A is for Analytics
Analytics are what make SEO comparable to a science, as almost every SEO effort can be analyzed, measured, and presented as meaningful data. When someone asks, what does SEO actually do? Analytics are the answer.
For more on Analytics, check out this recent post.
B is for Blackhat
This is the word used to describe SEO practices that go against Google’s quality guidelines. Some examples include using irrelevant keywords, using tiny or greyed-out text to stealthily add more keywords, and copy pasting duplicate content from another website.
For interested parties, this post discusses the some of the history of Blackhat SEO practices.
C is for Clickthrough Rate
Also referred to as CTR, this is the phrase used to describe a visitor to your website clicking from one place to the next. For example, if you wanted to see how many people clicked on a “Learn More” call to action after reading something on your website, you could track the CTR to find this data.
Read about tracking CTRs in Google Tag Manager here.
D is for Domain
Domains are part of URL structure, and they’re the address used to get to your website, ex. “www.webfeatcomplete.com.” There is a lot of discussion about top level domains and what those mean for SEO. Top level domains are the last portion of the domain (.com, .net, .gov, ect.) and choosing the right one for your operation is beneficial for SEO.
You can read more about URLs and domains in this post.
E is for Evergreen Content
Content that is “Evergreen” means that it will stay relevant for years to come. Often, this is information that is essential to engaging with your business. The creation and promotion of evergreen content typically ranks very well because of it’s lasting importance.
To read more about what makes good content, check out this post.
F is for Forms
Forms are where visitors to your website can supply information, usually in exchange for something like a quote or more information. This is a great opportunity for CTR tracking, and putting SEO effort towards directing visitors to forms can result in more lead generation.
Check out this compelling article on managing form submissions here.
H is for Header Tags
Header tags, marked as <h1> or <h2> in HTML, are usually the title, byline, and subheaders of a post or page. These are great opportunities to use targeted keywords, and by including relevant keywords in your headers, you’ll typically rank higher for them.
This post touches on creating enticing headers and content.
I is for Infographics
An infographic is an image at summarizes information in a longer article and makes it visually and aesthetically interesting. Infographics have been prized in SEO circles for their sharability and their backlink generating qualities.
However, if you ask me, infographics are falling out of favor. See why here.
J is for JavaScript Indexing
JavaScript is a type of programming languages used for some of the more dynamic elements you might see on a website. However, the relationship between JavaScript and Google’s indexing ability has a tenuous history, and there are best practices relating to how to best set up your JavaScript elements for SEO.
Read a little more about JavaScript Indexing here.
K is for Keywords
Keywords correlate to search terms and allow you to rank for certain searches. A single keyword could be as simple as “website,” a search phrase could expand on that, “website company,” and something called a long tail keyword can get even more specific than that, like “website design company in Cincinnati.” The more targeted and specific your keywords are, the more likely you’re going to rank in specific searches.
You can read about determining keywords here.
L is for Link Building
Link Building is the practice of creating links on other websites that go back to your site. You can accomplish this by creating great content that could be linked to on another site, or even by just asking someone to share something you think might be useful to them and their audience. The more links out there that go back to your website, the more traffic your site is going to experience.
Read about Link Building strategies here.
M is for Mobile Optimization
Mobile Optimization is the practice of making your website easily accessible on a mobile device. This is a huge pitfall for some websites and is absolutely crucial for SEO in 2019.
More about the benefits of mobile-friendly websites can be found here.
N is for Navigation
Your website’s Navigation is usually found at the top or the side of the page. It is what directs users to different portions of your site, and can have more options in a drop-down if needed. SEO best practices surround navigation include keeping it simple and organized, with user experience in mind.
You can learn more about how navigation should be considered in UX writing here.
O is for On-Page Optimization
On-page optimization consists of the things you can to to a specific webpage to optimize it for search engines. This includes ensuring that specific HTML elements contain relevant keywordsand that the page is following SEO best practices.
P is for Pay-Per-Click
A model where you pay a search engine or social media platform a certain amount of money every time an ad is clicked by a potential customer.
Read more about PPC and lead generation in this post.
Q is for Qualified Leads
Qualified Leads are leads from actual potential customers, as opposed to spambot form submissions or people who just aren’t a good fit for your business. SEO best practices for generating Qualified Leads include using targeted and specific keywords, and using specific and direct calls-to-action in appropriate places.
This post talks more about CTAs and lead generation.
R is for ROI
Measuring SEO ROI can be done in a number of ways. Analytics are a huge way to demonstrate ROI, in addition to rankings and CTRs.
Learn about SEO as an investment here.
S is for Social
Social media can be an amazing tool to complement SEO efforts. Shares, backlinks, and relevant traffic can all come from putting effort into your social media presence.
Check out this great article on how SEO and social media work together.
T is for Traffic
Traffic is the word for visitors to your site. It can be measured in many ways, and SEO efforts will increase traffic. Traffic is the top of the digital sales funnel, and with a good strategy, traffic can be converted to leads.
This post talks about using SEO to generate more traffic over time.
U is for User Experience
User Experience, or UX, is something that should be considered in web design. The simpler and more person-first your site’s UX is, the more it is aligned with SEO best practices. Remember, if a person can easily navigate your site, so can Google.
More can be found in this article.
V is for Videos
Like infographics, videos can be a great asset that visitors to your site can share, earning you backlinks and more traffic. YouTube, the platform that comes to mind when thinking of online video, is also the second most used search engine.
Read about Youtube Optimization here.
W is for WordPress.
WordPress is a great platform to build your website on because it offers a plethora of SEO plugins. Mastering these tools can make your SEO more precise than ever before.
Here’s a great post about hosting with WordPress.
X is for XML Sitemap
By placing a formatted XML Sitemap on your webserver, you enable Google to find out what pages are present or have recently changed, and to crawl your site accordingly.
This post talks a little bit more about XML sitemaps.
Y is for Your Website!
SEO isn’t just for bigger businesses, in fact, studies have show that small businesses can get value from incorporating SEO efforts.
This article from Forbes talks about the benefits of SEO for small businesses.
Z is for Zero
As in, zero reason not to start thinking about incorporating SEO into the plans for your business’s growth. Now that you have an idea of the basic concepts of SEO, and have seen that it can benefit a business of any size, you’re ready to come up with a dedicated SEO plan for your unique business.
Sound a little daunting? The SEO team at webFEAT Complete is here to help! Reach out to us today to find out more about what SEO could do for your business.
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