7 Easy and Actionable SEO Techniques | Kristen Lowrey Copywriter

When it comes to SEO, some is better than none. Here are seven easy and actionable SEO techniques that can increase your ranking.

I contacted a leading SEO agency recently and was offered a smorgasbord of choices. Local SEO! Enterprise SEO! eCommerce SEO! Lead Generation SEO! I was given a choice of a monthly retainer with a whole lot of zeros attached, as well as some other options which were less expensive, but still more than most business owners could reasonably afford. It was a lot to take in and it was a lot of money to invest. And I’m an SEO specialist.

For most business owners, SEO is something that we do because we think we have to. And like anything, if we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it right. But, at the end of the day, not all of us have the time, resources, energy or even belief to invest that heavily into a monthly SEO package that costs the same as our mortgage.

But here’s the thing, you don’t have to. When it comes to SEO, even some is better than none. And doing ‘some’ SEO is pretty easy. Here are some actionable SEO techniques you can implement right now.

7 Easy and Actionable SEO Techniques You Can Implement Today

1. Post Content Regularly

You must keep your website fresh. Whether you do this through blog posts, updating resources or products, creating new pages or including case studies and testimonials, if you don’t post regularly, your ranking will suffer (or never get off the ground).

Google doesn’t crawl your site every day (crawling is when they send out their little bot to read through your site and see if there’s any new information for them to include on their search results pages). In fact, no one knows how often they crawl your site, though industry experts believe it varies from a few days to a couple of months to index new content. But, every time Google crawls your site, and fails to find anything new to index, you will move a bit down the search results ladder.

You don’t want that to happen.

2. Post GOOD Content

The better your content is, the higher you will rank on search engines. You want to give valuable insights and information to your reader, and make sure that you are writing as an authority in your field. The more value you give, the more your reader trusts you as a source. The more they trust you, the more often they visit your site (or read your articles and blogs) for industry information. The more they visit your site, the higher it will rank.

3. Use Keywords

Don’t run away! Keywords aren’t as hard as you think. All you need to do is close your eyes and think, ‘What would I type into Google to find this?’ (‘This’ being your service, product, offer or even you.) Then start jotting down ideas. Make sure they are relevant to your site, and start with longer, more specific keywords (known as ‘long tail keywords’) when you’re just starting out on your SEO journey.

So, rather than writing ‘real estate agent’, you might want to use, ‘real estate agent in New Farm’ or ‘real estate agent for apartments’ or even, ‘how to find a real estate agent for an apartment’. These have lower competition meaning you’ll be more likely to grab the people who are using those search terms.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t be. Just give it a shot. Think of one keyword that relates to the page that you’re writing and then use some synonyms. Remember, it must read naturally as well.

4. Use Research and Links

I can’t stress this enough. Use research in your blogs and articles. When you include statistics, or other information taken from another source, cite the source. Always. That gives you credibility in your industry and shows that you know what you’re talking about. Add links to help you establish your article. The more links you have to your sources, the more credible your blog posts look to the search engines.

Groove founder Alex Turnbull said in a post for Buffer, research makes your content more credible. And while stories can help us remember things, statistical evidence has proven to be more persuasive. This applies to your readers and Google. (See how I did it here?)

5. Use Headers and Subheaders

From both a user experience perspective, and an SEO perspective, your article needs organisation. And that means using headers and subheaders. Imagine it’s like a roadmap for the little Google bot to follow. Headers and subheaders tell it (and everyone else) what your article is about, and how you’re getting the information out. For SEO, it’s best to try to have a header/subheader at least every 300 words.

Regardless of what CMS you’re using (WordPress, Wix, Squarespace etc.) save the H1 or header 1 levels for the main title. Then use H2 or header 2 for the main subheadings, with the lower levels as necessary.

In this article, for example, my main header is H2, and the sections that come beneath are H3.

6. Use Internal Links

Internal links are links that go from one page on your website to another page on your website. There are two types of internal links: those that are used for navigation and those that are used to point your reader to another page that might give them some more information. Both are important.

I’ve used both in this article. One at the bottom of the page when I include the link to one of my services in my CTA. The other is under my first subheading where I include a link to another blog I’ve written.

These type of links are incredibly useful because they help users navigate your website, they establish the information hierarchy and they help spread link equity, or ranking power, around your website. But most importantly, when used well, internal links can boost organic traffic by as much as 40%.

Source: ahrefs

Internal linking is a simple technique, that can have some very real outcomes.

7. Learn Very Basic Optimisation Techniques

Almost every CMS has basic SEO tools, and they are all free and readily available. Not only that, but each CMS also has tutorials designed to teach you how to use those tools and features. At the end of the day, it’s simply a matter of finding the right tutorial and spending a bit of time working through it.

If you’re using Wix, start here.

If you’re using Weebly, start here.

If you’re using Squarespace, start here.

For WordPress, download the free Yoast plugin (you do not need the paid version) and start here. WordPress does come across as more difficult at first, but it doesn’t have to be. Follow the tutorials, watch YouTube videos and take your time. You’ll get there.

Takeaway

At the end of the day, some SEO is better than none. Even small changes can reap big rewards over time. Give these techniques a go, and be patient, in a few months you’ll see real results in your web traffic.

If you’ve taken your own SEO as far as you can (or are willing to go!), reach out. I offer a One-on-One SEO Blog Optimisation Tutorial that breaks down what you need to do into easy-to-remember and easy-to-do steps. Get in touch and let’s get started.

7 Easy and Actionable SEO Techniques You Can Implement Today