10 Simple Search Engine Optimization Tips for Startups

There are hundreds of factors that influence how search result rankings are displayed in Google. The search engine landscape is always evolving and unless your a SEO professional, it can be hard to keep up with the constant changes.

To help you get the most out of your SEO effort, here are 10 simple search engine optimization tips you can follow to help your business get the most out of the content you have on your website.

search engine factors

1. Ensure your content headings and paragraphs have a clear hierarchy

On individual blog posts or pages, the page heading should be a heading 1 <h1> tag, with subheadings in a heading 2 <h2> tag, and so on to establish structure. Within the body of content, paragraphs should not contain more than 3-5 sentences each and the content should also contain bullets or lists, if applicable, to help further organize the content.

2. Include images to add visual interest

Images and videos help keep readers on the page longer and can make long articles less overwhelming. Adding visual interest creates a better user experience, which increases the time readers spend on your page and the likelihood they will visit other pages.

3. Share and get shared on social media

There’s a positive correlation between social shares and search engine rankings. For every piece of content you publish, make sure you`re sharing it on your social media channels. To make scheduling social media posts more efficient, use social media management tools like Hootsuite or Buffer to help you plan your social media.
social sharing

4. Make URLs easy to read

For example, use vapartners.ca/startup-marketing-tips, not vapartners.ca/?pagid=4 or vapartners.ca/13593. Someone should be able to determine the topic of your content just by looking at the URL.

5. Keep titles under 55 characters

Titles that are too long get cut-off when the search result is displayed on search engines. If your website is built on WordPress, use a plugin like Yoast or All-in-One SEO to modify the title.

6. Make your site mobile-friendly

On April 21, 2015, Google made an update to give more priority to mobile-friendly sites in mobile search results. As more and more searches originate from mobile devices, making your website mobile-friendly should be a priority. If you’re not if your website is mobile-friendly, use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool to check. If your site is not mobile-friendly, the tool will provide suggestions on how to modify your site.
mobile friendly test

7. Link to other blogs and pages on your website

Including internal links to relevant pages and blog posts on your site helps Google better understand your content. Don’t forget to go into old blog posts and add links to new blog posts you may have written since the old blog post was published.

8. Ensure uploaded files have logical names

Someone should understand what your image or file is about based on just looking at the file name. This is particularly important for images because having a descriptive file name can help boost your images’ rankings in image search results. Additionally, the alternative tags for your images helps with accessibility for all website visitors.

9. Increase your website speed

47% of consumers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less and speed is an important factor in search rankings. To check your website’s load time, use Google’s free PageSpeed Insights tool. The tool will grade your site for both mobile and desktop devices and provide suggestions on how to make your website load faster.

pagespeed insights

10. Register your business on Google My Business

Google My Business is Google’s business directory and you must be registered in order to show up in search results on Google Maps. It’s free to register your business and once you submit your information you’ll receive a piece of mail with a code to confirm your listing.

If you follow these tips, these should be able to get much of the results with the least amount of effort. For more content marketing and SEO tips, follow us on Twitter at @vapartners.

10 Simple Search Engine Optimization Tips for Startups