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SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is all about making your website look great to Google (and other search engines) and appearing at the top of search results when people search for related topics.
Many factors can determine whether your site will appear on page 1 (page 2, page 3, or page 57) of the search results, and while most of them are completely out of your control, there are still steps you can take in order to increase your chances of appearing in a favorable position.
- Make your website accessible for mobile devices
More and more people are using mobile devices to access the Internet, and using responsive design can make it easier for your readers to navigate, and these are the themes I recommend.
- make your website load fast
Remove content from your site that affects speed, use as few plugins as possible, and don't use random widgets, gadgets and applications. With this tool you can check your site speed, a score of 80 or more is ideal.
- Optimize images
Do not upload images directly from the camera to the website, you need to adjust the resolution, compress the size, and use alt tags.
- understand and use keywords
A key word is a word or phrase that summarizes the content of a paragraph.
If you are a blogger or website owner, then a keyword is a word or phrase related to the content of your page; if you are a user of a search engine, a keyword is the main phrase you enter into Google or other search engines.
Now that you know about keywords, use them consciously when writing your articles so that search engines know what your content is about and how to categorize it.
- use long-tail keywords
Long-tail keywords contain more than three words, where the use of the keyword designation seems a bit inappropriate, as they are more like phrases or sentences. Long-tail keywords usually return better search results and are therefore more useful to bloggers and website owners.
As it stands now, short keywords containing only one or two words (such as dog or cake recipes) are difficult to rank well for because of the large number of sites that are competing. Therefore, it may be better to use longer, more specific keywords.
- Do not use too many of the same keywords
To improve SEO results, some people use keywords in an unnatural way. Search engines take direct notice of such tactics, and when they see too many keywords, they usually mark the site as spam.
Also, don't use the exact same keywords over and over in your content. If you're talking about mowing lawns, use how to properly edge, types of mowers, and the best brands of mowers, among others, in addition to mowing lawns. Some users may be looking for related ideas or concepts, and a rich combination of keywords can be effective in attracting potential visitors.
- SEO plugin using Yoast
Yoast SEO plugin provides you with a lot of SEO features without you having to think about it yourself. This plugin is quite reliable and free.
- Get valuable backlinks
A backlink is an incoming link to one of your web pages, that is, an article on another website that contains your web address.
As far as we know, the number and type of backlinks can affect your search engine optimization. Some backlinks are good and some are bad. But unfortunately, you can't always control who links to you, but you can do something to get good backlinks.
You can try posting on well-received sites or work to build meaningful relationships with others so that when they share your content, you will benefit from those backlinks.
- Change fixed links carefully
After posting content, do not change the fixed link on the entire site (Settings → Fixed Links) or on individual posts, unless you redirect the old URL to the new URL.
Every time you post a piece of content on your website, a unique URL is automatically assigned. if you change the URL that has been posted, anywhere this link has been shared (on other websites, social media, etc.), it will no longer be valid, and such dead links are bad for SEO.
- your absolute best SEO tips
Many bloggers are worried about the SEO of their websites and many times they always ask: what should be done to improve their SEO. the truth of the matter is that we don't do any SEO on purpose and we don't install SEO plugins.
The most important thing is to write great content. Great content is the only thing that can withstand various search algorithm changes in the long run, and you should write original, reliable, high-quality content. Many people spend a lot of time and money on SEO, but in the long run, publishing quality content on a regular basis is the best SEO for you.
Summary
Is SEO real? Yes.
Does good SEO work for ranking? Absolutely.
However, if you are like me and have very limited time, then reduce the pressure on your SEO. Pay attention to the tips above, but most importantly: write great content! Write what works!