Is SEO important in 2023?
Let's start here. SEO is more important than ever, and yes, you need it in 2023. Why? Because search engines are designed to favor websites that have strong optimization. Given that the majority of people begin their online search with search engines, companies cannot overlook the significance of SEO. The investment made in SEO efforts today can produce long-lasting benefits for a website.
How can I boost my SEO for free? We've compiled a list of 7 ways you can improve your website's SEO today without spending a dime.
Here are 7 ways you can boost your website's SEO for free:
1) Keyword Research
Identify relevant keywords and phrases related to your business or industry and incorporate them into your website's content.
Google Keyword Planner: This is a free tool provided by Google that helps you identify popular keywords related to your business or industry. You can enter a few seed keywords or your website's URL, and the tool will generate a list of relevant keywords along with their search volume, competition level, and other metrics.
Check out this article that explains how to use Google Keyword Planner in 2023 and the steps to take after using this tool.
2) Content Optimization
Optimize your website's content, including headings, meta descriptions, and alt tags, to make it more search engine friendly.
To improve SEO, businesses should focus on creating timely, relevant, and high-quality content for their users and regularly updating it to prevent outdated information from reaching site visitors.
DO: Be original and make sure your content is easily digestible. DON'T: Use unnatural language or hide your call to action information.
Pages should also be optimized for performance, such as ensuring your site is accessible and functions across multiple devices.
Use Images and Videos: Use images, videos, and other multimedia to break up your content and make it more engaging. Make sure to optimize the alt text and file names for your images.
➣ Use Pine Tools, a free online tool that helps you invert, resize, and edit images, plus much more!
Get organized and remember important days by trying out Hubspot's 2023 Social Media Holiday Content Calendar.
3) Improve Site Speed
Increase your website's speed by compressing images, using caching, and minimizing HTTP requests.
Google PageSpeed Insights: This is a free tool from Google that analyzes your website's speed and offers suggestions for improvement. It provides a score from 0-100 for both desktop and mobile speeds and offers specific recommendations for improvement.
4) Build Quality Backlinks
Reach out to other relevant websites and ask if they would be willing to link to your site. SEO companies build backlinks through a variety of methods, including:
Content creation: Creating high-quality, relevant content that people will naturally want to link to.
➣ Apple does a great job at showcasing high-quality content of their newest product releases.
Outreach: Reaching out to other website owners or bloggers in the industry to request backlinks.
➣ One way you can practice outreach would be to send an email requesting to create a guest blog post in return for a backlink.
Guest blogging: Creating content for other websites and including backlinks to the client's website in the post.
Broken link building: Finding broken links on other websites and offering to replace them with links to the client's website.
Directory submissions: Submitting the client's website to relevant directories.
➣ When looking for directories for your website, make sure you check the quality of the other listings on the site. If the other listings look fake or spammy, then the directory may not be valuable to submit.
➣ Keep a spreadsheet of your directory work to stay as organized as possible.
➣ Use MOZ's list to start searching for quality directories for your website and view curated lists on the internet.
Social media: Sharing content on social media and encouraging others to link back to the client's website.
➣ Link tree hack! Reach out to us if you want to set up something similar on your website. Link this page to your social media account's bio description so your audience can easily find your website's content.
SEO companies use these methods and others to build a diverse and high-quality backlink profile that can improve a website's search engine rankings. It's important to note that the quality of the backlinks is crucial, as low-quality or spammy links can actually hurt a website's SEO.
➣ Check out Hubspot's simple guide on how to conduct backlink analysis.
5.) Claim and Optimize Your Google My Business Listing
Verify your business and optimize your listing to improve your local search rankings.
Check out our Instagram reel, How can I reach customers if I don’t have a physical store?
➣ In this video, Kelly answers the question, Can I create a Business Profile on Google if my business doesn’t have a storefront? The answer is YES!
You can set up a profile with Google if you are a hybrid business that serves customers at a storefront and then also delivers to your customers outside of your physical store. You can also have a Business Profile on Google if you deliver to customers directly but don’t have a physical storefront.
Click here for Google Business Profile Help on steps for setting up your Google My Business profile.
6) Use Social Media
Share your website's content on social media to increase visibility and drive traffic to your site.
One social media tip we recommend to get the most out of your content is to re-purpose it! For example, if you create a popular blog that is reaching a lot of people, consider turning it into a reel or carousel post to reach even more people.
➣ Red Bull does a great job at repurposing content through its 30 different multi-media channels and social media platforms which gives its audience a large range of various formats. On their website's dashboard, users can easily click to view their TV, events, athletes, and products.
Content Idea for 2023: Create a reel from your highlights automatically on IG!
➣ Post your story and add it to its specific highlight.
➣ Then click "Try it" when asked if you want to turn your highlight into a reel.
➣ Edit the reel and caption how you would like and then press share!
7) Monitor Analytics
Use tools like Google Analytics to track your website's performance and make data-driven decisions to improve your SEO.
Click here to read how Google Analytics works.
Wix also has a great tool for tracking analytics. Wix Analytics allows you to stay up to date on your website's content and how your viewers are acting. Checking your website's analytics allows you to make better informed decisions.
These are just a few DIY activities your business can implement to improve your website's SEO and increase your visibility in search engine results pages without spending money. For more advanced technical SEO services, including keyword research and web development to boost page rank, it may be beneficial for businesses to hire professionals. We can help! Give us a call or send us a message and our team will get back to you soon.
About our company
RHM specializes in helping businesses of all sizes and across all industries achieve their digital and web marketing needs. Whether you are designing a new website, building an app, performing custom development, or running Google Ads, our goal is to showcase how you are the best at what you do and help people connect with you. Contact us at 225-250-1888 to get started!