Basic steps to improve SEO ranking & website traffic

Website development is a never ending process. You may have noticed that off line stores keep changing their store fronts depending on season, campaigns and similar. Bet you would be surprised if the store on corner did not make any changes around Christmas time.

The same principles are enforced for a website to increase website traffic and search engine rankings. Below is a list of basic steps to remember:

- Create a site with valuable content, products or services.

- Place primary and secondary keywords within the first 25 words in your page content and spread them evenly throughout the document.

- Research and use the right keywords/phrases to attract your target customers.

- Use your keywords in the right fields and references within your web page. Like Title, META tags, Headers, etc.

- Keep your site design simple so that your customers can navigate easily between web pages, find what they want and buy products and services.

- Submit your web pages i.e. every web page and not just the home page, to the most popular search engines and directory services. Hire someone to do so, if required. Be sure this is a manual submission.

- Keep track of changes in search engine algorithms and processes and accordingly modify your web pages so your search engine ranking remains high. Use online tools and utilities to keep track of how your website is doing.

- Monitor your competitors and the top ranked websites to see what they are doing right in the way of design, navigation, content, keywords, etc.

- Use reports and logs from your web hosting company to see where your traffic is coming from. Analyze your visitor location and their incoming sources whether search engines or links from other sites and the keywords they used to find you.

- Make your customer visit easy and give them plenty of ways to remember you in the form of newsletters, free reports, reduction coupons etc.

- Demonstrate your industry and product or service expertise by writing and submitting articles for your website or for article banks so you are perceived as an expert in your field.

- When selling products online, use simple payment and shipment methods to make your customer’s experience fast and easy.

- When not sure, hire professionals. Though it may seem costly, but it is a lot less expensive than spending your money on a website which no one visits.

- Don’t look at your website as a static brochure. Treat it as a dynamic, ever-changing sales tool.

Do you call this basic?.. a client once asked me. Yes, above are SOME of the basic steps you should keep in mind. Update your knowledge by visiting forums and industry specific websites. Don’t worry, in a while you do this automatically – the trick is to get started.
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By: Tony Gregson | SEO facility