Right, you’ve probably heard and read this a hundred times by now: search engine optimisation is and remains a good way to attract more website visitors in the long term. So far, in all our blog posts, we’ve provided information on what search engine optimisation is, what the trends are for 2019, and we’ve also shared a number of tips. What you’re still missing is an explanation of how you can apply SEO to your own website. This isn’t just another standard blog post; this blog is all about helping you make progress with SEO. And no, not by just giving abstract tips. This is, in fact, a search engine optimisation checklist.
In this blog, you will read step by step how to use search engine optimisation for your website. The search engine optimisation checklist is divided into 3 parts, namely: the technical side, the research part and the on-page side. Follow these steps and make sure your website is fully search engine optimised.
Technical search engine optimisation checklist
Install Google Analytics. This is essential to check whether your SEO strategy is successful. You can determine this by looking at various indicators such as number of website visits, conversion and revenue. You can use tools such as Ahrefs Use it to measure your keyword ranking and link building. Alternatives are: OpensiteExplorer, MajesticSEO, Semrush and SEranking.
Are you using WordPress? Download and install the Yoast SEO plugin. With this plugin, you can easily identify what improvements are needed on your website pages to optimise texts for search engines.
Verify your site in Google Search Console. This tool ensures you have insight into how Google's search engine rates your website. Read this guide For more information on the Google Search Console.
Improve your website performance and speed. Analyse your site with Google PageSpeed Insights. When your score is 80+, the website is in good shape. If you want to speed up your website, you can do so using free WordPress Plugins: GTMetrix and Kraken.
Test website usability on mobile phones. Google values the 'Mobile-first' principle. Make sure your website is optimised for mobile phones. Perform the test via Google Mobile-Friendly Test.
Keyword search engine optimisation checklist
Develop a Buyer Persona (the ideal customer): This is the first step in researching the right keywords. Customers who do not yet know you are not (yet) looking for your company’s website. They first search for valuable information or products that can meet their needs. Defining a buyer persona is the crucial first step in finding out what your ideal customer types into Google.
Keyword Strategy: Focus on keywords that initially have less competition. These are known as ‘body’ and ‘long-tail’ keywords. These are often keywords that the competition overlooks. Also, ensure you create content around various keywords, rather than focusing on just one.
Brainstorm keywords. You can find thousands of long-tail keywordsin a short space of time . Make use of various free tools for this. Start with Wikipedia to find topics and synonyms related to your business. You can find long-tail keywords by using three free tools: Google Autocomplete, Ubersuggest and Keyword Shitter.
Narrow down your keyword list: Analyse search volume data from the free Keyword Everywhere Extension or Google Keyword Planner. Make sure you take the Cost-Per-Click (CPC) into account as a guide for narrowing down your list. The higher the Cost-Per-Click, the less favourable it is.
Choose the keywords you’re actually going to use: Once you’ve narrowed down the list to potential keywords and phrases, start by checking the first page of Google for each remaining keyword. See if there are any large or well-known sites with high-quality content. Next, use the data from the MOZ SEO Toolbar to check how much authority and backlinks your competitors have accumulated. Eliminate any keywords that are too competitive and focus on the keywords where you have a chance of ranking highly in the search engines. Your chosen keywords will form the core of all your content.
On-page search engine optimisation checklist
Choose one keyword per page. Generally speaking, it is more convenient to start with keywords with low search volumes. The chances of ranking higher in the search engines for such a keyword are many times higher. (Quick win!)
Write Title Tags the search engine loves. Every page of your website should have a unique Title tag. Prefer Title tag that starts with a relevant keyword. Use additions like "best", "top", "2018" to stand out and make use of long tail keywords. Title tags should have a maximum of 55 characters or less, otherwise part of the title will fall away in the search engine.
Best practices for URLs. Use short URLs that contain your keyword, e.g. www.jouwdomeinnaam.nl/blog/target-keyword. And, always use dashes in your URL.
Create an attractive Meta description and thus ensure that people click through to your site. Explain the advantages of your blog post or product compared to those of the competitor already visible in the search engine. The meta description must be under 160 characters, otherwise it will be lost in the search engine.
Optimise your photo for Google image search results. Use the keyword in the file name and make sure the alt text of the image contains the keyword.
Minimise the bounce rate. A bounce is when a website visitor leaves your web page immediately. Make the topic clear by including your keyword in the first 100 words of your article.
Boost your SEO with your Heading Tags. Your keyword should appear at least once in H2 or H3 subheading.
Make use of outbound links. In all your blog posts, use at least 2 outbound links to other sites with authority, such as popular blogs or news sites.
Add internal links. When publishing a new blog, use 2 or 3 internal links to older blog posts.
Publish long content. Your blog posts should be at least 300 words and 1,500 words for keywords you want to compete with.
Use a share button for social media channels. Make sure the share buttons for social media are visible with every blog post. For example, use DiggDigg WordPress plugin for this purpose .
Repeat these steps for each blog or landing page.
Congratulations! You have completed all the steps of the search engine optimisation checklist and your website pages are now fully optimised for the Google search engine. Make sure you monitor your website for SEO at least once a week to avoid any setbacks. It is important that you continuously maintain your website to ensure that you continue to score well on SEO.
