Does Google index your website?
If your pages aren’t indexed by Google, you can’t be seen there either – it’s that simple. My first tip is therefore basic technical SEO, making sure that the content you want to rank for is indexed by the search engine.
The easiest way to check this is via the Google Search Console tool, where you can see how many of your pages are indexed and how many are not.
All the pages you want to drive traffic to via the search engine must be indexed (“Valid” in the Search Console view). Alternatively, you can do it manually on Google through a search like this: “site:seo-tips.se” (with your domain).
Do you have a XML sitemap?
An XML sitemap is a way to make it clear for the search engines which pages you have on your website. In the sitemap, you can specify which pages should be indexed (i.e. visible on Google) and which should not.
You can get by without too, especially if you have an effective internal linking strategy, but the sitemap is recommended regardless, especially if you have a large and complex site.
I usually recommend XML-Sitemap where you easily can build sitemaps automatically.
Do you have HTTPS?
If you still have http:// in your URLs, it’s time to migrate to HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure).
Already in 2017, some browsers (e.g. Chrome) started marking pages that lacked HTTPS as insecure pages. In practice, this means that the URL field says “Not secure”.
By fixing this on your domain, you can improve the bounce rate and get more value from the organic traffic you already generate, which can indirectly also affect your rankings.
Contact us, policy pages and about us
As seen above, credibility is an increasingly important factor affecting your rankings. As SEO guru Brian Dean points out, there are several signals Google considers to determine a website’s credibility, including:
- Links to your policy pages (terms & conditions etc.)
- “About us page” is easily accessible
- Contact information
- References / sources in certain types of posts
Therefore, make sure you have these easily accessible, for example in the footer.
Local SEO
Search engine optimization within specific geographic areas (Local SEO) is an important part of the process if you run a local business.
This includes maintaining and optimizing:
- Google My Business profile to appear on Search and Google Maps with your business name.
- Customer reviews and good ratings.
Unique SEO title with keyword
SEO title (title-tag) is the title that appears for every search result on Google and can be decisive if you end up, or stay, on the first page of the SERP (Search Engine Ranking Page).
- It should always include the landing page’s primary keywords.
- It should be captivating and make visitors click on your particular search result.
Keywords in (h1, h2, h3)
Headings also have an important place among my search engine optimization tips. The most important heading on your landing pages is the main H1 heading. Namely, it is one of the primary elements that search engines use to determine what your content is about.
Therefore, check that you have the keyword in your H1s on all landing pages and that you only have one main heading on each page to avoid duplicates. In the other headings (h2, h3, etc.) you can use related keywords more freely.
A tip for search-optimizing headlines is to use long-tail keywords when relevant. It is thus longer phrases that have searches and include the keyword. Another good tip is to compare your keywords to your competitors. I would recommend Wordstream.
