The six rules of SEO

SEO is a vast area, with many directions and areas. The intention, however, is always to achieve the most visitors to a website. This is easily done if you follow these six steps: Rule #1: Choose quality over quantity In the online world, we often forget the old adage of ‘less is more’, as ‘more’ is exactly what we are in search of: more hits, more shares, more links. Many people believe that the more keywords and content on a site, the higher it is likely to appear in search engine results. However, this is not always the case. Google’s Panda update advised website owners to remove duplicate, similar or irrelevant content. It is far more effective is to limit less important content to fewer pages, and even go so far as to delete poor quality content from the site altogether. Rule #2 - Vary your language Using exactly the same keyword repeated too many times is unnatural and outdated. Our everyday language is varied, so why should our pages be any different? Try using different varieties of the word in mind. Not only will the language appear more natural, you’ll avoid being accused of keyword stuffing, or having the kind of over-optimised page that doesn’t work for Google. Rule #3 - Captivate, don’t calculate While there’s nothing wrong with a certain amount of scaling or automating in creating web content, it is important to keep in mind that there is no magical formula for SEO copywriting. Any formulaic approach, such as attempting to calculate the optimal level of keyword density, will only lead to laboured, unnatural copy that impresses no one. Think more about your content; make sure it is high quality and interesting. Rule #4 - Do not underestimate the impact of a clever headline A clever headline which captures the audience’s attention will lead to more clicks, more shares and more traffic than a dull, generic headline will, no matter how good the SEO. However, it is important to strike the right balance between clever (smart, captivating and containing at least one topic keyword) and ‘too clever’ - vague, un-engaging and potentially off-putting. Check out Copyblogger for some ideas. Rule # 5 - Don’t focus on the word count Remember that you only need to write as much as necessary and that more is not always better. Once again, it is all about striking the correct balance - your post should be long enough to fully inform and engage the reader, but not so long that it becomes boring. Remember, whatever the length of your post, quality is your foremost priority. Rule #6 - Don’t scrimp on writer’s fees While you could save money by going for low quality content that costs less, in the long run, this will do more harm to your website than good. As with many of the rules above, always choose quality over quantity. Don’t pad out your site with cheap content. Invest in good quality articles which will be read and shared by visitors.