You know that the better your SEO is, the higher you rank on search engines such as Google. But that doesn’t quite make you an SEO genius. Here are some of the most frequently asked SEO questions marketers get all the time.
What exactly is SEO?
SEO stands for search engine optimization which are the techniques used to help your website become more visible in organic search results in search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
What are meta descriptions and do they still matter?
A meta description is the small paragraph of text that appears below your page in a search engine result. It helps explain what the page is all about. Meta descriptions still matter, just not in the same way they used to. They used to help keyword bots but now, it’s more important to write something that makes readers want to click on your page.
What is the difference between paid and organic results?
Organic results are those that appear in search engines for free. These are based on algorithms which pick out the keywords that relate to what someone has typed into their search bar. Paid results on the other hand are results that usually appear at the top or to the side of the search results. Businesses pay for those positions.
Am I using the right number of keywords on a page?
There is no right number of keywords to include because what you should be aiming for is making your page or content readable. You should be able to find enough natural opportunities to include keywords that you won’t even have to worry about reaching a certain number of them.
How many internal links do I need on each page of content?
As with keywords, you shouldn’t worry about having a specific number of links in your content. You only need to include them when they are going to enhance the readers’ experience.
What’s the difference between internal, outbound and inbound links?
Internal links are links in your content or on a page on your website that go to another page on your site. Inbound links are links on other websites that link to your content. Both of these links are valuable for your SEO. Outbound links are those that you include to link to a different website page that doesn’t belong to you.
Do I need to know fancy IT code to do SEO?
No, but there are some more advanced SEO tactics that basic coding can help you understand and achieve. It’s not necessary for every aspect of SEO though.
What’s a sitemap.xml file?
This is an index of all the pages on your website. This file makes it quick for search engines to understand your website and the content you have on there.
Why do I need alt text on my images?
Search engines cannot read images, but they can read text. The alt text helps them work out what the images are. Alt text also helps when a page doesn’t load properly. If the image doesn’t load, visitors to your site can still work out what the image is by reading the alt text.
How long does it take to see results from SEO?
This will depend on how much content you create, the quality of that content and how that content resonates with your audience. If you have a big website with strong domain authority, you’re more likely to see results sooner. Smaller websites will likely take longer because search engines crawl them less often. You should monitor and measure your SEO approach weekly and leave it about a month before you change up your strategy.
Should I hire someone to do my SEO?
Hiring someone internally or externally to do your SEO can be helpful, especially if you don’t want to spend the extra time doing it yourself.
What should my SEO goals be?
Don’t limit your SEO goals to how many more visits you can get to your website. Think about your full marketing strategy and how much quality traffic you’re getting to your website currently. Set goals based on traffic as well as the entirety of your marketing funnel.
While you might have a better understanding of SEO now, it’s important to remember that SEO changes regularly. This is thanks to search engines improving their usability and their approach to crawling websites. So don’t forget to adapt your SEO strategy to those changes.
