In Part 4, I discussed several methods you should consider in selecting and considering to best identify the best topic and category keywords for search engine success.
In this part, I will discuss what I have learned about two types of SEO strategies, “On-Page” and “Off-Page” optimization. On page strategy means “how you set up your page with your theme and keyword category etc.” The off-page strategy uses various techniques to gain backlinks to your site. “Backlinks” are connected to other websites, meaning people link your website to yours. The idea is to get links placed on sites that are considered high authorities within your niche. This increases your potential to rank higher in search engines.
For example, websites like Wikipedia, university sites (.edu), and government sites (.gov) generally have higher authority and are harder to get backlinks to, making them harder to compete against. Again, by competing against, I mean the competition that comes from getting your website to the potential first page of a search.
key takeaways
The On-Page strategy is an important part of the success of your website, since it involves the factors over which you have the most control. A consensus, based on what I’ve researched, seems to be that to optimize your website, on-page SEO should account for 20-30% of your total effort. Your on-page strategy involves the information on your website and how effective your target audience is finding it. Emphasis on On-Page optimization is one of the easiest tasks to accomplish.
The following are the five main strategies described in the literature. While many on-page strategies can be used on your website, the basic elements of an on-page strategy to consider that, in turn, give you a better chance of being found by the search engine include:
- Domain Name (Page URL = Your Web Address): You should choose a domain name that is as close as possible to your chosen keyword for your site’s topic and niche. Sometimes finding a domain name for your site is harder than it sounds, as many domains have been bought by other parties to resell. You may have to settle for a domain name close to your chosen keyword topic with some kind of prefix or suffix.
- Page Title – Your page must be unique and describe the content of your page. You should try to start the title page with the keyword of your target topic. The goal is to put important keywords in your title tags. Using both the singular and plural and/or variations of each keyword can increase the potential for a search engine to locate your site.
- Meta Keywords: Meta keywords are the words you have researched that describe or identify your niche. Be sure to place them in the appropriate admin area of your website. This area can be in different places depending on the software your website is written on. These metaword areas can be in the form of a list that requires keywords to be separated by commas. It is important to build them carefully for the best effect.
- Heading Tags – The best method is to use “H1” heading tags more effectively. The H1 tag usually has a larger font size, H2 the next size, and H3 – H6 has a smaller scale. This use of H1 heading tags will help to elevate your important keywords within your site, as the keywords contained in these heading tags are considered more important to search engines.
The following are other considerations that I have found beneficial:
- Subject and Category Keywords: It is suggested that you use your subject keyword at least within the first and last sentence of your article or blog page. As discussed, you need to make sure that you have good category keywords. This is an ongoing effort!
- “Alt Tag” and Image Description Text: Always name your image to include your keywords if possible. Google or other “bots” cannot read images found on web pages. The solution is to use descriptive text called ‘alt’ tags. The ‘alt’ tag is a very short description of the image or graphic, and is displayed or appears when you move the cursor over the image. By using your keywords more effectively in the image description and alt tags, you provide more opportunities for the search engine to index your keywords.
- Meta Description – It is very important to write a good description, as this is the main description text that will be displayed on the search results page when a search has been performed. The description should contain your relevant topic and category keywords. The goal is to ensure that this description does not exceed approximately 150 characters, as additional characters will not be displayed on search results pages. Think of this like writing a message on Twitter that is limited to 140 characters.
- Highlight Keywords: It is suggested that you have at least three thematic keywords in your text and make one bold, one italic, and finally one underlined. It is suggested that you use your topic keyword at least within the first and last sentence of your article or blog page.
- Internal Links: You must include links within your post to other posts or pages on the site or to links containing your keywords within your site. Your identified keywords are those relevant to your posts.
One key point: once you’ve optimized your web pages, you should review them regularly as part of your ongoing continual improvement process to make sure your topic and category keywords still align with your overall strategy.
As stated in Part 1, “There’s a Jungle Out There” and this makes website optimization with SEO basics an essential part of your website’s survival in the social media jungle.
I will continue to listen to as many teachers and specialists on the web who are, as far as I can tell, credible. My vision is to continue to improve my understanding of SEO optimization and to continually review and update my websites to optimize them to the highest degree possible.
As the “Social Media Jungle” is always changing and growing, we all need to remain vigilant about the best strategy to follow. New SEO methods and the way search engines are changing will always provide an opportunity to develop better methods for our sites to be found on the Internet.