SEO 101 is a great starting point for anyone interested in learning about search engine optimization (SEO).
In this post, we’ll cover the basics of getting started with SEO Vancouver and some basic concepts that will help you understand how to make your website more visible to search engines with the help of right SEO Services in Vancouver. We’ll also walk through essential elements that every website should have in place.
Have You Identified Keywords?
As you might guess, keywords are the words that people search for to find your website. They’re also important because they help you get found by customers.
Some sites use paid ads to drive traffic, but most businesses have to rely on organic search results to gain new clients. Keywords help determine which sites appear in these results, so choosing the right ones is absolutely essential for any business hoping to succeed online.
To identify keywords, start with a list of categories your business falls under—for example: “electronics,” “gourmet food,” or “marketing services.” Then look at what people are already searching for in those categories and see if there’s another word or phrase that could be added on there as well—something like “best electronics store” or “cheap gourmet food.” Those are usually good starting points when trying out different variations of phrases within a specific category (such as “best electronics stores near me”).
When choosing which keyword(s) will work best for your site and its audience members’ needs/wants/demands/etc., remember that not everyone uses exactly the same key phrases when searching online; some people might include hyphens while others don’t; some will spell certain words incorrectly while others won’t bother with capitalization at all!
So keep an open mind when brainstorming potential options here; just because someone else may use one particular word over another doesn’t mean it won’t work well enough on their end either way–they might just prefer one version over another due purely personal preference reasons (or maybe something else entirely).
Do You Have an XML Sitemap?
- What is an XML sitemap? An XML sitemap is a list of all the pages on your website. It tells Google and other search engines how to crawl and index the content of your site.
- Why do I need one? Having an up-to-date, comprehensive XML sitemap will help Google find and index new pages faster. A well-organized, complete sitemap also reduces errors in indexing by letting you highlight any errors or incomplete data in your website structure.
- How do I create one? You can use a graphical tool like Screaming Frog’s Site Audit or a simple text editor like Notepad++ to generate an XML Sitemap manually (using these instructions). Alternatively, there are many third-party generators available online.
Are Your Images Optimized?
Images are the most important part of your website. They should be optimized for web use, not print. Image titles and descriptions should be included in the HTML code. Images should be named appropriately so that search engines can find them and index them properly.
Do You Have a Robots.txt File?
Have you created a robots.txt file for your website? If not, it’s time to start. A robots.txt file is a text file that tells search engine spiders what to do on your site beyond just indexing the content—it also tells them what pages on your site you want them to index or not index at all.
It’s important because it can help prevent duplicate content issues and even penalize sites that scrape content from other websites without permission (known as scraping).
Is Your Website Mobile-Friendly?
Mobile-friendly websites are important because they make it easier for people to access your content on the go. This can be especially helpful if you have an audience that is mostly mobile, such as small businesses or bloggers.
If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, Google will not rank you as highly in search results. You might also lose out on conversions or even new readers who would have come across your site had it been optimized for mobile use.
There are two ways to test whether a website is mobile-friendly: with the Google Mobile Friendly Test (or by using this tool), which analyzes the page’s code; and by actually viewing it on a smartphone or tablet computer (and seeing how well it works).
Conclusion
There are many more things that could be on your checklist, but this should get you started. If you’re looking for more information about how to get your site ready for the search engines, then hire the right SEO Services Vancouver for optimizing your website for SEO and choosing keywords for better search engine rankings.