If you spend a decent amount of time on the Internet, then you’re probably already familiar with some of the SEO basics: keyword research, title optimization, and how to write good content. But even if you have done all of that, it’s not that easy to break into the first page of the Google results page. And if you’re not on the first page, you basically don’t exist as far as your target audience is concerned.
Just because you don’t have the time or budget to do a site revamp or hire specialized SEO services doesn’t mean that you’re permanently relegated to Internet oblivion. A few simple adjustments to your strategy can go a long way in improving your SERP rank.
You don’t have to be a guru to do these quick and easy hacks. They’re cheap, fast, and can be done by anyone with a computer and a decent Internet connection. You don’t even have to overhaul your website.
Here are a few things you can do to break past your competitors:
1. Resize your images
A quick audit of your website will reveal some of the issues that could explain why you have a high bounce rate or low page ranking. One of the most common issues is uploading large images on your website, particularly the home page.
When uploading images on their websites, many webmasters and content creators fail to consider the resolution or size of the image file. Full-resolution images can be very data-intensive, and if a page is full of data-heavy images, it can lead to substantially slower page load times.
Resizing an image’s width and height isn’t enough. The goal is to reduce the file size and resolution appropriate to the image’s location and placement. Resizing a 5 MB image down to 500KB can shave seconds off the page load speed, and even more on a weaker connection.
2. Check your website for 404 errors
I’m sure you’ve come across multiple 404 pages while searching for something important. Imagine if it was your target audience. What would they do if they were browsing your website only to be greeted by a 404? They would probably close the tab and never look back.
There are many free tools online you can use to scan your website for errors. Once you’ve identified the error pages, fix them as soon as possible. You are losing authority and traffic for every second a broken link remains unfixed.
3. Maximize third-party coverage about your website
Any content creator worth their salt knows that articles and videos are an excellent way to boost your brand’s profile and attract traffic. Let’s say you run a local food blog, and a newspaper or magazine has written a viral article about your insightful reviews. If their page doesn’t link to your website, then you are gaining nothing SEO-wise. Inbound links to your website help boost site traffic and authority.
These four guidelines will help you give your website the boost it needs. As you have seen, you don’t have to learn complicated techniques. Once you have your basics down, you can increase traffic, rank, and authority with a little bit of hard work and perseverance.
