If you own a website, you might’ve heard of SEO and the importance it has in getting discovered on search engines, like Google and YouTube.

But what does SEO mean, and what are the basic rules you can follow to get your site ranking quicker? Social Stamina breaks down those basics in our beginner’s guide.

What is SEO?

SEO, or search engine optimization, is the practice of increasing your website visibility and traffic through unpaid search results. In other words, it’s what is done to your website to ensure it will show up in different search engines (hopefully).

Say you’re in Red Bank, New Jersey, and in the mood for delicious Italian food. You go to Google and search for the best Italian restaurants. Suddenly, dozens of eateries around the area pop up. How does Google know to show Red Bank Italian restaurants and not Oregon sushi shops? That's where SEO comes in!

Include keywords related to your business (like best Italian restaurant in Red Bank) in your website meta titles, meta tags, alt text, and other SEO features. This way, Google can accurately read and understand your website to ensure the right audience finds it.

What Are Some SEO Factors Determine Your Page Ranking?

Although countless factors determine your page ranking – such as how old or niche it is – here are our top three.

How Often Are You Posting New, High-Quality Content?

With thousands of websites created every day, Google is picky with what it considers “good” content for its users. After all, content is and always will be king of the marketing realm.

When creating SEO-friendly content, here are a few tips you can follow:

• Keyword density of 1-3% – so, if you have 500 words on your website page, you want keywords to appear five to 15 times on that page. However, you don’t want to spam your primary keywords. Google wants quality content, not the same terms over and over again.

• Quality > quantity – It’s crucial to update your website with fresh and meaningful content. An easy way to do so is to stay consistent with posting blogs. Above all else, it needs to be engaging and informative!

How Fast is Your Site Speed?

It is no secret our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. Because of this, the speed at which your site loads is crucial for SEO. Users can become frustrated and leave your website if it takes too long!

One important thing to monitor when fixing your website speed is your images. Did you know you only have an average of four seconds to grab someone's attention on a website? If the photos are too large, your website will take longer to load – causing your customer to lose interest in that short amount of time.

How Do People Engage With Your Site?

Ever go on YouTube with the intent of only watching one video and find yourself hours later still watching dozens of videos? When it comes to boosting your SEO, apply the same tactic to your website.

You don’t want people to hop on and off your website, as this will negatively impact your click-through rate. Instead, you want them to view each of your pages and actively engage with your content. To keep users include informative and engaging copy, visuals, and designs – even add a blog to your website to boost your traction!

Need help with your online presence? Work with Social Stamina! Our social media experts have the experience and drive to expand your following. For more tips and tricks about digital marketing, check out our blog!