Improve SEO with an optimized snippet
Your SEO title (title tag), slug (url), and meta description should be optimized for a specific keyword. In our case, this keyword is “Improve SEO”. Optimal lengths for title tags should include 50–60 characters. Additionally, optimal meta description lengths should include 155-160 characters. If you have WordPress, a great way to check if you have an SEO-friendly snippet is to utilize the Yoast SEO plug-in. If you are not using WordPress, you can check the character count on a standard word processor.
Subscribe to an SEO software
SEO softwares are great tools for generating SEO content and backlink strategies. These softwares allow users to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of a website such as:
- Domain Authority
- Traffic + Traffic Value
- Health Score
- Backlink Analysis
- Ranking Keywords
- Competitors
Additionally, these softwares include keyword research tools, which analyze a keyword’s search volume and cost per click (CPC).
Consider running Google Ad campaigns
The idea of paid advertising does contradict the point of ‘free’ organic search traffic (SEO), but there is a method to this madness. Click-through-rate (CTR) is an important metric, and is shown to improve SEO rankings. High CTR does not happen overnight. Website’s which show up in Page 1 get significantly more clicks than Page 2. Similarly, websites at the top of the page get significantly more clicks than websites at the bottom. With this in mind, paid ads allow you to fast-track your website to the top of the page, resulting in more clicks and impressions. Not only does this generate a higher CTR, but also brand awareness, and an opportunity for returning visitors.
Set aside a ‘real’ marketing budget
This is usually the part where business owners roll their eyes, however; client needs often exceed their budgets. For example, we had a prospective client come to us asking for 74 meta description updates on a $20 budget. Seriously. A recent statistic shows that “the most common hourly rate for SEO agencies is $100-$150/hour.” With that statistic in mind, even if we did the 74 meta descriptions in an hour, we would have sold that hour for $80-$130 below market value. If you take your business seriously, then you understand that you can’t sell yourself short and SEO marketing agencies are no different. Furthermore, if you’re not willing to invest in your own company then why should prospective clients or customers? Cheap marketing yields cheap results, and if you truly want to improve your SEO rankings, either invest financially or through time and effort.
Invest more time and effort into your website
At BeachCity SEO, we take great pride in our DIY mentality. When we first tried ranking keywords, allies within the industry offered us great tips and advice, but at the end of the day, we did everything ourselves. Below is a visual collection of notes detailing our pitfalls and solutions to improve SEO from the early days.
