Use Compelling Tags for All of Your Pages
1) The tags you use to describe something give it legs online and the ability to rank or tank in search engines. Use the wrong terms or fail to create a correlation with the main theme or content on your pages, and your just shooting blanks.
Are you making the most of your description tags? As people skim, what they see to some extent is up to you. Search engines typically default to a well written description tag when displaying search results if it was written in a concise fashion. Otherwise, truncated results make their debut in lieu of exact match results.
Did you know that you can rank on your description tag alone? Most people overlook this simple fact and allow their pages to sink into digital obscurity. With an SEO audit of your pages, the meta tags are the first thing to get tweaked.
A page thoughtfully constructed with have already presumed what people are searching for and would have placed the singular, plural, acronyms and any other word stems pertinent to the topic of the page in the description tag.
Think of it like this, with the bulk of users rapidly skimming pages for content to see if anything hooks their attention, you only have one chance to make a lasting impression. So, when you are constructing or optimizing pages for search engines, one trick to the trade is using a series of exact match phrases, a plural and singular use of the keyword if applicable and instead of just stuffing it with jibberish, actually use it to close the viewer with a click trigger to boot.
2) Use a Click Trigger
It can be something as simple as using a numeric equation in the call to action like “Increase sales Revenues by 477% with this super-duper-one-size-fits-all-solution: or you can take the emotional tact by link baiting them with a catchy title or headline like “10 things you should never tell your…”.
Whatever the approach the bottom line is just because your not at the top of the top 10, doesn’t mean you won’t “get the click” compared to bland or lackluster search results. It’s not how many visitors your site receives, it’s how many may never return because you failed to keep their interests in the forefront of the transaction.
3) Don’t be stingy, give the reader what they want, not what you think they need
Give and ye shall receive is a proverb for a reason, remember this at the root of your design and content creation, think objectively like what would a visitor need more, a picture of you on the page or a search box where they can find what they want. There is a distinction between sites built for business or pleasure, make sure your website has the following things to keep up to snuff in the present day.
4) Pay Attention to the Small Details that Matter
A Site Map – One for humans and one for search engines here is a great tool for creating an XML site map for your website.
A Privacy Policy – put it in writing what you intend to do with all that data, and how we fit in. Not only will this boost site morale from visitors, the more at ease they are, the longer they will stay and peruse your site.
A Physical Street Address – in the contact us page, preferably a toll free number and a link to an email without having to fill out a form. Even more important, make sure your phone number is visible without them having to find Waldo blended in the background somewhere.
5) One Fleeting & Brief SEO Morsel
Did you know that using block quotes in pages returns a higher relevance than standard text? Put your keywords in the bullets and make them hyper links to pages that have something of the same topic referenced in the keyword. This page is an excellent example and ranks for several national cities and the main keyword just from this one tactic alone.
In addition, the position and proximity of the content on the page also affects how each page is ranked. Links higher up in the document carry a higher relevance to search engines. Block quotes (bullets) or links in block quotes also have a very unique effect. It’s like a homing signal to search engines, and when they happen to be in the neighborhood, they throw a line to your site.
So remember 1 part business, 1 part personality equals engaging content for visitors. Don’t put people to sleep with lack luster copy or a thesis on why your pay $29.95 each month to host your site, just so you can ramble, blah, blah, blah. Keep it informative, useful and most of all keep it real.
Give the people what they want and they will reciprocate, neglect any of these areas and the last thing you will have to worry about is website traffic, unless it is a hit and run from high bounce rates of digital defectors after they catch a hint of your outdated content. Step up the game and keep your content fresh unless playing the ode to silence or the last trumpet is the way your website fades into obscurity (past the 3rd page of search results) on it’s way out.
