. Time after time, we’re constantly bombarded by seemingly endless roll-outs of algorithm updates by search engines (Google deploys 200+ factors in their algorithms to rank websites), casting a fog of uncertainty on the strategy of any digital marketer or business owner.  

Luckily, it doesn’t always have to be a game of hide and seek. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned professional, understanding SEO principles can help you maximize the effectiveness of your website and create an effective online presence. With 44% of businesses leveraging SEO to gain unpaid traffic, why shouldn’t you?

While many elements are involved in optimizing websites for search engines, getting a grasp of the basics can help you make the most out of your online presence and the best ROI on other areas of digital marketing services, such as PPC campaigns or content marketing strategy. 

Unquestionably, there’re super-technical aspects of SEO, for which you need to hire the services of a professional SEO agency. But if you’re up the DIY alley, you only need to take a few simple steps. Let’s go over 10 quickfire SEO marketing principles you can apply to get your SERP ranking on the come up without delay:

SEO Principles

Even as a non-expert, SEO principles will give you the foundation you need to make sure your online presence is as effective as possible. So make sure to brush up on your SEO knowledge to gain an edge when it comes to launching successful digital marketing initiatives that help you stay ahead of the competition:

1.Find the right keywords

With tools like Google Adword Keyword Planner, you can identify the top keywords your target audience is searching for and then infuse them strategically into your content. However, keyword use must be strategic; that is one of the essential principles of SEO. It is important that you identify the specific keywords suited to your niche that can be inserted naturally into your content. Again, keyword tools like Google Keyword Planner can come in handy. 

Then, you need to focus on keywords that are three words or longer. Compared to keywords that are just one or two words, they are much more specific and can help your content rank better. For example, the keyphrase “top SEO principles” is obviously more rewarding than inserting “SEO” and “principle” at random spots on the webpage.

2. Aim for the sweet spot with your keyword density

Keeping keyword density within the recommended bounds is another one of the top most vital SEO principles.  Like with everything else, the popular wisdom of “the more, the merrier” does not apply here. Hitting the sweet spot with your keyword density is just as important as using keywords. Just as much as the search engines look out for keywords that identify your content as important for users, they also look out for over-optimization. It usually only makes content quite unreadable, so it is penalized by search engines.

As a rule of thumb, the sweet spot for keyword density should always be somewhere between 0.75% and 2% of your content. Any more, and it may attract a penalty. To estimate keyword density, divide the number of times that the keyword is used by the total number of words in the piece.

3. Site structure is key

An estimated 93% of web traffic starts from a search engine. Users enter keywords into the search engine, and it returns a long list of websites for them to choose from. To do this, the search engines deploy crawlers that identify suitable sites, which it then adds to their index. For maximum results, you need to structure your site for not only search engine’s crawlers to easily locate key markers but also prospective users. You have only a few seconds to convince the average user that your site has what it needs, and you must build its structure to reflect that. Keep blog content structured around topics and then hyperlinked to one another to enable users to get around easily. These internal hyperlinks are crucial in convincing search engines to index your content.

4. Make your URLs search-friendly

Making your URLs search-friendly is essential for getting your website discovered by search engines. Search engine algorithms are designed to recognize certain patterns when they’re crawling websites, and having a URL that’s easy to read and understand makes it easier for them to crawl throughout the entire site. Not to mention that it’s easier for humans to link to your website too. Search engine crawlers look at several aspects of URLs when ranking sites in their index. These include keyword inclusion, length, clarity, and hierarchy. Having a well-structured URL helps ensure that crawlers can easily find all the pages on your site and get an understanding of what each page entails. This not only helps improve visibility but also ensures users have a better experience when browsing through your content because they can see exactly what the page contains. To fund success with search-friendly URLs, assume that the search engines treat content from the perspective of the users. For example, users will find it easier to read and understand “www.example.com/user-friendly-url” compared to a more abstract “www.example.com/33455”.

5. Use image descriptions

Search engines do not only read the text on your site. They also read the images. However, they cannot read text on images. What you need to do is write copious image descriptions that tell the search engines exactly what is in the images and why they are important to the users. This is not to say that you should include wordy paragraphs just to describe images in the text of your content. What you may do is utilize the “ALT” tag. “ALT” descriptions, originally designed to help visually impaired people make sense of images on the internet, allow you to write as many details as you want in your image description without boring your readers’ socks off or ruining the structure of your article.

6. Improve site speed

Nothing is as worse for user experience as a site that takes longer than a few seconds — never mind an eternity —  to load. Google search results come up in a quarter of a second, so when the user clicks through to your site, it is expected that it should take a similarly short time to come up. If this is not in place, users will bounce your page as fast as possible. And when the search engine senses that users are backing out of your site almost as soon as they click on it, it perceives your website as lacking in value, thereby demoting it further in the SERPs. But improving your website’s speed doesn’t just benefit your visitors — it can also help you rank higher in search engine results. Search engines like Google and Bing prioritize fast-loading websites and give them a rankings boost. So, improving your site speed should be a top priority if you want to get more traffic from search engines. Not only will faster loading speeds make for a better user experience overall, but it could also lead to greater visibility in the SERPs.

7. Optimize for mobile

With 46% of consumers completing their purchasing cycle — from research to payment — on a mobile device, you’re leaving money on the table if your website is not mobile-first. Unlike at the beginning of the internet age when all internet traffic passed through a PC, the majority of internet traffic today passes through mobile devices since they are usually always just within reach for the average user. So, not making sure that your site is optimized for mobile is like bolting the door from behind and wondering why there is no one at your table for Thanksgiving dinner. Granted, most website tools today, like WordPress, will automatically adapt to mobile screens. But you can’t afford to leave it to chance. Google has developed a “Mobile-friendly tool” you can use to view your site’s compatibility with mobile devices. You can also just test it on your smartphone, and those of your friends and family members, just to be sure it works well on devices of all models, operating systems, and sizes.

8. Embrace Data

It is impossible to know what you are doing perfectly and what you need to do better if there is no way for you to obtain feedback on users’ interactions with your site. Thankfully, there is yet another Google tool for this purpose – Google Analytics.This tool provides data on some of the most important metrics for gauging user experience. It’s also a great way to get insights into how your website is performing in search engines. It can help you track organic traffic, analyze the types of queries that drive visitors to your site, and discover keyword opportunities for SEO optimization. You can also use it to monitor competition and understand their strategies better. With Google Analytics, you’ll be able to identify issues with page speed, user experience, and other factors that could be holding back your rankings. In addition, Google Analytics allows you to set up goals and track conversions so you can measure ROI from your SEO efforts. All of this data makes it easier for you to make informed decisions about where to focus your marketing energy next.

9. Pay attention to your title tags

Title tags play one of the most important roles in SEO. They are used by both search engines and users to determine whether or not a site is relevant enough to rank high on the index. So, it is absolutely vital that you get them correct. Titles should appropriately describe the content of the site and contain keywords, distributed strategically. Also, make copious use of H1 and H2 sub-headers, with keywords inserted. And as much as some of your blogs may seem similar, you absolutely must never use the same title tags for 2 or more blogs; the search engine assumes they are only duplicate content, and show only one version.

10. Got offsite strategy?

It’s not enough to do everything by the book on your website. You also need an off-site strategy. One of the most popular options is to write guest articles for other websites. This approach does not only help you gain access to a new, potentially wider audience, but it also gives you a chance to include vital backlinks that will contribute to how highly the search engines rank your content. Another approach is to explore a social media profile. Social media apps like Facebook and Instagram have been shown to be one of the highest sources of click-through traffic on the internet. It would be ridiculous to just ignore the endless possibilities that lie on these apps. 

Win the SERPs with SEO

Ultimately, the central point of search engine optimization is that you have to create high-quality content to provide your audience with the best user experience possible. Search engines are built to find sites that provide the most value. So, as long as you follow these basic SEO principles toward creating top content, your site should begin to rank higher. Besides, the better the usability of your site (following SEO best practices), the higher your chances of converting visitors to paying customers. While a lot of these principle can be implemented by yourself, you need to enlist SEO marketing services of professionals who have built significant expertise in SEO services over many years for optimum results. 

Sure, professional SEO services might cost some money, but all the best things do, right? In the grand scheme of things, SEO is relatively inexpensive, with a payoff that is closely tied to the bottom line. Rather than think of it as a marketing cost, see it as an actual business investment that’ll pull in traffic for years to come. And, like with most things, it only gets better with more attention (and investment) 

If this sounds like something you’re interested in, why not reach out to us, to help you secure your brand’s spot in the SERPs?