Best SEO Practices That Keep Google Happy

Search engine optimization can be a strategic, exhaustive web strategy that can drastically improve your website traffic, but did you know there are practices that Google actually encourages to increase your website traffic even more?

Google changes a lot of things on us, we have to admit, especially when it comes to SEO. And as both marketers and consumers, we understand that it’s all for the benefit of the user. So we read and put together the five best Google practices that can help your website SEO and keep Google on your side.

1. Write Content People Want to Read

First (and most importantly), content is what Google bots read, sort, and push out to users. As Google mentions, “there are 60 trillion individual pages on the web and it’s constantly growing,” and the search master isn’t too inclined to consider content that is sub-par or not even relevant to the user. So if you want good SEO, you first have to write content for the customer, not the search engine.

Another plus to writing important content is that it helps establish your credibility on the web. According to Google, “interesting sites will increase recognition on their own.” Google recommends asking yourself these questions when creating content: “Does this help my users? Would I do this if search engines didn’t exist?”

2. Think About Those Keywords

“Keyword Stuffing” is a term that refers to the practice of packing on keywords or numbers in an attempt to rank high on Google search results. Google has stated that, “filling pages with keywords or numbers results in a negative user experience and can harm your site’s rankings.” Instead, focus on creating useful content with naturally placed keywords in the right context. Avoid listing phone numbers, including keyword-rich blocks of text, and randomly repeating words and phrases that don’t make any sense.

3. Place Meaningful Links

Dial it down with the number of links you include on a given page as Google is onto those who manipulate page rank using link schemes like buying and selling links, link exchanges, and large-scale link farming. Keep your content yours and avoid links that were placed by a third party, also known as unnatural links. When writing content, be sure to use anchor text with the links you include in your content. For example, instead of saying, “visit this website, www.smallscreenproducer.com for more,” instead, say, “find more information on the Small Screen Producer page“. This will allow Google bots to read and decipher keywords better as bots will see “Small Screen Producer” instead of “smallscreenproducer”.

Additionally, a URL of your page or blog that’s a descriptive URL can significantly do wonders for your SEO. Usually, your content management system will already include the title of your post in the web URL, just make sure your title is keyword-rich. For example, this: “/google_webmaster_guidelines” is better than this: “/page1/23455/-01”. Descriptive URLs provide more information about the page for both users and search engines, just be sure not to make them too lengthy.

4. Add Descriptive Text to All Images

Including alt tags is the simplest and easiest way to make your images more content-friendly. Alt tags appear when an image doesn’t display on a page, letting the user know what is supposed to be there. Even better is that alt tags act as anchor text for images, allowing them to show under Google Images when it’s on-topic or relevant to a user’s search.

5. Examine Your Speed

Lastly, Google strongly recommends that your webmaster regularly monitors your site’s performance and load times. Google’s job is to provide users with the most relevant content as quickly as possible to create that great user experience. Fast sites increase customer satisfaction much more than slower sites and “improve the overall quality of the web (especially for those users with slow internet connections)”. Have your webmaster take a look at site performance using Google’s page testing tools.

View Google’s Search Engine Optimization Guide for more information.

For more tips on improving your SEO, feel free to download our free eBook below!

About Small Screen Producer

Small Screen Producer is a full service, marketing firm located in Houston, Texas that specializes in online digital media marketing through a 4-step process. Step 1: WE PLAN a custom web presence strategy for your business through website design and development, mobile development, social media account creation and branding. STEP 2: We then POSITION your brand through Pay-Per-Click advertising and search engine optimize tactics that include on-page and off-page SEO that are Google and Bing approved. STEP 3: We then PROMOTE your brand using an Inbound marketing strategy or a content marketing strategy to help you accomplish your marketing goals. We do this through blogging, video production, infographics, call-to-actions, landing pages, and free educational offers. We help you build trust and rapport with your customer base. STEP 4: We then PROTECT your brand’s web presence with a reputation management program that monitors social media and on line reviews. Get started today with a free online marketing assessment of your company’s web presence. Your company deserves it.