White Hat SEO and organic traffic are moving targets for any business. “White hat” means “above board, not shady” SEO practices, by the way.
It seems once you’ve achieved a top-five search rank, you can start counting the minutes until you’re bumped out of the top spots for another up-and-comer in your industry.
Staying on top of the online search pile requires a heavy dose of consistency, while also paying attention to your audience’s changing desires and Google’s variable algorithms.
The good news is that common-sense tactics like quality content and a bit of keyword research go a long way to getting you seen online. There are also new frontiers in SEO for 2020, and we’ll spend the rest of this article giving you a snapshot of how to stay ahead of the SEO curve.
When you need a team of SEO experts and comprehensive digital marketing services, we recommend the professionals at Romain Berg. They excel at creating customized and, most of all, superior SEO results for their growing range of clients.
Visit their website today to schedule a consultation, and start increasing your online traffic and conversions the right way with their leading-edge white hat SEO.
Trust is the ultimate white hat SEO trump card
Google continues to define and refine what “trust” means online. The search engine giant becomes better each year at screening search query results for websites that provide consistent, authoritative, expert content, as well as superior user experience.
Though there are several actions that you can and should take to build this “trust” quotient with Google, your general approach should still center around using relevant keywords, quality video content, and backlinks that point to your site.
Here’s a breakdown of how to implement these factors for the best results.
Start with smashing URLs
If you use a blogging platform that allows you to customize your page URLs, please do it. Remember to select 5-6 words that accurately describe the page or article content. Use a keyword in the URL where possible.
Make every word count, with no stop words. Here’s an example of a URL “do:”
https://dominatewithseo.com/optimize-video-content-for-conversions/
We published this article and carefully crafted the URL, as we do with all our posts. You can see that our page is secure (HTTPS vs. HTTP), and our domain is visible.
The article page uses our selected keyword (video content for conversions), and the whole thing is short and easy to read.
Conversely, here’s a URL “don’t:”
https://medium.com/@slicevideo/this-is-why-video-is-the-most-engaging-type-of-content-e5ca46d5cef1
We think it’s a great article; however, the URL is far too long, includes several stop words, and it may be a bit confusing to read. Further, this article appeared several scrolls down in our search results, and the URL length and quality may have contributed to that result.
Speaking of video, have you optimized yours?
The new frontier of SEO for 2020 includes video optimization in a big way. Quality video can greatly improve user experience when it’s engaging, informative, and useful.
Including a well-produced video product demo, how-to segment, or customer review in your page content may significantly improve your bounce rate. A low bounce rate (users staying longer on your article pages) of 26-40% speaks to user experience, your website’s authority, and, therefore, trust.
Remember how Google feels about trust? Video done well can reliably improve your search rank. Two factors to consider for video optimization include loading or streaming speed and audience relevance. Be sure to test both before launching your video inclusions into “the wild.”
Content in context
Content is still essential to rank in 2020. However, good content alone will not improve your search rank. Ensuring your keyword choices land with user queries with programs like SEMrush and Moz help you maximize your content relevance.
Further, using your keywords conversationally and conveying strong intent in articles and web pages will become increasingly necessary. Google becomes more attuned to the language actual humans use each year and gets better at discerning context from each user query.
So, search results will become more laser-focused on the intent of the searcher. If the intention of your content matches closely with the intent of the searcher, your rank will improve.
Backlinks: build them ethically for amazing rank
Nothing speaks “authority” like multiple sources referring back to your webpages as resources. Enter, the backlink.
Building local SEO with other related or neighboring businesses is a win for all sides. Guest posting on other sites with your credentials and website links also builds credibility for your business.
These are two ways you can begin to position yourself and your company as trusted resources online. Remember, Google rewards your efforts in this area with increased visibility.
If you do nothing else for your SEO this year, build your backlinks as a priority.
Incidentally, backlinks hold the top spot for effectively increasing your rank online. We can’t overstate the importance of this valuable tool for your SEO.
Review and update your images
When uploading images to your articles or web pages, make sure they pass the following tests:
- Consistent file size
- Speedy and consistent loading time
- Descriptive alt tags that contain keywords
- Relevancy (any backdated hairstyles or fashion trends lurking in your content? They need to go.)
- Sharp visuals that look amazing and add credibility to your messaging–eliminate anything namby-pamby.
Pick your SEO strengths and stick with them
You can drive yourself crazy by trying to cover all the SEO bases flawlessly. If you excel at providing engaging video for your audience and they salivate over every new post, stick with that and get better at it.
If you write brilliant articles with artfully vetted keywords that precisely answer your audiences’ queries, keep right on winning with that strategy.
No one can achieve SEO perfection on all fronts on their own, so stop trying so darn hard to do it all. You can’t. It’s okay.
You really should outsource your SEO
Unless you naturally nerd out on search rank and online visibility, you should outsource this element of your business as soon as possible.
It’s smart to have a basic understanding of how SEO works. And you still have to run your business.
We trust the superior SEO skills of the team at Romain Berg. They are data hounds and tackle every imaginable corner of SEO for excellence in search rank, visibility, increased traffic, and, ultimately, conversions.
Visit their website today to schedule a consultation, and get on the road to radically improved SEO. Romain Berg delivers results, not hype.
