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Set up GSC and Bing Webmaster tools
Before you can start optimizing your website for search engines, you need to set up a few tools to track your progress. Google Search Console (GSC) and Bing Webmaster Tools are two essential programs that will help you measure your website’s traffic and performance.
GSC is a free service that gives you insights into how your website is performing on Google search. You can use GSC to track your website’s search traffic, see which keywords are driving traffic to your site, and troubleshoot any errors that Google may be experiencing when indexing your site.
Bing Webmaster Tools is a similar service from Microsoft’s Bing search engine. BWT provides similar data to GSC, but also includes some unique features like keyword research and site submission.
Both GSC and BWT are essential tools for any website owner who wants to improve their site’s visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Set up Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a free website analytics service that gives you insights into how visitors use your site. You can use Google Analytics to track pageviews, unique visitors, and other engagement metrics for your website. To set up Google Analytics, you’ll need to create a Google Analytics account and add the tracking code to your website.
Install and configure an SEO plugin (wordpress)
Adding an SEO (search engine optimization) plugin to your WordPress site is a great way to make sure that your site is optimized for search engines. There are a number of different plugins available, but we recommend using the Yoast SEO plugin.
To install and configure the Yoast SEO plugin:
- Login to your WordPress dashboard and go to the Plugins section.
- Search for “Yoast SEO” in the Plugin Directory and install it.
- Once the plugin is installed, click on the “Activate” link.
- After activating the plugin, you will be redirected to the Yoast SEO Configuration Wizard. Follow the instructions on screen to complete the configuration process.
- Once you have completed the Configuration Wizard, you can access all of the Yoast SEO settings by clicking on the “SEO” link in the left-hand menu of your WordPress dashboard.
Keyword Research
You need to find the right keywords to target for your SEO campaign.There are a few different ways to go about this. You can use keyword research tools like Google Adwords Keyword Planner or Moz Keyword Explorer. You can also do a Google search and look at the related searches at the bottom of the page. Another great way to find keywords is to look at Amazon.com and see what people are searching for in the search bar.
Identify your competitors
In order to identify your competitors, you will need to use a variety of methods. One way is to do a simple Google search. Just type in your keywords and see who comes up on the first page of results. Another way is to use a tool like Alexa that will give you information about website traffic. You can also check social media sites like Twitter or Facebook to see who is talking about your keywords. Finally, you can attend industry events or trade shows to get a feel for who your competitors are.
Conduct a keyword gap analysis
A keyword gap analysis is a process of identifying the keywords your competitors are ranking for that you are not. This is important because it allows you to focus your SEO efforts on terms that will actually drive traffic to your website.
To conduct a keyword gap analysis, you will need a list of all the keywords you are currently targeting, as well as a list of all the keywords your competitors are targeting. You can get this information by using a tool like SEMrush or Ahrefs.
Once you have this information, you can start to identify the keywords that your competitors are ranking for that you are not. These are the keywords you should be targeting with your SEO efforts.
To get started, simply create a spreadsheet with three columns:
Keyword
Your Ranking
Competitor Ranking
Then fill in the columns with the relevant data. You can use this template to help you get started.
Find your main ‘money’ keywords
To really dominate your niche, you’ll want to identify and target the main “money” keywords for your business. These are the keywords that people are searching for that are most likely to convert into customers or clients. To find these keywords, you can use a keyword research tool like Google Keywords Planner or a paid service like Wordstream.
Once you have your list of main keywords, you can start targeting them with your content. Make sure to use the keywords throughout your website, in your blog posts, in your social media posts, and in any other content you create. The more places you use the keywords, the more likely people are to find your site when they search for those terms.
Technical SEO
Leverage “Inspect URL” feature in GSC
The “Inspect URL” feature in Google Search Console can be a valuable tool for evaluating your website’s health and performance. Here’s how to leverage it:
When you enter a URL into the “Inspect URL” field, GSC will fetch and analyze the page. It will then display information about any errors that were found, along with suggestions for how to fix them.
This information can be very helpful in troubleshooting issues with your website. For example, if you see that GSC is reporting a “404 Not Found” error for a particular URL, you know that there is an issue with that page on your site.
If you’re not familiar with the “Inspect URL” feature in GSC, be sure to check it out. It can be a valuable tool for keeping your website running smoothly.
Ensure your website is mobile-friendly
A mobile-friendly website is one that can be easily accessed and viewed on a mobile device. It has a responsive design, meaning the website automatically adjusts to fit the screen size of the device it’s being viewed on. This is important because more and more people are using their mobile devices to access the internet, and if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re missing out on potential customers.
Check your site’s loading speed
One of the most important aspects of technical SEO is site speed. A slow loading site can negatively impact your search engine ranking, as well as frustrate your users. Google has stated that site speed is a ranking factor, so it’s important to make sure your site is loading as fast as possible.
There are a few different ways to check your site’s loading speed. Google offers a free tool called PageSpeed Insights that will give you a detailed report on how to improve your site’s speed. Another popular option is GTmetrix, which will also provide you with a detailed report and recommendations.
Once you have your report, take some time to go through it and implement the recommended changes. This can involve anything from optimizing your images to minifying your CSS and JavaScript files. If you’re not comfortable making these changes yourself, you can always hire a developer to help you out.
Making sure your site loads quickly is an important part of technical SEO, so don’t neglect it!
On-page and Content
There are many different things you can do to improve your on-page SEO and content. This includes things like optimizing your title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags. You can also improve your SEO by adding keyword-rich content to your website. This can be in the form of blog posts, articles, or even product descriptions.
Fix duplicate, missing, and truncated title tags
You might be missing out on valuable traffic if your title tags are duplicate, missing, or truncated. Here’s how to fix them.
A title tag is the main text that describes an online document. It is found in the head section of an HTML document and can be seen in your browser’s tab, bookmarks, and search results.
Title tags are a major factor in helping search engines understand what your page is about and determining your page’s relevancy for a given search query. That’s why it’s important to make sure your title tags are accurate, unique, and descriptive.
Here are some tips for fixing duplicate, missing, and truncated title tags:
- Make sure each page on your website has a unique title tag that accurately describes the page’s content.
- Avoid using the same title tag on multiple pages. This can be confusing for both search engines and users.
- Use descriptive keywords in your title tags to help users and search engines understand what your page is about. But don’t stuff your title tags with too many keywords—this can hurt your search engine rankings.
- Keep your title tags short and sweet. Search engines typically display the first 50-60 characters of a title tag, so make sure the most important information is at the beginning of your tag.
- Check to see if any of your title tags are being cut off in search results by using a tool like Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools. If they are, try to make your titles shorter or use different keywords.
Find and fix duplicate or missing meta descriptions
A great meta description won’t save your page from a bad title or poor on-page content, but it can help improve your click-through rate (CTR) if it’s interesting and relevant.
Your meta descriptions should:
- Be unique to each page
- Be short and to the point (under 155 characters is ideal)
- Include relevant keywords
- Speak to the needs of your audience
Find and fix multiple H1 tags
If you have more than one H1 tag on your page, it’s important to fix this as it can confuse search engines. Each page should only have one H1 tag, and it should be at the top of the page, before any other content.
To find out if you have multiple H1 tags on your page, you can do a quick search of your page source code. To do this, open your page in a web browser and then use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+U (on a PC) or Cmd+U (on a Mac) to view the source code. Once you’re viewing the source code, use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+F (on a PC) or Cmd+F (on a Mac) to open a search window. Then type in “
” (without the quotation marks) and see if there are multiple results. If so, you’ll need to fix this by remove all but one of the H1 tags.
Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO (also called “off-site SEO”) refers to actions you can take outside of your website that will improve your search engine rankings.
Analyze your competitor’s link profile
Off-page SEO is all about building backlinks. Backlinks are links from other websites to your website. They are basically like votes for your website, telling Google that your website is popular and relevant. The more backlinks you have, the higher you will rank in Google.
There are a few ways to build backlinks. One way is to create great content that other websites will want to link to. You can also reach out to other websites and ask them to link to your content. Finally, you can use link building tools and services to automate the process.
One of the most important things you can do for your off-page SEO is to analyze your competitor’s link profile. This will give you an idea of what kinds of links they have, where they are getting them from, and how many they have. You can then use this information to build a better link profile for your own website.
Conduct a link intersect analysis
Link intersect is a great way to find sites that may be willing to link to your content. By finding and analyzing sites that link to your competitor’s content, you can discover new link building opportunities.
Here’s how to conduct a link intersect analysis:
- Choose a competitor. Select a competitor that is ranking in the top 10 for a keyword that you’re targeting.
- Find their links. Use a tool like Open Site Explorer or Majestic SEO to find all the sites linking to your competitor’s content.
- Analyze the links. Look at each of the sites linking to your competitor’s content and determine if there is an opportunity for you to get a link from them as well. If so, add them to your list of potential link partners.
Target your competitors’ broken backlinks
One of the most valuable things you can do for your SEO is to target your competitor’s broken backlinks.
This means finding links that are no longer working and pointing them to your site instead. This is an advanced SEO tactic, but it can be extremely effective.
There are a few different ways to find broken backlinks. The first is to use a tool like Monitor Backlinks. Just enter your competitor’s URL and click “analyze.”
Once you have a list of broken links, reach out to the site owner and offer to replace the link with a link to your site. This can be an extremely effective way to build high-quality backlinks.