6 Simple But Critical SEO Tips to Put Into Practice on Your Website

However, with the sheer number of SEO best practices out there, it can be challenging for businesses to keep their website up-to-date.

Fortunately, there are several simple but critical things you can do to improve your search engine rankings, and here are six of them.

1. Work on your page load time

Page speed is an important ranking factor for Google's algorithm, meaning a slow website can negatively impact your search engine rankings. In fact, about 40% of users will leave a website if it takes more than three seconds to load.

Large image files, too many plugins on your site or using a complicated web design are among the many factors affecting page speed. Therefore, try to limit the number of plugins and ads on your site and use an optimized theme with efficient code to boost your website's load time.

Moreover, you should batch compress photos before uploading them to your website so that they load faster.

2. Optimize your title tags and meta descriptions

A title tag refers to the clickable short headline that appears on search engine results pages, while a meta description is the snippet of text below the title tag describing what your web page is all about.

Relevant title tags and meta descriptions can help improve your site's click-through rate in search results, significantly increasing its visibility. Generally, highly-optimized title tags and meta descriptions should include targeted keywords and have an engaging hook to capture your target audience’s attention.

Additionally, they should be unique for each page of your website to avoid issues with plagiarism.

More importantly, keep your title tags and meta descriptions short. While the recommended length for title tags should be between 30 and 60 characters, an ideal meta description should not exceed 160 characters.

3. Write quality, unique, keyword-rich content

To attract and retain the right audience to your website, you must create high-quality content that resonates with your audience. Top-notch content will not only help your site rank higher in search results but also improve your website's credibility.

Ideally, high-quality content should be easy for users to read and understand while featuring the right keywords to rank well in search engine results. Moreover, it should also contain other relevant elements, such as images and videos, to enhance the reader's experience.

Therefore, before writing any content for your website, conduct keyword research to identify the keywords and phrases your competitors are ranking for. If keyword research sounds like too much work or you have too much on your plate, seeking the help of a digital marketing agency can be an excellent idea.

4. Add external links to your content

Most people see external linking as a bad SEO strategy that takes users away from your website. On the contrary, linking to other authoritative sites can help boost your rankings on search engines.

By adding trustworthy and authoritative website links to your content, you tend to enhance your site's credibility. Moreover, you will be providing reference resources to your readers, boosting your website's authority.

External linking is also an effortless way to create connections with other websites. Once other sites realize that you are linking to them, the chances are high that they might also return the favor by linking back to you, which can be a great way to expand your audience.

5. Use short, easy-to-read URLs

Just like humans, search engines need to understand what your content is about so they can rank you appropriately. For this reason, try using short, precise and readable URLs on your website.

Long, vague URLs are more difficult for search engines to read and interpret, which means they may be less likely to appear in search results. An SEO-friendly URL should be between 50 and 60 characters long and use relevant keywords and phrases whenever possible.

6. Make use of social signals

Social networks have become an integral component of any SEO strategy. This is because social signals such as likes, shares and comments provide valuable insight into your content's relevance, engagement, and trustworthiness.

To benefit from social signals, create valuable content and make it easy for your audience to share it on social media. An excellent way to do this is by adding like and share buttons to your web pages.

Moreover, you should extend the reach of your shareable content by promoting it on social media through contests and promotions. You can also contact influencers in your industry and ask them to share your content with their audiences.