It is widely believed that Google makes between 500 and 600 updates to its search algorithm annually.
As soon as you think you have understood search engine preferences, an algorithm update comes along and changes things 180 degree.
It’s true that search engine algorithms are always evolving, but many tried-and-true modern SEO strategies have and will always remain helpful.
This article will show you some important SEO best practices that will help you improve your search visibility.
Using these strategies, you can make your website fit to align with Google’s ranking factors and help it rank higher in the search results.
Why Is It Important To Implement SEO Best Practices?
HubSpot found that 75% of people never look beyond the first page of search results.
Majority of the people who conduct an internet search will look for their desired information on the first page. If they don’t find what they are looking for, these users revise their search instead of going on to the second page. This shows that if your website doesn’t rank higher, it may be difficult for potential customers to find you.
By utilizing some of the best SEO practices, you can prevent your brand from getting lost in the search results. Take a look at this checklist to find out what improvements you can make to boost your search engine optimization.
SEO Best Practices Checklist
The majority of experts agree that the best SEO practices are those that align with Google’s latest guidelines and aren’t specifically identified as manipulative by the search engine.
Best practices for search engine optimization include optimizing the site itself, researching keywords, and adding backlinks to the site.
According to statistics, only 63% of people who use Google to conduct searches ever click on a result from the second page. That’s why it’s crucial to have a high Google page rank.
If you use SEO best practices, you can get improved visibility in the search engine results.
Get going in the right direction by following these proven best SEO practices:
Conducting Extensive Keyword Analysis and Using the Right Keywords
Keywords are the words or phrases users type into a search engine to find what they’re looking for.
Search engines can use these keywords to determine how relevant an individual web page may be to a search query and how it should be ranked for these searches.
Keep the following tips in mind while doing keyword research and placing them in the content:
- Choosing high search volume low competition keywords is usually the way to go. However, finding such keywords is not always possible. Therefore, going with low search volume keywords may help. These keywords often have lower competition and can help your website gain some traction, especially if it is new to the SEO world.
- Long-tail keywords are more specific than standard keywords because of their length and detail. An examination of 306M US keywords reveals that long tail keywords account for 91.8% of all searches. So, using long tail keywords in your SEO strategy is a good option to grab more traffic to your site.
- Use focus keywords within the keyword density limit if you want a search engine to understand what your content is about. But remember, don’t over stuff! Make sure the readability isn’t affected as you plug the keywords into your content.
- Since Google puts more weight on the keywords that appear at the top of a webpage, try to include the focus keyword in the first 25 words.
These keyword research and incorporation strategies work in tandem to help your website take off in the search engine space.
Create Your Own Content, Headlines, and Descriptions
Creating high-quality original content, headlines, and descriptions will convince the search engines that you are making a worthwhile effort.
Writing original content is essential to earning a good number of high quality organic backlinks.
After all, major websites and influential bloggers won’t simply endorse anything with a backlink. They’re looking for fresh, interesting material that hits all the right chords.
Even Google says that you shouldn’t have duplicate or almost identical versions of your content all over your site. However, the minimal limit for plagiarism accepted by Google is 5-10%.
Simply put, each and every piece of material that goes live on your site must be original.
There are a few trusted plagiarism checkers, like Copyscape, Turnitin, and smallSEOTools, that can find plagiarism in a piece of content. You can check if your website content contains plagiarism and then remove it by rephrasing or rewriting the content. 
Google’s rules about copied content apply to all of your website’s content, including landing pages, image alt text, meta descriptions, title tags, e-commerce product pages, and so on.
If you employ duplicate material on your site, Google will punish you by demoting it in search results.
Featured Snippets
When a user does a search, one of the results may be a “featured snippet” that directly answers their question. Google presents these snippets above the organic search results as a list, table, or text.
Getting your content into featured snippets can help build brand awareness and establish you as a thought leader in your field.
Featured snippets have a greater chance of being displayed, when visitors perform search queries aimed at finding information. ,.
Making use of long-tail keywords is the best approach to improving your web page’s chances of being selected as a featured snippet.
Here are some tips to help you win the featured snippets:
- Find the right keywords and concentrate on question-based queries.
- Browse the “people also ask” sectionfor content ideas.
- If you want your highlighted snippet to be featured, choose a word count of 40–50 words.
- Have a FAQ page on your website.
Optimized Meta Descriptions And Titles
The meta title and meta description refer to the text that is displayed on search engine result pages and browser tabs to indicate the topic of a webpage.
It gives you the opportunity to explain a web page’s contents to both users and search engine robots. They help people find out directly what your content is all about as well as the website’s niche.
Having a captivating meta description can increase the number of people who click on your organic search results.
In order to catch the reader’s attention, use attention-grabbing titles and detailed descriptions.
The title tags should be catchy, descriptive, and simple to understand. Keep in mind that you are competing with other search results for the same query.
It’s crucial to include your primary keywords in the title so that your post will show up in relevant web searches.
Add 1-2 keywords in the title, and make sure they’re within the initial 65 characters so they show up in search engine results.
If you want to beat your competitors and persuade the user to click on your search results, this small trick can make a big difference.
Follow BERT Algorithm Updates
The BERT upgrade is the most recent and significant change Google has made to its search algorithm.
BERT finds statements or phrases that are more relevant to the search query, even if there are no specific search keywords in the web page content.
Since BERT’s primary focus is on user intent, it is unlikely to have a significant impact on search engine optimization.
This doesn’t signify a shift in how Google ranks pages; rather, it’s an attempt to better match search queries with the appropriate results.
The following guidelines should be kept in mind when you write.
- Publish articles that readers will find insightful and helpful.
- Make sure information is condensed and brief.
- If you want your answer to be found, try to keep it simple.
- Perform on-page search engine optimization on each web page.
- Pay attention to the meta description, title tag, H1, H2, and URL structures.
- Communicate in terms that everyone can comprehend.
- Add an informative and engaging introduction and conclusion.
It’s now possible for Google to comprehend the text without relying on keywords. If you create content that provides real value to the reader as well as the BERT algorithm, your content may get a higher rank.
High Quality Content
Search engines favor websites with SEO content, which in turn increases website traffic and the likelihood that visitors will make a purchase.
The search engine’s main objective is to deliver results according to visitors’ search intent and resolve their queries.
Your website will be ranked higher in the search results if all the content, like keywords, articles, photos, and backlinks, are optimized based on user intent.
The ideal website’s content is informative, engaging and user-friendly.
When content is of high quality, it attracts more readers and may increase the number of people who buy something from the site.
Attracting readers requires you to create something that will hold their interest. Make sure your content is enjoyable to read. To do this, you need to write in a lighthearted way while keeping your audience and subject matter in mind.
Paying attention to all of these details as you write won’t improve SEO overnight, but it will have a positive ripple effect.
Internal Page Linking With Anchor Text
Internal links are those that lead to different pages on the same website.It helps both people and search engine spiders find their way around a site and tells spiders which words best describe the page’s content.
Having a well-structured network of internal links is crucial if you want Google to properly index and rank your site.
You can provide Google with a road map of your site’s most significant pages by linking to them with informative anchor text.
Internal links are primarily used for site navigation, but they also provide viewers with additional resources in the form of linked articles and pages.
Always choose quality anchor text to use in the link when pointing to another webpage on the same website from within the content. For example, “We offer a variety of SEO services” is betterthan “Click here for our services.”
Conclusion
Google’s algorithm or SEO are always changing. However, if you follow the SEO best practices we have mentioned above, you might be well on your way to ranking among the top in search results in 2023.
These SEO best practices will help you make sure that your content is optimized for both humans and crawl bots, so that everyone has a pleasant experience.
Regardless of where the search engine algorithms may be headed, creating and publishing high-quality content has always been the best bet. Continue creating content that your target audience may find valuable and you may gain an edge over a majority of your competitors by doing just that.
