Simply put, there are some quick SEO tricks and optimization techniques that you could perform on an otherwise slow Friday afternoon (or a busy Monday morning, it’s up to you!). Keep in mind that there are hundreds of factors that come into play when  Google and other search engines determine where and how to rank your website. Focusing efforts on a few relevant, valuable keywords is a great idea as well. See a competitor coming up for a keyword? Chances are, you will want to do the same. Follow some of these quick search engine optimization tips and they will go a long way in growing your website’s online presence and overall relevance/importance.

  1. Anchor text
    This is another word for link text. How about, instead of having the words Read More as a link at the end of your article or blog post, create a link with some text such as: more ways to improve your golf swing. They are not only more relevant to the user, but they can help everyone in the long run. It helps build relevance on your website, and if another website is linking to yours, it will help build your authority and relevance for that search key phrase.
  2. Page titles
    Way too often I see websites with either the exact same Page Title for every single page, or something meaningless such as : Home | Company Inc. While there is a limit to what search engines will display, use the space to your advantage. Something such as: Golf Clubs and Golf Bags | Golf Manufacturer Inc. is much more useful to a potential visitor. NOTE : Also, if their search keywords are in your Page Title, they will be bolded, which is a big plus.
  3. META description
    The text found immediately under the Page Title is what is known as the Page Description and it’s purpose is precisely that. It is meant to describe the content located on that page. Many, MANY websites miss the boat entirely and either let Google decide what to insert, which can have detrimental effects, or even worse, have the same description on every page, rendering them useless.
  4. ALT tag for images and media
    You see a great flowchart, or a fantastic photograph. Google sees… well… nothing. Help search engines figure out exactly what your images are, by applying an ALT property to them. ALT=”2011 Revenue Chart” is better than just providing the file name: revcht2011.jpg.
  5. Optimize images
    Besides the obvious benefit of decrease page load times for users, Google has gradually increased its impact on calculating search rankings. It makes perfect sense. If Website A loads faster than Website B, it should be rewarded. As with all of these other tweaks, don’t expect it to shoot you to #1 in the rankings, but optimizing images is something that should always be done.
  6. Proper content formatting
    Not all text on a page is of equal importance. For instance, the title on this page ’10 Quick Search Engine Optimization Tricks’ has a level of Heading 2 associated with it. This tells search engines that this is more important than something contained within the ‘paragraph’ level.  is  This one is tricky, because it might require SOME html knowledge. In fact, if you use a CMS such as WordPress or our own system Aumbry, flipping over to code or html view will show you exactly how your articles and pages are laid out. Visit this page for a good representation of which tags are important and in what order.
  7. Inner Linking
    If your website has multiple pages, covering a range of topics, products or services, inner linking can be very beneficial. Instead of relying on the navigation alone, provide useful, relevant links for visitors within an article or product page that lead them to another page within your site. It doesn’t only help them, it can aid in the search engine crawling process. Make sure you follow my#1 tip of using good anchor text though.
  8. Avoid duplication
    This is more of a general rule than anything, however it goes hand in hand with nearly every tip on this list. Whether it’s content, page titles or page descriptions, ensuring things are unique from page to page is imperative in order for search engines to effectively crawl and index your website. There are certainly exceptions to this rule, such as navigation, RSS feeds and embedded media, but it’s best to keep things fresh from page to page.
  9. Relevant URLs
    What makes more sense to you? www.site.com/product.php?id=1235&sort=2 or www.site.com/golf-clubs/callaway/9-iron.html? The answer is rather obvious. However, not only do you see the 2nd URL and immediately know what you’re looking at, but so do search engines. This plays a role in their calculations and is a feature offered by many CMS tools out there, either by default or as a plugin. The ability to customize the URL is even more useful.
  10. Quality, relevant content!
    I’m pretty sure I’ve stressed the importance of content in every single blog post written so far, but I cannot say it enough. Good content = Search Results = Website Visitors. It’s then up to the sales funnel, navigation, etc. to convert those visitors into leads and eventually into customers. Set aside time to write good content, and if you aren’t happy with it a week later, or if it is not producing the results you expected, change it! Nothing is set in stone on the web, so if something isn’t working, try something else.

Depending on your comfort level, some of these tips will be more difficult to perform than others. Using a good CMS will make them very easy to manage, among many other benefits. Call us or email us at Glacier Digital, or leave a comment if you have any questions or comments. Or, if you have another quick tip, feel free to drop us a line!

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