Learn How to Increase Search Engine Rankings

SEO, or search engine optimization, is the practice of developing content for your small business or nonprofit website that ranks on one of the first pages of Google, Yahoo or Bing. Because search engines change the algorithms by which they rank websites often, it is difficult to keep your page on top. Point Taken offers six simple SEO tips showing how to increase search engine rankings for small businesses and nonprofit organizations:

1. Ensure your keywords appear in your title: The title of your website, webpage or post is the first signal to a search engine of your website’s content. When a search engine looks at your site, page or post to index the information included, it examines the words used in your title. Make sure your title includes your keywords so your site ranks higher in search engines for your chosen keywords.

2. Use keywords in the page or post URL: A search engine documents the words included in your url (better known as a web address) when deciding where to place your site, page or post in rankings. Make sure to use keywords in your URL separated by dashes.

3. Include keywords in image alt tags: If a web browser (such as Chrome, Safari or Firefox) can’t pull up the image inserted on your webpage, the alt text appears instead. Ensure your alt text includes your keywords by adding them when you upload your image.

4. Start meta descriptions with keywords: A meta description describes your web page or post in concise terms. The meta description shows up under your title and URL when a user searches your keywords. Use keywords in your meta description for better rankings.

5. Link to other pages of your website: Internal links are hyperlinks from one page of your site to another. Internal links allow search engines to see content across your website and help to support your site’s overall setup or architecture. Include internal links to increase your website’s rankings.

6. Secure quality links into your website: Search engines use the links from other websites into your site when ranking your site. Because people abused this method of ranking by creating websites specifically designed to increase the number of links into sites (called link farms), some search engines (including Google) now gauge the quality of a site before allowing it to affect search rankings. In other words, one link from a quality website will help your site rank higher than ten links from low-quality websites. Aim for quality links into your website to increase search engine rankings.

What is the easiest way to raise your search engine rankings? Create valuable, quality content your clients and potential customers want to hear. Answer their questions, solve their problems and give them insight into trends in your industry and producers of quality websites are more likely to link to your site, raising your presence on search engines.

Point Taken is a Jacksonville public relations, Jacksonville marketing and Jacksonville web design firm specializing in business and nonprofit communications. Need help with SEO? Contact Point Taken today.