Using a good SEO checklist can ensure that website content, blog posts, even social media posts or advertising pieces contain the elements needed to drive traffic to your business. Since many business owners or managers handle their content creation duties when they have a free moment, having a list to work from can help that process move more quickly and efficiently.
What to Include in Your SEO Checklist
While every business has unique content needs, for maximum SEO results, there are a number of things that need to be included in every post. A comprehensive keyword strategy should be planned to earn you organic search results based on in-depth competitive research using Google Analytics, keyword research tools like SEMrush, Moz, and others. Once you have identified your competitive organic keywords, ensure you follow the basics:
1. Keyword In The Title
Including your primary keyword in your title (and meta title) lets search engines and readers know quickly what they will be reading about. However, it’s a mistake to think that if one keyword is good, multiple keywords will be better. For instance, if you have a tee shirt eCommerce website, include “tee shirt” in the title.
2. Keyword(s) In The First Paragraph
Similar to the title, using your primary keyword early in the article, ideally in the first sentence, helps search engines easily identify what you are writing about. Following our tee shirt company example, you’d want to specify what type of tee shirts you are writing about in the first sentence or at least the first paragraph, such as Destination tee shirts or Funny tee shirts.
3. Image Captions And Alt Text
It can seem like a waste of time to type in captions and alt text for your images, especially if the subject is obvious to readers. However, those captions can make a big difference in your SEO results.
4. Original Content
This should go without saying, but posting unique, original, never-before-published content is essential to good SEO results as well as to keeping your readers coming back for more. Aside from the obvious plagiarism reasons, original content will better resonate with your readers.
5. Create A Unique And Engaging Meta Description For Each Page
This may not be the most glamorous part of content creation, but your meta description is the first thing potential readers see on your site. Make sure to keep your blurb at 155 words or less to make sure that none of your words are cut off in search engine results.
Creating SEO-friendly blog, social media and website posts that rank well with search engines like Google and Yahoo doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. Simply start with a good idea and follow your SEO list to success.
To learn more about making your website’s content more search engine-friendly, visit theponygroup.com or contact us for a complimentary website audit. Our team of Texas-based marketing consultants has been helping companies like yours make the most of digital advertising and design a customized SEO checklist for your business.
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