This article has been contributed by Vaibhav Kakkar.

Perhaps one of the most popular searches on the internet is how to improve your website ranking. Brands now understand the huge value that organic web traffic represents, so it makes sense that everyone wants to cash in on it.

Whether you’re a business looking to boost your ranking and web traffic, or an SEO freelancer brushing up on your craft, there are always a few quick fixes that will give you results. From consistency to simplicity, here are 10 tips that make SEO easy.

1. Relevant, Detailed Content Always Works

There was a time when people used to look for “fast” information and be done with their web search. However, as more and more information has been made available over the years, the need of the hour is to have detailed, highly relevant content.

A well-written piece that is plagiarism-free and reader-friendly is naturally bound to do better with readers – and therefore search engines too – than a piece that has been copied and has irrelevant information.

Don’t be in two minds about exploring your topic and finding different narratives. At the same time, don’t add worthless details that will confuse the reader. Try to strike the right balance between usefulness and new information.

2. Use Keywords Wisely, Don’t Force-Fit

The biggest mistake most people make on their sites is that they force keywords into their content. While it is a good idea to have a keyword-rich article, using them in the wrong context will decrease the chance of your site getting ranked and might even lead to a penalty.

There are several ways to use keywords effectively. In the heading section, focus on using the right keywords in the title tag and meta description. Similarly, the body content should be enriched with keyword-relevant images, links and headings.

3. Optimise Your Content Frequently

If you are guilty of not looking back once you are done with a content piece, then it’s time for a change of habit.

This is common bad practice that can decrease the chances of your site making it to the first page of search results. Update your existing content with new images and tweak content according to new trends, news and lingo. This is helpful, especially for newer sites.

4. Improve Your Website Structure

Your site is your workplace, so would you like to be in space that is cluttered, confusing and low quality?

From improving the quality of content on the site to picking better images, everything is vital to building a solid foundation for your website. This also includes making it easy for web crawlers to easily navigate your site while indexing content.

You can do this by having a clear hierarchy in place. This means having just a few main categories, and maintaining a balance in sub-topics to keep them even. A navigation structure that requires three or fewer clicks to reach a page works best.

5. Keep Your Site Mobile-Friendly

Connectivity is now affordable and convenient. This means that most of us access the internet on phones and having a website that is designed accordingly can attract a lot of customers. Mobile friendliness is a crucial factor for a decent mobile experience for your customers and to rank higher in search results.

Regularly check how your site appears on different mobile operating systems and update it accordingly.

6. A Social Media Presence

If the internet is a school, social media is the playground. It is a must that your site has an active social media presence on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and even TikTok, depending on your target market.

Social media is good for organic traffic as your site will have a regular following, so it indirectly helps you to establish domain authority. It’s a foolproof way of driving sales, gaining valuable insight into your products and your competitors, and generating qualified leads.

A well-executed social media strategy can have a huge impact on the visibility of a product or service. As well as awareness, you can also use social media to promote customer satisfaction and loyalty. Social media can be a highly effective way to address customer queries and grievances to enhance their experience with your company.

7. Sitemap: A Necessary Detail

Another basic thing that people tend to miss out on!

Having a sitemap is an excellent way of getting all your webpages indexed by Google as it provides accurate information about the number of pages on the site and other details.

If you don’t already have one, add a sitemap manually or use a third party tool to create one. Make sure you add it to your robots.txt file and submit it to Google via Search Console.

8. A Healthy Mix of Appropriate Keywords

There are various types of keywords that are available to use.

• Head Term Keywords: The short and generic keywords that are popularly used by almost all sites. For example good health, good skin, good hair, etc.
• Informational Keywords: Unlike head term keywords, informational keywords are more specific, and they are dependent on your niche. They mostly contain terms like what, where, how or when to address user queries.
• Long-Tail Keywords: These types of keywords are targeted to a specific niche. They are in long form and are specific. For example, how to lose weight in 5 days or how to make masks at home.

When choosing keywords, pick a healthy mix of the three types above to paint a clear picture for users and ensure search engines index your pages for as many relevant keywords as possible.

9. Inward Bound: External Links

In simple words, external links are links between two different websites. Inbound external links from other websites to your own are highly valuable. Not only can they bring new users to your site, but if the links come from a reputable site, they’re good for SEO too. Search engines will recognise those links as signs of trust and authority.

Try to reach out to well-ranked websites with content that is relevant to yours. Content collaboration can go a long way in boosting your website, as well as your reputation and business goals in general.

10. Good Internal Linking

Internal links are those that take users to another page of the same domain. You can have several internal links from one article or page to another, as long as they are useful to your audience.

An internal link can boost the views of the destination page, and therefore improve its search engine ranking. It will also show search engines the relationship between the two pieces of content and add strength around keywords relevant to both pages.

If you have a complex argument that needs supporting information that isn’t appropriate for the same page, internal links are essential. Your close-knit network of posts or blogs will segregate all your content and allow your readers to head to the other posts organically.

Conclusion

Focusing on a user-friendly website that eases navigation allows more customers to visit and browse through your website. It is no secret that users like to read relevant content that is creative too. Following these principles will keep you way ahead in the SEO game.

How many of these tips have you incorporated into your website? Go on, spill your secrets!

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About the author: Vaibhav Kakkar is the founder of Digital Web Solutions and RankWatch Inc.