What is keyword stuffing? It’s not a Thanksgiving side-dish. But it is a great way to get penalized by Google.

Keyword Stuffing Ingredients

•       Using words or phrases out of context, just to squeeze in your keywords
•       Irrelevant keywords
•       Using terms repetitively
•       Stuffing the metatags or alt tags
•       Typing keywords in text that’s the same color as the background of the page so that the bots can read them, but the user can’t
•       Listing cities and states in blocks of text to get local SEO-everywhere
•       Spamdexing-this is overfilling your content with links. Search engines interpret this as keyword spamming and may penalize you for it.
•       Inserting keywords into the page’s HTML code

At one time, the practice of overusing key terms to boost your SEO was a successful tactic. But then Google got wise and not only improved their algorithm but began issuing penalties for websites that try to game the system.

Keyword Density

To find out what your keyword density is, you can use a basic formula. First, divide the number of words in your copy by the number of times the keyword appears in the copy. This will give you the percentage of your copy that your keywords are using. The ideal density is around 2-4%.

Another easy way to keep track of your keyword density is to use the Yoast plugin. It’s free and is a great way to learn how to put together a web page or an optimized-not overdone blog post.

What’s the Problem with Overusing Keywords?

It’s usually awful to read content that has been stuffed with keywords. You won’t keep your readers on the page very long. And because it does nothing to enhance the user experience, your site could incur a penalty from Google or be removed from the search engine results pages altogether.

A Better User Experience= Better SEO

Rather than over-optimizing your page for Google’s algorithms, the goal is to give your website visitors a better user experience. You can do this by using synonyms (different words that mean the same thing). Not only does it read more naturally, but it also helps Google to sort through potential homonyms (words that look and sound the same but mean something different).

Write More, High-Quality Content

Writing longer pieces of content, including relevant images, will give your readers the valuable information they are looking for, keeping them on your page longer. This will make Google happy. It’s a win-win without the black-hat SEO tactics of bygone days.

Use Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are more specific because they consist of 3-5+ words. So, while the search volume is lower, they will also pull in the readers looking for that exact information, lowering your bounce rate and raising your conversion rate.

At Iceberg Web Design, we know how to improve your SEO the right way. We have SEO content writers who can ensure your content is on brand and targeted to your audience.

Do you want to raise your online visibility?

Contact us today!

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Writing Title Tags for Better SEO

A title tag is an HTML element that tells search engines the title of a webpage.  The title tag for this post, for example, looks like this:

<title>Writing Title Tags for Better SEO | Iceberg Web Design</title>

But title tags do more than that. They appear on SERPS and in shared social media posts, so they had better be enticing because your potential readers will see them. A positive first impression could mean a click.

Limit the Length

You will also want to limit your title to 60 characters or less, to have the full title displayed. This is a general guideline since the actual limit is 600 pixels, and some letters are wider than others. For example, a “W” is wider than an “I.” If your title exceeds the 600-pixel limit, Google will truncate it at the nearest word-break before that.

To ensure your title fits into Google’s limit, you can use a preview tool like Portent’s SERP Preview Tool.

H1-Tags

While title tags show up on SERPs, H1-tags appear as the title on the page itself. Although they don’t have to be the same, it is standard to write them that way for clarity. That way, when readers click on something they have searched, the page that pops up is what they are expecting to see.

Using Keywords in Your Title Tags

It can help to use the keyword(s) you are ranking for in your title tag, but it is less important than it used to be. Still, because these elements are supposed to be telling people (and Google) what your page is about, and your keywords are supposed to be on-topic, having a keyword in your title tag often makes sense.

Search engines are intelligent. They understand variations of keywords, so you only need to include one version in your title tag if you wish. We are no longer in the old wild west days of SEO—no keyword stuffing in your page, post, or title tag. If Google decides that you’ve loaded your title tag with keywords, it may change how it is displayed on the SERP.

Homepage or E-Comm Sales Page Title Tags

You never want to have a homepage titled “Home.” Instead, SEO best practices (for now, because they are constantly changing) say that your title tag should be something like this:

{Keyword 1} {Keyword 2} | Brand/Company Name

Or for an e-commerce sales page

{Product Name} {Product Category} | Brand/ Company Name

You want to have the most important information first and keep it within the size limits mentioned above. Frontloading your tags with the most essential information also helps to grab the reader’s attention. Keep in mind this may be your location. 

It boils down to this: Play around with your titles until you come up with one that is catchy, descriptive, accurate, and fits into the size limit.

My Best Advice

Rather than worrying about title tags and all the other SEO components of your website, call the SEO experts at Iceberg Web Design. We create customized websites with built-in business solutions so you can do what you do best. Contact us today.

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Quality Content written for your website user, not for search engines

Quality content isn’t for the bots sent out by search engines to crawl your site (How is that for a mental image?). It’s for the readers of your website. After all, if your readers don’t see the value in your content, they won’t ever return to your site, recommend it to their friends, or share it on social media. Quality content is written in an interesting way with the information that your readers want. Consistently offering your readers quality content is the best way to increase your readership.

Help Google find your content

You will want to make your wonderful content easy for Google and other search engines to find so that when readers search a topic which you have written about, they can find it on your site. The best way to do this is to submit a sitemap to Google for your website. A sitemap tells search engines about new or changed pages on your site. 

Links to your site from other pages can also help people find your site. Building relationships with sites related to your site can be beneficial for both parties. Linking to one another’s sites can help readers find relevant content and help Google see where your site fits in among the sites on the worldwide web.

Describing your page’s content

It’s important to choose a title that accurately communicates the topic of the page’s content. Sometimes content creators try to be more clever than true, leaving both readers and search engines baffled about what they will find when they open the link. Because of this, it is important that each page has a unique title as well as a unique keyword. This helps search engines know how a page is distinct from others on your site. Avoid using lengthy titles that may not be seen as matching a user’s search query. Also, avoid “stuffing” keywords into your title tags.

Meta Tags

One example of important coding is your page’s meta tag. It summarizes what the page is about for search engines (hence, readers, as well). It could be a sentence or a short paragraph. As a tag, it is placed within the <head> element of your HTML document.

Google might use description meta tags as snippets for your pages or Google may choose to use a relevant section of your page’s visible text, particularly if it does a good job of matching up with a user’s query.

It’s also important to secure your site with HTTPS

No doubt your hosting service has talked with you about HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure), since it is a premium product that costs extra. It’s worth it, though.

Users expect a secure and private online experience. HTTPS provides this protecting the integrity and confidentiality of data between the user’s computer and the site three ways:

Data sent using HTTPS is secured via Transport Layer Security protocol (TLS). This provides three key layers of protection:

1. Encryption—keeps conversations safe from eavesdroppers and those who would steal the user’s information.
2. Data integrity—protects data from modification or corruption during transfer.
3. Authentication—proves that your users are communicating with the intended website. This builds user trust.

Regardless of the content on your site, it’s important to safeguard your users’ connections to it.

A Beginner’s Look at SEO Includes Optimizing Your Images

Over 20% of all U.S. web searches happen on Google Images. Without proper image optimization, you’re wasting a valuable SEO asset.

• Images should be formatted as either PNG or JPG images.

PNG: These files are larger but produce better quality images. They also allow for transparency so are often used for logo files.

JPEG: These are lower quality but don’t take up as much space, which is an important factor in how quickly your website loads.

• Another way to reduce the bloat on your website is to compress images before uploading them to your website. You can use a graphics program for this such as Photoshop or Gimp. There are also some WordPress plugins that will allow you to optimize your images.
• Use original, unique images to add value to your site. Original images also protect you from a copyright infringement lawsuit. When you use an image that you didn’t create yourself, make sure that you have the legal right to use the image in the way you intend to.
• Make your images mobile-friendly, meaning they automatically resize for different screen and device sizes.
• Use keyword-rich, descriptive file names as well as alt tags for images. Alt tags describe the image (briefly) so that if the image can’t be viewed, whether due to a disability or because the image won’t load, the user and search engines know what the image contains.

Hiring an SEO Expert

You may want to consider hiring an SEO professional to audit your pages. An SEO expert can save you valuable time and improve the visibility of your site on search engines. They can improve the structure of your website and offer technical advice on things such as: hosting, redirects, error pages, and the use of JavaScript. They are also skilled in keyword research and content development as well as much more!

If you’re considering a site redesign or planning to launch a new site, it’s the perfect time to talk with an SEO expert. They can help your site be search engine-friendly from the bottom up. They can also improve an existing site. Contact us today to find out how we can improve your SEO.

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If you own a website, you probably view SEO as a way to influence your search ranking. At the same time, search engines like Google prioritize the experience of the user. That’s the goal of the various factors they look at as they rank pages. If you keep that in mind, the way that website code influences your search ranking will make a lot more sense.

What is Website Code?

Code is the set of building blocks that make up a web page. Have you ever looked closely at the code that makes up your favorite websites? All you have to do is go to a page, right-click on the page in an area where there is no image. Then, click on “view page source” in the dropdown menu. Go ahead and try it now. To most people, it would look pretty complex. Let’s examine a few components of this code to see how they influence your search ranking.

Title Tags

If you walked into a library and none of the books had titles, it would be a terrible experience trying to find what you were looking for. Likewise, if they did have titles, but the titles didn’t accurately reflect the contents of the book, it would be frustrating. You would likely go to a different library.

Just as titles are essential to books, HTML titles are essential to your web pages. They’re the most important HTML signal that search engines use to understand what a page is about. Bad titles on your pages are like having bad book titles. The keywords in your title tag should reflect the content of your web page.  If the content of your title tag is deceptive to users (intentionally or simply due to poor website coding), Google will penalize your page in its search ranking. It is so important to search engines that pages are accurate and descriptive, that if they aren’t, Google will change them.

Meta Descriptions

The same keywords or phrases you include in your title tag should be in your meta description.  If you are coding your own website, start the text with <title> and end with </title>. This tells search engines the topic and keyword that your web page is about.

Honest and unique Meta descriptions for each page on your site are a must. If readers go to your site based on the description, but then what they find doesn’t match, it will have a negative effect on the user experience.

The Meta description is a lot like the synopsis on the back of a book. The title tag is the heading, and the Meta description describes the content. Just like the limited space on the back of a book cover, your Meta description (which includes your target keywords) should be 160 characters or less.

How does a Meta Description influence your search ranking?

A skillfully written Meta description will help you rank well on Google, but it will also sell and encourage readers to “click” on it when it shows up on a search engine result page (SERP) with the keywords the user searched for in bold, catching the user’s eye. Both can result in additional clicks to your site.

It’s important to understand that having a Meta description tag doesn’t guarantee that your description will actually get used. While having made it more likely that what you prefer will appear, search engines may create a different description based on what they believe is most relevant for a particular query.

Header Tags <— (This is a Header Tag)

Header Tags help readers navigate your content more easily. For example, you would give the main headline an H1 tag. Relevant subheadings follow with an H2 tag. They identify key sections of a web page, reflecting the logical structure (or outline) of a page. Including keywords in your header tags gives search engines a clue regarding what a page is about. This can increase the chance of appearing in searches for those words.

Links

Links are essential for SEO. Together with XML sitemaps, they help search engine crawlers locate and index web pages.  The following guidelines will help you create links that are more search engine friendly:

• They contain the keywords you want users to follow.
• They should be blue (and underlined)—these act as visual cues to the user that the text is a link. Without this formatting practice, it will be difficult for the user to recognize and click on links.
• Avoid making links all uppercase or lowercase characters
• Don’t give generic instructions within your links such as “more”, “read more”, “click here” and “learn more.” Users identify and understand links and therefore it is not necessary to tell users to click them.
• Set up cross-links internally and from other websites.

The Need for Speed

Users typically spend between 10 and 20 seconds on a web page unless the content grabs their attention. Now imagine how quickly users will leave a web page if that content takes very long to load!

https://storage.googleapis.com/twg-content/original_images/mobile-page-speed-new-industry-benchmarks-01-01-download.jpg

Faster sites create happy users and speed is becoming more important to users every year. Google has even started including site speed in web search ranking. This is a crucial way in which website code influences your search ranking.

Larger files created when JavaScript (JS) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) embed code in HTML files, make them slower to load. It can help to externalize the JS and CSS files and fetch the code whenever required. Compressing these files will make them smaller and thus faster to fetch.

Check out what a couple of Google webmasters have to say about the concept of speed on #askgooglewebmasters

<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/7HKYsJJrySY” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen></iframe>

How your website code influences your search ranking is complicated

If you want to increase your search ranking, contact the professionals at Iceberg Web Design. They have the experience and knowledge needed to take your website to the next level.

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Why keywords?

Most people who own a website have heard a lot about keywords and their importance in ranking well with search engines. Simply put, keywords are the words or phrases users type into a search box to find websites that offer what they are looking for. And, since only 8.3% of traffic makes it through to the second page of results ₍₁₎, it’s really first page or bust. What you may not know, however, is how to go about finding the right keywords for your business, and once you find them, how to leverage their use to get the best results.

Keyword research

Keyword research is one the most important steps in your marketing efforts. Finding out the search words and phrases that are bringing people to your website will help you not only with your keyword targeting, but also give you insights to your customers as a whole.

Some questions to ask:

• Which keywords or key phrases are users typing in to search engines to search for your business or products?
• What is a user’s intent while searching?
• Are you focusing on the right keywords in your content?
• Which keywords result in the most conversions?
• What other websites rank for related keywords?

Keyword research and analysis can help answer these questions. Ultimately, your goal is to come up with 10-40 niche keywords and then analyze those keywords for search volume, competition and level of difficulty to rank. Your best results will come from targeting specific longer phrases or three-four words (also known as long-tail keywords), rather than trying to rank for everything.

Before we go any further, do you have Google analytics setup on your website? Google Analytics allows you to see the type of traffic you already have going to your site and can help you determine which keywords are bringing in visitors organically. Tracking this data will help you know if your efforts are generating new leads to your site. These are just the basic reasons, but there are many more reasons to have it setup on your site. If your website is not setup yet with Google Analytics, call us today.

There are several tools available to help you with keyword research. Here are some that we have found helpful:

3 Free Tools for Keyword Research

Moz Pro Keyword Explorer
This online tool can help you discover and prioritize the best keywords to target.

Google Keywords
If you have a Google Adwords account you can make use of the Keyword Planner tool to check keywords and see search volume per month.

Keywordtool.io
This tool can provide a lot of long-tail suggestions from real user search queries.

Let’s do an example

Kevin owns an HVAC Repair business. What would his keyword list look like? Remember long-tail are combinations of three-four words, as you can see below these words can start being combined in many different ways.

1. HVAC Repair
2. Furnace Repair
3. Furnace Replacement
4. Broken Furnace
5. HVAC Service
6. HVAC Repair Minneapolis
7. House Heater Repair
8. Air Conditioning
9. A/C Repair
10. AC Replacement

After researching each of these, you will be able to identify the ones that will provide the best opportunity for your business to start targeting and building your SEO strategy around. Too many keywords and your efforts become diluted, too few and people won’t be able to find your services through SEO. The more products or services, the more complicated keyword research becomes.

Overwhelmed?

Iceberg Web Design offers several services to help you develop your keyword list including Google Analytics setup and comprehensive keyword research. Call Shane at 763-350-8762 to schedule your free consultation and get started!

Stay tuned! The next blog posts in this series will discuss:

• Keyword targeting
• Online reputation

(1) Value of Google Result Positioning Study by Chitika, 2013

The post All the Keywords! appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

Our team at Iceberg Web Design works with small businesses right across the country that want to make sense of it all.

Thankfully, we have put together seven simple SEO tips for small businesses in this post.

No “geek speak” here – just simple, straightforward strategies you can use to improve your SEO.

They’re quick, they’re easy, and they will help more people find your content on Google, Bing and Yahoo.

Offer to Contribute a Guest Post

If you’re already publishing new blog posts each month, why not produce one extra post and offer it to a blogger in a similar niche? Offer the post at no charge, but ask the receiving blogger to add a link to your website. These are referred to as a “backlinks” and Google prefers websites with plenty of them.

Interview an Influencer

Whether it is an audio recording, a video recording, or a written questionnaire, ask an expert in your industry to answer five to seven questions. Post the results of the interview to your website or blog. He or she will appreciate the exposure, and may even link to your content.

Focus on a Keyword

Before writing a new blog post, use a keyword research tool to identify a relevant phrase that people actually search for online. Include this phrase in your blog post title, in the opening paragraph, in a subheading, and as the alt tag for your featured image. Just make sure you use a different keyword on every page and post! A complete Keyword Research Report will also help you choose the right words for your post.

Update Regularly

Whether it is updating the copy on your homepage, adding a new image, or publishing a new blog post, search engines love to see fresh content. Find excuses to add new material to your website – just keep it clean and clutter-free!

Improve Load Times

Google favors websites that load quickly. Fast load times are indicative of a positive user experience, which is what SEO is really all about. You can do this by shrinking or compressing images. If you use WordPress, you can also do this by caching content through a plugin.

Comment on Other Blogs

Make a list of a dozen or so blogs in your niche and make a point to comment on one of their posts every week or so. When leaving a comment on a blog, you will generally be permitted to enter your website URL. Although this is considered a “nofollow” link – meaning it is not recognized by search engines – it will get the attention of the blog owner. He or she may visit your blog and share your content, thus resulting in boosted social signals.

Decrease Bounce Rate

Bounce rate refers to the percentage of people that visit your website and then click ‘back’ in their browser – or close the window – without visiting a second page. Aside from your menu or sidebar, be sure to link to additional relevant content from your website on every post or page. This may include linking to your services, contact page, or testimonials.

Are These Simple SEO Tips for Small Businesses… Well, Not so Simple?

It is okay if the worlds of SEO and search engine marketing (SEM) are a little out of your element. After all, your job is to run your business.

Why not leave the more complicated stuff to the professionals?

At Iceberg Web Design, we pride ourselves in not only building really great websites… but also in helping small business owners to boost their search engine visibility.

Why don’t we have a chat to discuss your particular objectives?

Contact our web design company for a free consultation, or call 763-350-8762 to get started. We also have a contact form you can use.

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