Keyword research can be a difficult task to tackle if you’re not starting with a strategy. So I recommend starting with the topics your blog will cover and then expanding or narrowing your reach from there. For an in-depth tutorial, check out our guide to keyword research. One way to positively influence this SEO factor is to implement a historical optimization strategy.

According to current search engine algorithms, not all backlinks are created equal. For example, Google’s system prefers backlinks that come from a trusted and authoritative host domain. Since backlinks are one of the most important overall factors for page ranking, it’s worth taking the time to create a backlink strategy that builds relationships with large websites.

Low-value content consists of pages and posts that search engines and visitors do not consider valuable. Preventing search engines from indexing irrelevant content helps maintain your authority. Alt tags or alt text make your images more accessible. They describe what images look like for search engines.

Search engines are even more likely to recommend images with readable filenames. Therefore, use readable file names instead of ID-based tags such as IMG_0001.jpg. Unfortunately, search engines often rewrite meta descriptions with snippets they find in the post. Portent’s research shows that Google ignores custom snippets 68% of the time for desktop and 71% for mobile SERPs.

You can also improve your search engine rankings by using SEO-friendly videos and images. Create structured data and metadata (for example, meta tags, descriptions), and use mobile usability tools to monitor mobile speed and accessibility issues. In the same vein, it’s worth optimizing the meta tags of each individual page to prevent search what is search console insights engines from confusing similar pages with duplicate content in their crawl. This article is an excellent example of an SEO post itself. While all the techniques are familiar to the average blogger, they are all true. But don’t be put off by that: stick to best practices for SEO, work, exploit long-tail keywords and the results will come.

Some issues can be resolved by adding a canonical tag to the page you want to index or by preventing those pages from being indexed. To prevent search engines from interpreting them as the same content, optimize the meta tags on each page. This tactic requires a bit of research, as you first need to find broken links on pages of relevant websites. Since your change is likely to help improve the user experience and page readability, it can be an easier sale than you think.

Off-page factors include links, social media engagement, and marketing efforts. Many companies spend a lot of time chasing these off-page activities, but you don’t want to neglect your on-page SEO optimization. On-page SEO factors are really the elements over which you have the most control. The practice of search engine optimization has become standard for any website that is serious about ranking among the best results in search engines. While SEO is so important, it can still be difficult to know exactly what changes you need to make to improve your chances of ranking higher.

Headlines can help with the style of your search engine ranking page. Header tags carry more weight in search engine rankings because they make it easier for users to browse a page. The body header, known as the H1 tag, is the first part a person sees when viewing your site. Subsections are also useful for search engine ranking because they help organize the page. An organic search result is the biggest driver of all website traffic, so it’s imperative to rank as high as possible in a search query. Google recently released the Useful Content Update, which focuses on content that puts people first.

This includes, but is not limited to, full-page interstitials on mobile devices that hinder the user experience. The desktop version of a site can be difficult to view and use on a mobile device. As a result, having a mobile-friendly site is critical to your online presence. Since the end of 2016, Google has even started experiments to primarily use the mobile version of a site’s content to classify, analyze, and generate snippets of structured data.