Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can seem like a long and daunting task, mostly because it is; but not everything about SEO has to be that difficult or take that long. There are quick and simple things you can do right now that can have a big impact on how much traffic your website is getting.
So, here are 5 SEO action steps you can take today:
1. Setup unique title tags.
The title tag is the most important on-page SEO signal. Unfortunately most sites just use the title their web builder software generates automatically, which is usually useless. Edit your pages and add title tags that can catch people’s attention and uses an important keyword. Limit the title tag to about 65 characters or less. If you are using the NE1 Web Builder, you can edit the title tag of a page under the SEO Features tab.
2. Setup compelling description tags.
Description tags can help rankings a little, but their real value is in getting people to click through to your site. Add description tags to your pages that both describe your page in a compelling way and give a call to action. Try to limit yourself to 160 characters or less. If you are using the NE1 Web Builder, you can edit the title tag of a page under the SEO Features tab.
3. Add social buttons to your pages.
Do you want people to share what’s on your website? Whether it’s an interesting article, a funny video, or an announcement for an upcoming event, make it easy for people to share the page on their favorite social network by adding social buttons to your page. Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ all offer code for adding the buttons and there are widgets like Sharethis which add a bunch of social buttons all at once.
4. Add your location.
If you are a local organization or business, location is very important for your search rankings. Be sure to add your address and phone number to every page of your site. The easiest way to do this is to just add the info to the footer of your site. In the NE1 Web Builder, you can do this in the under the Config tab.
5. Use the H1 tag.
The H1 tag is a formatting tag for text that is typically used for the heading of a page. It also happens to be one of the strongest on-page SEO signals other than the title tag. If possible, try to use an important keyword in the heading for your page and put it in the H1 tag. Keep it short, just a couple of words and make sure there is only 1 H1 tag on the page. If you are using the NE1 Web Builder, enter the text in the text editor. Then select the text and Format option to select Heading 1.
These are 5 things you can do today that can improve your rankings and bring more traffic to your site.
Bonus: #6
A sixth thing you can do is to create an SEO plan. Admittedly, this is a little deceptive. While you can create the plan today, it will require you to do more later, but it’s an important step to take. While there are things, like those above, that you can do pretty quickly and easily, if you want to compete for the really great keywords and get ton of traffic, there are things you need to do that take time and an ongoing effort. By creating a plan, you are more likely to start doing what you need to do to start winning the SEO race. This may include doing keyword research, fully optimizing a few pages a week, starting a blog, or finding an SEO company that can do these things for you. Whatever it is, take a few minutes to create a plan…and then start doing it.
Share Your Thoughts
- What are some other quick and easy SEO things you would suggest?
- Will you take the time to do these?
OurChurch.Com Director of Marketing Services
Kurt serves as OurChurch.Com’s Director of Marketing Services, bringing over 20 years of expertise in search marketing, and has developed numerous marketing services and served hundreds of churches, schools, ministries, and businesses.
He has authored more than 500 articles on the subject, contributing to platforms like the Christian SEO Guys blog and Church Marketing University, and is an active participant on LocalSearchForum.com.
In addition to his professional accomplishments, Kurt is an ordained minister, serving as pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Wesley Chapel, FL, demonstrating his commitment to both faith and community. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree from Georgia Southern University. He also holds a Specific Ministry Pastor Certificate and a General Pastor Certificate from Concordia Seminary.
18 Comments
Kurt thanks for sharing these 5 exceptional SEO tips and I get the point what you were trying to point out. You are so right about unique tittle and every SEO expert emphasis on it. If you use appropriate and unique tittle then it will be so helpful for your website and Google crawl to other relevant post.
Many of us focus so much on good keywords and backlinking that we forget about the importance of good content. I agee with you that you can target certain keywords or gain backlinks day after day, but at the end of the day if your content is crap you won’t get very far.
It is important I believe that as a blogger we incorporate the total package. You have outlined some of the most important aspects of SEO that we should be focused on.
these 5 steps are helpful but some more steps that are important from SEO point of view like keywords research, image tag, alt tag and anchor tag, they all are also essential for good SEO strategy.
As per my experience, sitemap.xml and sitemap.html implementation and optimization also help to improve the ranking.
wow, this is very nice article. Keep Sharing
Wow, cool post. I’d like to write like this too – taking time and real hard work to make a great article… but I put things off too much and never seem to get started. Thanks though.
These all points are really very important for boosting our website ranking. In my suggestion H1,H2 tags are also very important and after Google update, the main focus is on quality work not on quantity.