In this post I'm sharing 10 simple SEO steps that anyone with a blog or website can take to help optimize their content.
Steps 1-5 are one-and-done. Set aside a Saturday to morning to knock them out – you only have to do them once!
Steps 6-10 are ongoing as you add content to your website!
1. Install an SSL Certificate
Google ranks sites that have https (instead of http) higher. Learn how to set one up (possibly for free) here.
2. Optimize Your Images
Add ALT text to your images so Google can read them and smush them so your pages load faster. Learn more in this guest post I wrote here.
3. Check your website on your phone
If you’re anything like me, you go to more websites from your phone than your computer. Having a mobile-responsive website is more important than ever.
If your website doesn’t resize automatically to fit the device that’s accessing it, Google is going to send you down in rankings. It’s just a not a good experience for users.
Make sure your website is easy to read on mobile devices. Google looks at this too! If you're in need of an update, check out my Free 5 Day Website Challenge where I teach you how to build a website that looks great on any device.
4. Consider AMP-ing your best content
Accelerated Mobile Pages, or AMP, are pages that are designed to load super fast on mobile. Google ranks them higher than non-amp pages when all other factors are equal. You can learn more in the guest post I wrote for Thrive!
5. Submit a sitemap to Google
I show you how to do this in the Free 5 Day Website Challenge!
6. Do key-question research
Instead of trying to optimize for single words, write content that answers questions. If you're anything like the rest of the internet, you ask Google questions. Use keyword research to help you figure out what questions people are asking. Get more details on exactly how to do research here!
7. Put your key-questions in the right places
Include your key-questions in your blog post title, URL, first paragraph and at least one other place in your post. Use the Yoast SEO plugin to help you. I show you how to use it in the Free 5 Day Website Challenge!
8. Add Internal and External Links
Link to at least two of your own blog posts and two other websites or blogs. More on why Google likes that here.
9. Use categories and tags
Categories and tags help your readers know what your blog is about, but should also be keywords that someone would search for. “Stuff I love” is not a useful category, even if you like it.
Categories are the general topics that your blog covers whereas tags are the specific subjects in your blog posts. So maybe “Fall Outfits” is a category, and then boots, scarves, and jackets are all tags.
10. Put your content on Pinterest and/or YouTube.
Both platforms are search engines themselves, and content on both platforms show up in Google search results.
