Losing Traffic? 10 Tips to Boost SEO and Start the New Year Right

Losing Traffic? 10 Tips to Boost SEO and Start the New Year Right

Are you seeing a decline in your website traffic no matter how many blog posts you produce? Would you like to optimize your website for Google without spending any money on marketing agencies?

Then you came to the right place.

There are several strategies and tips you can apply to optimize your website to boost SEO while also getting ahead of your competition.

Whether you’re working to rank on the first page of Google or beat Amazon, it can be achieved with these ten simple tricks.

1. Improve Your Website Speed

The love Google has for speedy websites is no secret. In fact, the search engine giant officially declared that they will use speed as a ranking factor in an upcoming search algorithm update. What are you doing right now to improve your website speed?

A website’s performance speed depends on several factors:

• Resources offered by the web host
• Location of the servers
• Website caching
• Domain name
• The code used by your website

And that’s just to name a few.

Start by switching to a lighter and a mobile-friendly website design. Then, install a caching plugin on your website. And set up a CDN to deliver your website more efficiently to visitors around the world.

 

2. Optimize Your Blog Posts For Voice Search

It’s safe to say that voice is the future of search. With Amazon Echo and Google Home taking over the homes and offices, people are now using their voice to search things on search engines more often than typing. Are your blog posts optimized for voice search?

Searching for something on Google using voice is entirely different from searching by typing. When you use voice search, you tend to spell out entire sentences or questions, like “What is the best way get more website traffic” or “How can I start a business from home?”

Keep this in mind when you create titles for your new blog posts. Make sure your blog posts are optimized to reach the massive audience that uses voice search.

 

3. Aim For Long-Tail Keywords

Keyword optimization takes a key role is website SEO. However, targeting highly competitive keywords is one of the biggest mistakes most marketers and businesses often make when creating blog posts. The best way to increase your chances of getting better ranking is to aim for long-tail keywords with low competition.

To do this, combine the research you do with Google Keyword tool with a keyword competition analysis tool like Moz Keyword Explorer or KWFinder. Use these tools to find long-tail keywords and search phrases that are easier to rank for.

 

4. Implement a Mobile-First Design

With more people using mobile devices to browse the Internet, Google is now placing a priority on offering the best experience to mobile users. The company has already started rolling out its mobile-first index. This new search algorithm update heavily promotes websites that are optimized for mobile devices and punishes websites that aren’t mobile-friendly.

In addition to switching to a mobile-first design, you should also consider optimizing your blog and formatting blog posts in a way that’s easier for the mobile users to consume. For example, you can use shorter paragraphs and more bullet points in blog posts.

 

5. Target Local Search Terms

If you’re promoting a local business or a service, there’s so much you can achieve by focusing on optimizing your website for local search. It will not only make it easier for you to rank for keywords but it will also reduce the international competition you have to deal with.

Start by letting Google know that you’re a local business. You can do this via Google Search Console. Then, optimize your blog posts to target local audiences.

For example, if you’re a business in San Francisco, start incorporating phrases into your blog posts to let people know where you’re from. Instead of writing a blog post titled “How To Start A Business In San Francisco,” you might use more specific titles like “How To Start A Restaurant in the Bay Area.” This type of content will go along great with retargeting marketing campaigns to reach local customers.

 

6. Update and Republish Old Posts

Google bots are constantly scanning your website for fresh and new content. When your blog isn’t getting updated and blog posts are getting outdated, Google will start to consider your website as dormant or inactive. This will affect your rankings.

That’s why it’s important to always update your blog with new content. Also, update your older posts with timely content to make them relevant. Then republish them to let Google know that your blog reliably offers up-to-date content.

 

7. Compress Your Images

Using lots of images in your blog posts is a great way to convey your message more effectively to your readers. However, adding more images can also make your web pages heavier and slow loading.

Thankfully, you can fix this by compressing your images. There’s no need to buy expensive software to do this. Simple and free plugins like WP SmushIt will automatically optimize the images without harming the quality.

 

8. Generate More Social Signals

SEO experts are still in debate on how social signals affect website rankings. However, the data seems to suggest that having a strong social presence can boost your website’s search engine visibility.

Keep an active post schedule on your social media channels and don’t be afraid to reshare the same links more than once. Paying a few dollars to boost your Facebook posts may not be a bad idea either.

 

9. Create A Guest Blogging Campaign

Guest blogging is an effective way to build backlinks to your website. However, guest blogging is more than just about building links.

Having a guest blogging strategy will also help you reach new audiences and generate traffic to your website. It’s also one of the cheapest marketing strategies that will generate long-lasting results.

Create a list of websites and blogs in your niche that accepts guest posts and start contributing.

 

10. Create Superior Content

Coming up with effective blog post ideas can be tough, especially when all the good topics have already been covered by your competitors.

The only way to beat your competition in such a situation is to create superior content. For example, if there’s a blog post titled “Top 10 SEO hacks” that ranks on top of Google, you can create a better and more in-depth post like “Top 20 SEO hacks” to outrank your competition.

 

Conclusion

Follow these tips one step at a time. And remember, even after implementing all these tips, don’t expect results right away. Generating organic traffic and reaching higher rankings on Google takes time.

Until then, be patient and keep producing great content.