Getting tips from Google on how to properly optimize a website can be a maddeningly complicated, and often fruitless, process. That’s why a new, albeit very short, piece by Kaspar Szymansk of Google’s Dublin, Ireland office is a very helpful tool to keep handy.
Though the steps may seem a bit elementary to longtime SEO practitioners, they’re still a good reminder of the fundamentals the search engine giant is always on the lookout for. Here’s everything you need to know from, Optimize Your Website.
Look Good, Rank Great
- Page Titles – You know this is one of the biggies and it’s definitely one of the first things end-users notice when they’re searching. Google suggests keeping those titles tight and concise.
- Domain Names – Fiddling with domain names and URL’s is so easy to do in WordPress that there’s no excuse for not making them clear and descriptive. Convoluted URLs can be a big turnoff for your readers.
- Meta Descriptions – You’ve got a 160 characters to really state your case, so use them wisely. Keep your keywords towards the beginning and make certain you’ve clearly described what the page is all about.
Describe Your Images, Too
- Image File Names – Photo files are SEO gimme’s that plenty of us overlook. Keep those image files descriptive and you could strike SEO gold.
- Alt Image Tags – Taking the time to describe Alt Images is useful for end-users and search bots alike.
- Captions – In the cut-and-paste world of Internet publishing, captions frequently get left by the wayside. Adding descriptive, keyword-friendly adds a touch of professionalism to your postings and is clearly something that Google approves of.
Optimizing images only adds a few minutes to the publishing/production cycle but is well worth the effort. This is another optimization technique that WordPress, and other blogging platforms, makes incredibly easy.
Keep Content Current
Don’t be surprised if one day in the near future Google changes its motto from, “Don’t Be Evil,” to something more like, “Keep Content Current.” In the years since the first Panda update, Google is hitting the content issue hard.
While some SEO’s see conspiracy in Google’s efforts to clean up content there’s actually another factor at player here, greed. All that quality, frequently updated content keeps end-users eyeballs on your content
Google’s three-step plan makes optimization seem a lot easier than it really is. But adhering to the three steps is definitely a good place start and, if Google says to do them, they’re probably worth a shot.
Have you already implemented Google’s three-step plan for optimization? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.