Keeping up with the changes in the SEO world is a challenge.

Sometimes, even experts with years of experience find themselves stumped by some of the updates and algorithm changes that Google rolls out. In order to stay on top of the SEO game, it’s crucial to always follow the newest developments in the industry and look for reliable SEO optimization tips from experts.

With that in mind, we decided to put together a list of useful and effective search engine optimization tips that will help you navigate the world of SEO more comfortably.

Read on, and you’ll find 11 actionable tips for search engine optimization that you can use in all of your campaigns as soon as today.

Use Google!

When trying to rank on Google, it makes sense to go on Google to do research, right?

The simplest and most vital Google search optimization tips is to use the search option to gain valuable insights.

By typing in the keywords that you want to rank for and analyzing the top competitors, you can start seeing trends and commonalities that will give you a much better idea of what you need to do to take their place.

Theory and preparation are important, but sometimes you need to dig deep into your specific situation and find what you need to do to succeed.

Page Speed

Google absolutely loves fast websites.

So much so, that it will rank sites lower if they take too much time to load, displaying faster sites higher in the search rankings.

One of the most crucial search engine optimization tips is that if you want an easy way to get on the good side of Google, all you need to do is to make sure that all of your pages load lightning fast.

Do Your Keyword Research!

In the SEO world, keywords are like a roadmap that helps you figure out the best approach for any specific SEO campaign.

If you can identify which keywords are used by your very best customers, then you’ll have a clear target for what you need to do to get in front of those people and get an influx of relevant traffic to your site.

Still, even though keyword research is crucial…

Don’t Just Optimize for Keywords

Instead, optimize for intent.

The old days of SEO are over, and today, it’s not just about how many times you mention a keyword on a page. Therefore, our search engine optimization advice is this:

First, look at the intent behind the search query, then individual keywords.

In the end, you need to answer the query in the best way possible and help the visitor get the answers that he needs because otherwise, it won’t matter how many keywords your site has, as Google algorithms have become too sophisticated to fool using simple keyword stuffing.

Write Lengthy, In-Depth Content

Word count matters in today’s SEO as much as ever before.

Google deems longer articles more informative and useful, so if you can get your word count higher than your top competitors, you will be well on your way to outranking them and taking their spot at the top for your target keywords.

Aim for at least 800 words as a minimum, and more if possible, as the days of 300-400 word articles getting ranked on the first page are all but over.

 

Rank for Featured Snippets

A newer Google search optimization tip is to write brief responses that answer a search query. A brief of your page content could become a featured snippet, and this presents a huge traffic opportunity for websites that can use them correctly.

To qualify for your answer to be displayed as a featured snippet, it needs to be concise, complete, and clear. The answer must provide essential information in a few sentences or bullet points.

Don’t Forget the Basics

We can talk all day about the new and exciting opportunities that search has to offer, but you need to take care of the basics of on page SEO first.

Take the time to create targeted SEO page titles, meta descriptions, as well as article headlines so potential customers can find you. Write page titles and meta descriptions to Google’s recommended character count to improve your click-through rate.

Describe Images & Transcribe Video

A plain text page looks boring, and tedious to read. Using media is not only important for readability and user engagement but SEO as well.

Google wants users to have the best experience possible, so if your site is rich in videos and images, that can give you the extra nudge that will allow your pages to rank higher.

Our SEO optimization tip is to write alternative text describing your images and transcribe the audio from your videos.

Optimize for Mobile Users

The majority of all online traffic is now coming from mobile devices.

That means that you need to cater to this massive segment of your audience and provide a seamless experience on any device that they might be using.

Google cares about this as well, and it has even started mobile-first indexing to prove just how much mobile-friendliness matters in 2019.

Get External Links!

No matter how good your website, if you don’t have external links, you’ll have a hard time ranking for any target keyword.

Research off page SEO and the most effective ways to get quality backlinks. You need to put a plan in place to make sure that yours are better than the competition.

Leverage Internal Links

Even though links from other sites are integral, don’t forget internal links as well. Throughout this very post, I’ve internally linked to 9 pages with relevant content.

Internal links show Google that you want to help your visitors find additional information and that your content is authoritative. Both of which are crucial for ranking higher and for helping Google to better understand your site structure.

Final Words

Even though this list of search engine optimization tips is extensive, there are many more details that you’ll need to consider if you want your SEO campaign to be a success.

Luckily, you can get your entire SEO campaign created and executed from start to finish – at Sandbad, we have years of experience in dealing with clients in a range of industries and can help you develop a plan that’s right for your needs.