Now that we’ve discussed the importance of on-page SEO, let’s take a look at some specific on-page SEO guidelines for small businesses.
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Use keyword phrases in your titles and headings.
When you title your pages and headings, use keyword phrases that accurately reflect the topic of the page. Search engines primarily use keywords in titles and headings to match your content up with relevant searches, so it’s important to include the key phrases you want to be associated with your business.
If you sell medical supplies for cats, don’t title your pages “Please come back soon” or “Our company philosophy.” Instead, title them “Medical Supplies for Cats” or “Cat Medical Supplies.”
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Use your keyword phrases in your content.
In addition to using your keyword phrases in titles and headings, be sure to include them in the body of your content as well. This will help search engines better understand what your page is all about.
If you sell medical supplies for cats, don’t just have a page that says “Meds4Cats can supply veterinary equipment to pet owners.” Instead, have the page address the specific topic of medical supplies for cats with a copy like this:
Meds4Cats can supply veterinary equipment and medical supplies for cats of all ages. Whether you’re looking for a new cat carrier or a syringe to give your kitty medication, we have the perfect product for you. Visit our website to see our wide selection of cat medical supplies today!
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Use your keyword phrases in your images.
Including your keyword phrases in your images is a great way to help search engines understand what your page is all about. Many people forget to do this, but it’s a simple way to improve your SEO.
If you sell medical supplies for cats, be sure to include the phrase “medical supplies for cats” in the alt text of your images.
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Optimize your metadata.
When you upload images to the web, you should always title and rename them with Small Business SEO best practices in mind (i.e., keywords). You should also include an accurate description of what is on the page, along with related keywords. You can also improve your metadata by including a targeted keyword in the file name, within the link that points to the image from your page, and when sharing it on social networks.
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Keep your URLs short and sweet.
In addition to using keywords in the URL itself, be sure to keep it as short and simple as possible, since longer ones tend to be a turn-off.
Include your targeted keywords within the HTML markup for tags and page descriptions as well. This is another easy way to ensure that search engines understand what your page is all about. If you’re using an SEO plug-in, be sure to configure it to include your targeted keywords.
Most blog plugins allow you to fill out all of the relevant tags and meta fields for each post or page when you publish them. Your SEO is going to benefit from including all of the relevant information here (including your targeted keywords).
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Create posts and pages that contain more than one keyword phrase or subject.
Search engines find it suspicious when you try to cram multiple keywords into a single post or page title, heading, URL, image alt text, etc. For this reason, you should always create content that focuses on a single topic. However, you can (and should) include multiple keyword phrases to help boost your SEO.
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Monitor your search engine rankings and traffic levels.
The only way to know if your SEO efforts are actually working is to monitor your website’s search engine rankings and traffic levels. If you’re not sure how to do this, you might want to consider hiring an SEO company like M4 Global Studios to do it for you.
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Ask yourself why people are coming to your site.
If the answer is “for information on technical support,” then create posts and pages that focus on that topic exclusively.
The best way to improve your SEO is to understand why people are coming to your site in the first place. If you can figure out what people are looking for, you can target your content accordingly and improve your SEO in the process. This is where tools like Google Analytics come in handy – they allow you to see exactly what people are looking for on your website.
Social media is a great way to improve your SEO because it allows you to build relationships with people all over the world who might link back to your site in the future (i.e., by retweeting blog posts, sharing images, etc.). Take advantage of this by being an active member in a variety of relevant social media groups and forums.
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Don’t use short URLs if you can help it.
Many people choose to create short URLs for their blog posts using services like bitly or Google’s URL Shortener because they’re convenient and easy to remember. However, short URLs are often frowned upon by search engines because they can be difficult to track and understand. For this reason, it’s always a good idea to use a full domain name for your blog posts whenever possible.
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Use keywords in the anchor text of links.
When you’re linking to another page on the web, try to use keywords in your anchor text whenever possible. This tells search engines that you’re trying to target specific content that they might not have noticed otherwise.
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Try to include a keyword at least once per 100 words when writing a blog post or page title.
Blog post titles are one of the most important pieces of content you’ll ever create, so it’s always a good idea to include your targeted keywords whenever possible. The exact amount can vary, but including at least one keyword per 100 words is a good starting point if you’re not sure where to begin.
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Use a plugin to automatically generate alt text for your images.
If you don’t include an image’s alt text yourself, WordPress will automatically fill it in with a generic phrase like “image.” This is bad for SEO because your images won’t rank as well without relevant information that tells search engines what they’re all about. To fix this problem, use a plugin like Explicit Images to automatically generate alt text for your images as you upload them.
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Use keywords in an image’s file name if possible.
Ideally, you should include keywords in the titles of your web pages and blog posts – but you can also include them in the file names of your images. This is a good way to boost SEO if you happen to create a blog post or page that includes lots of high-quality images, as it will tell search engines what those images are all about.
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Always optimize blog posts for at least one specific keyword.
When you create a blog post, always try to target at least one specific keyword or phrase. This will help you rank better in search engine results pages and increase the likelihood that people will find your content valuable and useful.
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Use Google Webmaster Tools to track your website’s search engine rankings and traffic levels.
Google Webmaster Tools can be a great way to track how your website is performing in search engine rankings and where you’re getting traffic from. This information can help you improve your SEO by showing you what search terms people are using to find your site so that you know where to focus your efforts going forward.
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Make sure your keywords are included in the first 100 words of each blog post.
If you’re worried about keyword density, then use this general rule of thumb: try to include your targeted keyword or phrase at least once per 100 words when writing a blog post or web page. It’s not an exact science by any means, but it’s a good starting point if you want to make sure your keywords are included in the early part of your content.
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Monitor your website’s backlinks on a regular basis.
One of the best ways to improve your SEO is to keep an eye on your website’s backlinks. This allows you to see which pages are linking back to your site and then improve them if necessary. It’s also a good idea to disavow any links that might be hurting your website, rather than helping it.
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Link out to other websites whenever possible.
It might sound counterintuitive, but linking out to other websites can actually help improve your SEO. This is because it tells search engines that you’re providing valuable information to your readers, and that you’re not just trying to promote your own content.
Social media can be a great way to get more exposure for your website and content, which is good for SEO. This means that every time you publish a new blog post or web page, you’ll want to share it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and any other social media channels you use.
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Don’t include links in the main body of your text.
While internal linking can help readers jump to another page or section on your website, it can also have a negative impact on SEO if you overuse keywords. To keep things clean and concise, try to use internal linking sparingly – perhaps one or two times per 1,000 words is enough.
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Don’t forget to target long-tail keywords.
Long-tail keywords can be a great way to improve your SEO, as they’re more specific and targeted than general keywords. This means that you can rank for them more easily since there is less competition. Plus, long-tail keywords are often used by people who are already interested in what you have to say, so they’re more likely to convert into customers.
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Use Google AdWords to determine which keywords are most valuable to your business.
Google AdWords can be a great way to determine which keywords are the most valuable for your business. This is because it allows you to see how much traffic each keyword is generating, as well as how much money you’re making from that traffic. This information can help you focus your SEO efforts on the most profitable keywords.
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Use Google Analytics to track your website’s overall traffic levels.
Google Analytics can be a great way to track your website’s overall traffic and activity, which is good for SEO. This allows you to see where most of your website visitors are coming from, as well as the pages they’re visiting and whether or not they’re converting into customers.
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Use a product feed to promote your products online.
Product feeds can be a great way to promote your products online, which is good for SEO. This allows you to make it easier for search engines, shopping comparison sites and, social media channels to access the product information they’re looking for.
