SEO: Improve your online visibility with these tips

Author: Marieke Botman

A stunning product or a lightning-fast website won’t be effective without visibility. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) ensures that your website appears in search engines. SEO not only helps you rank higher in search results but also drives more traffic to your site and increases conversions. It’s time to optimize your content with these comprehensive SEO tips!

What is SEO?
And why is it important?

Search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, and the more sustainable alternative, Ecosia, are used by potential customers to find answers to their questions. When a user enters a search query, these platforms scan the internet for the most relevant results.

This is where crawlers (also known as ‘robots’) come in. These bots analyze websites and evaluate factors such as:

• The text and keywords on your page.
• The structure of your headings.
• Images and their ALT texts.
• Links on your page
• The speed and mobile-friendliness of your website.

The better your website scores on these aspects, the higher it appears in search results. And the higher your ranking, the greater the chances of visitors finding your site—and taking action.

SEO is not just about technical aspects; it’s also about valuable content and a great user experience. The following tips will help you take your SEO to the next level.

Tips for outstanding SEO content:

1. Choose the right keywords

A strong SEO strategy starts with keyword research. Using the right keywords ensures that your website is found by the right audience. Tools like Google Search Console, Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrush, or AnswerThePublic provide insights into what potential customers are searching for.

Once you’ve identified your keyword, strategically place it in:

• The title (H1) of your page
• Subheadings (H2, H3)
• The first 100 words of your text
• ALT texts for images
• The meta description

Using tools like Yoast can help identify areas for improvement in keyword placement and content.

Warning: Avoid keyword stuffing – overloading your content with keywords can hurt your ranking. Always write for your audience first, not just for search engines.

2. Write unique content

Google favors unique content. If the same text appears on multiple pages or other websites, Google struggles to determine the original version, which can lower your rankings.

How to avoid duplicate content:

• Canonical tags: Indicate which page is the original.
• 301 redirects: Direct duplicate pages to a single main page.
• Create unique content: Adapt texts so they are original for each page.

3. Create rich and interactive content

Rich content – including videos, images, and internal links – makes your page more engaging for visitors and search engines. Adding interactive elements like reviews and ratings can also improve SEO.

4. Optimize Titles and Meta Descriptions

Well-optimized titles and meta descriptions can significantly boost your click-through rate (CTR).
The title tag is one of the most important parts of your SEO. Make sure the keyword is placed at the beginning and the title is unique and engaging.

You can adjust the meta-description in Yoast: 

• Keep it around 155-160 characters.
• Include the keyword in the first line.
• Make it compelling and inviting to click.

5. Keep the content readable

While it’s great for search engine crawlers to “read” your website, your real audience is your visitors. If they don’t find your content useful, they’ll leave quickly – hurting your SEO ranking.

Tip: Always write for your audience first!

6. Build a strong website structure

A well-organized site structure helps both visitors navigate your site easily and search engines understand your content better.

Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs (broodkruimelnavigatie) make it easier for visitors to navigate to previous pages. It also helps search engines recognize site hierarchy.

Tree structure
No page should be more than three clicks away from the homepage. This helps search engines to index your pages faster.

Sitemap
A HTML sitemap helps visitors to find all pages. A XML sitemap helps search engines index your site (submit via Google Search Console).

7. Improve technical SEO

A strong technical foundation is crucial for SEO. Our developers are ready to help with optimizations.

• Page Speed: Test with Pingdom Tools or Google PageSpeed Insights. Faster websites improve rankings and user experience.
• ALT Texts: Add keywords to image filenames and ALT attributes to improve visibility in Google Images.
• Mobile Optimization: Ensure your site is responsive and performs well on all devices.

8. Focus on link building

Link building remains a key SEO factor. Backlinks from other sites indicate that your content is valuable. With different types of links you can show the relevance of your page: 

Internal links
Internal links direct to other pages on your own website. This helps visitors to remain on your website. It also gives search engines a better view on the structure of your website. 

Outbound links
By linking to reputable, relevant external sources you can add value to your content. Google values this. 

Inbound links
Inbound links (or backlinks) are links from other websites to yours. A high-quality backlink from an authoritative website is more valuable than multiple low-quality links.

Analyze and optimize continuously

SEO is an ongoing process, not a one-time fix. Use tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Ahrefs to track performance and make data-driven improvements.

With these extensive tips, you can boost your SEO, increase visibility, drive relevant traffic, and improve conversions.