 SEO or search engine optimization can sometimes feel like a foreign language, but it’s important to know you’re not alone in this confusion. “What is SEO?” “How can I optimize my website?” "How can I get found on Google?” These are some of the most commonly asked questions I receive as a content marketer. So, I’ve decided to not only put together a blog post answering this question, I’ve also designed a checklist you can download and have on hand for when you’re trying to optimize your site. It’s true that ensuring your site ranks on social does require an understanding of SEO, but it doesn’t have to be anything substantial. Step one: Determine your keywords Who are you as a company? What are terms people would use to describe who you are? Perhaps, you’re a “female-owned small business” or a “North Vancouver landscaping company” or a “female-owned art therapy business” or “a local restaurant near Grand Bend” or a “LGBTQ photographer”. Write a list of these types of passages. Once you’re finished, type these words into one of my favorite tools MOZ Keyword Explorer – bonus, it's free to use. You want to look for a keyword or phrase with a decent search volume, low difficulty, high organic CTR, and a high priority. Step two: Ensure the keyword or phrase is in the proper parts of your website Now that you have your keyword or phrase, you’re going to want to pop it in specific parts of your website including
Step three: Keep the language on your site simpleWhile writing your content, make sure it’s informative but also easy to read – a good rule of thumb is to write in a way a 10-year-old could understand. Surprise, surprise, I have another tool for you: the Flesch-Kincaid readability test. You’ll want to aim for a score of 70 to 80. Step four: Create an internal linking structureAn internal linking structure is the backbone of SEO, it’s what supports every other area of optimization. Ensure the pages on your site are linking to one another. For example, when you say your company name on the Home page, link that text to the About page. In addition to this, link to external sources in your content. Not only will this show your content is well researched, there’s a chance the sites you link to may see your link and link back to your content. Step five: Pop your URL in Google Search Console Once you’ve determined your keywords, added them to the appropriate parts of your site, measured the density, calculated your site content score, and created an internal linking structure, it’s now time to take your URL and pop it in Google Search Console to discover how Google sees your site. This useful tool helps you confirm Google can find your website and crawl it (this essentially means Google reads through your site and quickly determines if you should appear on the SERP). With Google Search Console, you can also see if other people are linking to your site, discover which keywords your site is showing up for, and more. Bonus step to optimize your website: Get backlinksReach out to sites in your niche and write guest content for them to get backlinks. The more backlinks, the easier it is to gain authority and rank on the first page of the SERP. I know it may seem like a lot, but just take it one step at a time. To make it simpler, download the SEO checklist by clicking the button below to keep on hand while you optimize your site.
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