Search engine optimization should be an essential element in any marketing plan. But how is a marketer supposed to keep up with new changes when search engines update their algorithms frequently? In this article we have collected ten other methods of website optimization recommended by experts in the field.

Optimize the website logo and favicon

One way to optimize the logo is to rename the file. It is not enough for it to be renamed only “logo”! Add the name of the business, like this: “logo-optimpro.png”. Since it’s an image, you can also add an alternative description so that search engines can read the file’s subject more easily.

A favicon is a small file, which is most often displayed as an icon next to the page name in the tab. When it comes to uploading it to the website, don’t forget to add a file (recommended logo) in square format.

Optimize your page titles!

When optimizing your page titles, consider adding your main keywords to help search engines and users easily find out what those pages are about.

Here are some other SEO best practices related to title optimization:

• Each page must have a unique and representative attribute</p>
• The title must be specific
• It is recommended that titles have less than 60 characters
• The main page is also included in the title optimization process

Optimizing meta descriptions

Attention to meta descriptions! They are also displayed in search engine results. So, you have to take advantage of them in such a way as to attract users, thus obtaining high traffic.

Search the brand on Google!

We’ve all Googled our names at least once, it’s no secret. But did you also search for the name of the business? What is being said in the online world about it? You need to make sure of the brand’s reputation before moving on to the next steps. You have an extraordinarily well-optimized website for nothing, if only bad rumors about the business circulate on the Internet.

Optimize the sitelinks of your pages!

Sitelinks are those hyperlinks that appear in certain search results below the main link. They help users to know the pages of a website and to access them more easily. Well-optimized sitelinks can increase the click-through rate and, implicitly, bring more traffic. Even if they cannot be optimized directly, there are some methods by which you can influence their display.

Here are some tips you can implement:

• Make sure the website appears in a high position for keywords that contain the brand name.
• Create a simple website structure so that it does not contain more than 3 levels. The website menu should reflect its simple structure.
• Include in the main page references to other important pages in the website (such as the services page, blog or contact).

Optimize pages for featured snippets

The main fragments or featured snippets are text structures that appear in a higher position in the search results, so that they quickly answer users’ questions. The content displayed in the fragment is extracted from the text of the page.

Google loves lists, so it finds them useful within main snippets. For example, you can search for “cheesecake recipe”, “Coca-Cola” or “what is meta?”, and the search engines will display fragments of text, lists or even tables that will answer your questions.

Here are some ways you can optimize your main snippets:

• Place lists at the top of the page.
• Add an <h2> or <h3> heading above the table or list.
• Don’t forget to use <li> and <ul> tags to structure the list.

Check the existence and consistency of <H1>tags! 

By using the H1 tag, you will indicate to the search engines the main topic of the pages. Optimizing them according to the desired keywords and the user’s intent, the pages will gain more visibility.

Here are some tips for optimizing H1 tags:

• The H1 tag should not be the same as the page title.
• The H1 tag must be visible to users.
• Use only one H1 tag per page.

Optimize H2, H3, etc. tags.

• Use title tags only if necessary. You can highlight certain ideas or subtitles with bold or italics.
• Use headings to structure content.
• Use subheadings wisely. If there is little information, you can only use <H1> and <H2>. 

Include your targeted keywords in the first paragraph!

By doing a thorough keyword research, you will be able to know how to optimize your content. One of the SEO practices tells us that the desired keywords should be included in the first paragraph on the page. Thus, Google will be able to know that the page includes the subject related to the keywords used.

Make sure each page has enough text content!

Search engines understand text better (and easier) than any other type of content. So try to include text on all pages. A page consisting only of images or videos is not SEO friendly.

Conclusion

It would be naive to think that the entire field of SEO could be covered in just a few articles. Learning the basics of search engine optimization takes a lot of time and knowledge. Therefore, we invite you to consult the following guide for more information and useful tips.