It is often joked, even in the Huffington Post, that the best place to hide a dead body is on Page 2 or beyond of Google's search results. Studies have shown that about 91.5% of search engine click-throughs occur only on the first page of search results.

Therefore, if you have a website, you will want for it to show up right after one clicks Enter on the search for the service that your company provides. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a tool that can help a website show up higher than the other websites. SEO aims at increasing unpaid traffic on a website rather than paid traffic. It improves the quality and quantity of website traffic when the websites show up after a search. As complicated as the term SEO sounds, it is not really that complicated!

There are two types of benefits that arise from the usage of SEO tools. Firstly, it shows the website of the business higher on search engines which helps websites by increasing their organic traffic (traffic that is not paid for). Secondly, it makes the website more user-friendly which can help your business flourish.  

How can I go about optimizing my website?

There are two main SEO strategies that you can choose from: Backend and Frontend SEO.

• Backend SEO: Backend SEO is much more technical in nature as it allows search engines and bots to understand the purpose of your website. Sitemap errors, meta-information, and so on are backend factors of SEO.
• Frontend SEO: Frontend SEO is an easier tool to use and can be done by anyone that knows how to use a computer. It is not as technical as backend SEO.

Useful strategies to optimize your website

We have listed some useful strategies that you can use to optimize your website:

• User-friendly website structure: While creating the website, it is important to ensure that it is structured in a user-friendly way for both users as well as bots. A well-structured website is one of the simplest methods through which search results can be optimized. It must be visually appealing.

• Image optimization: There should be images on the website, and this is important because it helps add in keywords which, in turn, helps in getting better search results. For instance, if you are a perfume-selling website, then titling your image ‘jasmine-scented-perfume’ will get better results than ‘perfumeimage1’. Using the right keywords is a must.

• Share your address and phone number: Adding the address and google maps location using Google My Business is an easy way to allow your target audience to find your business easily. This is a great way to boost SEO. It is pertinent to make sure that the address and phone numbers shared are accurate otherwise it can have adverse effects on the overall SEO ranking.

• Use keywords and phrases: Using keywords and phrases in the title and headings of your website is quite essential as well. Keywords and phrases should be used on every page, product, and image of your website; however, it is important not to overdo this and stuff your website with keywords as this can have negative connotations and affect your overall SEO ranking.

• Frequency: Increase the frequency at which your website gets updated. Having a blog section is one way to increase how frequently the website content is modified and updated. Having new information on the website often fares well with SEO.

• Mobile-friendly website: Several consumers access websites through their mobile devices. Therefore, making the website desktop- as well as mobile-friendly helps increase your SEO greatly.

On the other hand, using frontend strategies can take time to boost SEO results but are extremely necessary as well. These strategies can be used easily, even by those who do not have any prior technical knowledge in SEO.

Conclusion

SEO, in general, takes time so it is important to remain patient. If using all these methods sounds like too much, take it one step at a time. After all, some improvement is much better than no improvement.  

How can Freedom2Work help?

Freelancing in Dubai, now made easier with Freedom2Work. At Freedom2Work, we help you kickstart your freelance career by helping you choose the right business activity for your skills and enjoy a hassle-free experience when applying for a license and visa.

Get in touch with us today to know more about how you can kickstart your freelancing career in Dubai! Contact us at 800-FREEDOM (373 3366) or at info@freedom2work.com.

SEO: Essential trivia

1. Can non-technical people learn SEO?

• The truth is that mastering technical SEO can be difficult, especially if you have no prior technical experience. This is because, at its foundation, technical SEO is about comprehending how the web and search engines function. Using the right resources to study can help you master your SEO skills efficiently.

2. Is SEO a difficult job?

• SEO isn't nearly as difficult as people make it out to be; you can achieve 95 percent of the results with only 5% of the effort, and you won't need to pay a professional SEO to get started, nor will it be difficult to rank for well-chosen key terms.

3. Is SEO a full-time job?

• SEO covers a wide range of topics, from content creation to technological optimizations and everything in between. It's a full-time job, not something to do only on the weekends or as a secondary obligation for an employee.

4. Can I learn SEO by myself?

• It is feasible to learn SEO on your own; you do not need to be an SEO professional or specialist to get started. All that you would require is a willingness to learn and allocate the right time.

5. What skills are needed for SEO?

• Critical thinking
• Speaking and writing ability
• Technical and programming skills
• Social skills
• Analytics skills
• Data skills