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SEO tips 1 to 5

1. Target low competition keywords at the outset

When you first launch your site, it will have a very low authority on Google, and this means it will rank less well than established competitors for high competition keywords. Whilst there is nothing to stop you targeting those keywords, the quickest way to generate new traffic to your site is to target those keywords which are less competitive.
You can check how competitive a keyword is by using Google’s Keyword Planner. This will show you whether competition for a term is high, medium or low. Finding keywords which are less competitive gives you more of a chance of ranking for them and getting the traffic which they send. If you only target highly competitive keywords, you may not rank at all and thus get no organic traffic in the early days. This method is a good technique to use whilst your site builds up authority.

2. Always put your main keyword in your page’s title tag

Title tags and other meta information are used by search engines to determine the subject matter of each page or post on your website. It’s absolutely crucial, therefore, that when you create your new website, that the page title tag has the most important keyword or term included. This way, when someone searches for that term, search engines will see that your page has relevant content.
There’s a definite link between keywords in the title tag and search engine rankings, so make the most of this technique. You should also make sure that you include your keyword in the page’s meta description.

3. Write titles for searchers, not searches engines

Getting ranked number one in Google does not guarantee you any traffic. You’ll only get people coming to your website if your result gets clicked on. So, when you write the title of your page or blog post, you have to write it in a way that will make the reader want to click on it. It has to grab attention and be compelling.
If you run an online store, you can maximise sales by writing titles that attract searchers who are ready to buy. To do this, simply add the word buy to your keyword, for example, ‘buy handmade chocolate’. If someone includes the word ‘buy’ in the search term, titles like these are much more likely to get clicked on and result in a sale.

4. Make sure your title doesn’t get cut off

Space is precious in search engine results and when it comes to titles, only about the first 70 characters get shown – sometimes less for mobile devices. The length for meta descriptions is about 100 characters.
If your titles and meta descriptions are too long, they’ll get cut off midway through. This can have a negative effect on click-through rates as searchers want all the information in front of them before deciding whether to click or not.
Make sure you keep within the limits and, if possible, put your keywords near the beginning. That way, they’ll always be shown.

5. Content is King

If searchers have chosen to visit your site, they expect to find the content they have searched for as soon as they land on your page. To make sure this happens, don’t force them to scroll half way down the page before seeing the title and don’t bombard them with adverts and pop-ups.
Google pays particular attention to what it calls ‘above the fold’ content: i.e., the content you see before scrolling. They don’t want to see browser-sized images with no text, nor do they want it full of header ads.
To rank well and to keep visitors on your site, give them what they are looking for the moment they land.

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