Every year, perhaps even every month, a new trend or a change to search engine optimisation practice (SEO) is discussed.
It’s to be expected in the digital world. And, it can be difficult for businesses to keep up with.
Here at the Tourism Marketing Agency, we know what is a big deal in SEO (and what’s not a big deal).
22. Don’t forget the basics when it comes to SEO.
In the first instalment of this guide we talked a lot about content. It really is so important, as are backlinks. But, so are the basics, and you cannot forget the importance of these.
For instance, the time it takes for users to load up your site’s pages plays a part in your ranking. Get this right and you’ll reduce your bounce rate, and in turn improve your ranking.
23. Do a website audit once a year and have a list of how you’ll change and improve your site.
This means you’ll always be looking to improve things for the user – whether it’s a faster load speed or better and richer content. Either way, regular investment on your site will likely help its performance and in turn, help your ranking.
24. Use structured data in your web page HTML.
If you do this, then search engines will then be able to understand your site better. Structured data is extra information that will help to improve your ranking.
25. Optimise your title tags.
Title tags, or title elements, need to be an accurate description of your page’s content as they define the title of a page. They are used in a search engine’s results page to show highlights from a site or page. So getting them right is important for SEO, and for your user experience. The homepage should consist of your main keywords for SEO and other pages should consist of your product or service info.
26. Learn about machine learning.
In other words, we need to understand how machines see and interpret the words in our online content and how they relate to each other. If you know what words relate to each other then you’ll help yourself win at SEO.
27. Help one another.
Yes, you want to stay ahead of the competition. But that doesn’t mean that you keep your head down to get ahead. Instead, you need to engage with others. It’s ok to link to other related sites and get them to link to you. Establish a relationship and do this regularly, and Google will love it.
28. Dedicate a page to your location(s) and to the members of your professional team.
Make it relevant and demonstrate your expertise in a professional manner.
29. Record your business on Google +, Yelp, Four Square etc.
This will increase visibility in search results and will help you be more noticeable than your local competitors. But, you need to keep these pages / entries and up to date.
30. Make sure you are referenced on websites like yellow pages etc. We call these ‘citations’.
Make sure you are there. If you can, add a link. This is a component part of the algorithm that search engine’s use to rank websites.
31. Make using a good URL structure a habit.
Your URL structure helps describe a site to the search engine so it must be search engine friendly – that means no numbers and symbols.
32. Use the correct anchors.
This is the clickable text on a hyperlink. Search engines use the text to understand the subject matter of the link and the site. So, it needs to be relevant and contain the right keywords.
33. Have a mobile strategy but don’t forget all the other devices.
Yes, your site needs to be mobile friendly. But don’t forget you need other versions for other devices and you need to invest in all of them.
34. Offer your site’s assets to others – but first, make them embeddable.
Offer your content to relevant sites as an embeddable file – you’ll benefit from the links and name check.
35. Positive PR will provide backlinks and help your ranking too.
Online news outlets need stories. Their stories could be your content, or content about you. News site backlinks are what we call ‘high authority’. So a news site linking back to you is great for SEO. So, when you think about your content plan, think about this kind of exposure through PR. What have you got that’s newsworthy?
36. Similarly, backlinks from respected experts work in the same way.
Can you engage with a respected industry blogger in your field? It’ll help you win at brand exposure but also bring web traffic and in turn your ranking will improve.
37. Think about contributing content.
Can you contribute content or an article to an expert site, publication or blog? You’ll help your brand exposure, position yourself as an expert and in turn help your page rankings.
38. Don’t stop monitoring your site
And finally, you need to stay up to date with Google’s algorithm. It has many aspects. So, you’re website needs to be a good performer on all of these aspects. If that sounds like a lot to deal with, then feel free to speak to us here at TMA.
So put all of these search engine optimisation tips into practice and you’ll win at SEO. At TMA we’re delivering results driven digital marketing and phenomenal SEO results on a daily basis for our clients. To talk more about our tried and tested approach and what the results could mean for your business, get in touch.
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Chris and his team will send you a weekly email offering high-value insight and advice about a variety of marketing and business development topics related to the tourism industry. We address specific destinations, tours and activities, and the hotel industry. We also provide important travel industry news and updates.
