Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to how well your site implements strategies that boost its relevant traffic. Search engines evaluate websites and assign sites a domain authority (DA) score. A site’s DA score will determine where the site places on the search engine results page (SERP) the site produces when people search for keywords related to your site’s content.
As of 2014, 97% of shoppers read product reviews before purchasing an item. This is not limited to online shoppers, either. Over 80% of shoppers who purchase products in stores perform online research before they buy. This means that websites with high SEO rankings are more likely to be accessed for relevant searches. You do not have to be a programmer to be able to implement some simple, cost-effective strategies that can boost your DA score, which can increase your company’s profile and can lead to potential sales.
Check Your DA Score
SearchAtlas is a free tool that provides essential information about your website to help you improve your DA score. Use the tool to determine your current DA score. You can also use the Search Atlas tool to learn the DA score for your competitors’ sites. This can help you effectively assess the strength of your ranking and set realistic targets for improvement.
Add Keywords to Content
People perform a keyword search to find content online. Search engines look for each keyword to identify relevant sites, which they list in the search results. Include keywords on your website and add them to blog posts. This will help boost your DA score for relevant searches. It also helps ensure that the people who are visiting your site are interested in your content.
Target Appropriate Audiences
Increasing site traffic is important, but you should emphasize relevant site traffic. When people visit your site and leave immediately, it lowers your DA score. Your DA score increases if visitors spend time reading content, watching videos, or clicking on links.
Remove Irrelevant Backlinks
Backlinks are links to your site from other websites. Search Atlas can identify harmful backlinks. Harmful backlinks include links from irrelevant sites that are more likely to send irrelevant traffic to your site, which will lower your DA score because these visitors are less likely to engage with the site.
Add Relevant Backlinks
Post content on social media that uses keywords and includes links to relevant content on your website to increase your number of backlinks. You can also contribute guest posts to blogs and include a link to your site in your bio. Generating strong, relevant content will also organically increase the number of backlinks to your site because visitors will be more likely to link to your site if they believe your content is interesting.
Strengthen Outbound Links
Your site needs outbound links to strengthen its DA score. Your score will be lowered if you have too many outbound links or link to irrelevant sites or sites with low DA scores. Use an SEO checker to assess the DA scores of sites you are thinking about linking to. Limit your links to no more than one for every 200 words in blog posts. Include links to sites with good DA scores. When you link to reputable sites, search engines assign more authority to your site, which is one of the factors they consider when raising DA scores.
Improve Site Speed
Slow websites receive lower DA scores. It is important that your website is optimized to load quickly. You may opt to pay for a dedicated server to ensure your site has optimal loading speeds. You should also ensure you use photographs and visual content that have good resolution without large file sizes. Larger files take longer to upload and can slow down your website.
Optimize Images
When you upload photographs and visual content you should ensure they have appropriate file names. Names should either refer to the content or include keywords. You can also include keywords in the alt text description for your images. This will add to the volume of keywords present on your site and ensure that this content is included in relevant searches.
Include Strong Writing
Use catchy, relevant titles that include keywords or questions people ask when they’re online. This will ensure your posts attract visitors interested in that content. Effective descriptions will also attract visitors. Strong writing is easy to read and understand so it can be accessed by a wide audience. It also includes relevant keywords and phrases.