How to optimise your on-site SEO profile

With all the recent talk about the Google algorithm changes, it is easy to get distracted from looking after the SEO basics on your website. Remember, Google still wants you to perform the basic on-site SEO set up. Once you have the basics set up you can start to develop your social media and content marketing strategies.

Titles and Descriptions

Your website should have unique Meta Titles and Descriptions for every page on your website. Try to use your strongest Keywords within your Meta Tags.

Headings

Add headings where there are needed. Use H1, H2, H3 etc. headings to indicate important headings for search engines and to break up the page for users on your website.

ALT Tags and File Names

While many people use ALT text on their images, some forget to name their image files for SEO. You should use both ALT text and name your image files with descriptive keywords. Think, photograph-of-dublin.jpg, not 55333.jpg.

Anchor Text

Google has recently indicated that too many similar anchor text links can look spammy to search engines. Try to alternate your anchor text and think about providing the best possible user experience. Your anchor text should be natural and provide links only where needed.

Google and Bing Sitemaps

Register your sitemaps with Google and Bing. If you have images or videos or your website you can create specific sitemaps for them and submit alongside your website URLs.

Social Media Sharing

I would consider adding social media sharing icons to your website a SEO basic. There is not that much effort involved and the return can be seen in increased traffic, higher conversions and a better overall SEO profile.