SEO stategies so simple and easy, you probably forgot all about it. Here is a friendly reminder!

As we know, SEO has advanced tremendously in just a few years’ time. The fundamentals of SEO can easily be forgotten with the ever increasing progress being made with regards to this phenomenon.

You might often find yourself thinking of an advanced content marketing technique, without even realising that you have just skipped several crucial building blocks of SEO strategy.

We are often too eager to rush off and play with the shiny looking objects of SEO, consequently risking our entire SEO strategy. More often than not, the best strategy is the simple one, built on reliable practices that have always and will most probably always work.

In this article, three simple, yet crucial strategies will be discussed.

1. Incredible User Experience

We all want a perfect, powerful and invincible SEO strategy.

Here is what you do: Create the best user experience possible.

All of SEO is built on the foundation of user experience. According to Wikipedia, “User Experience (UX) refers to a person’s emotions and attitudes about using a particular product, system or service.”

In reality, user experience is much more than that. The Nielsen Norman group explains, “‘User experience’ includes all aspects of the end user’s interaction with the business, its services, and its products.” SEO plays a crucial role in the process of user experience. But viewed in reverse, user experience serves SEO, too.

It is impossible to have a “great SEO” unless you have a good user experience. Here is why:

• In order to have “great SEO,” you must have super content (a beneficial user experience).
• In order to have “great SEO,” you must have a functional site (an error-free user experience).
• In order to have “great SEO,” logical site navigation is essential (an easy user experience).
• In order to have “great SEO,” you must have relevant keywords (a relevant user experience).
• In order to have “great SEO,” you must have excellence backlinks (a trustworthy user experience).

It becomes clear that every feature of SEO somehow translate back to creating a great user experience. User experience should not be viewed as a single discipline, just as SEO can’t be confined to a single aspect of marketing. They both encompass a wide band of marketing practices and function. When you forget this essential concept, you lose touch with the whole point of SEO.

Let’s bring SEO back to improve user experience. When you improve user experience, you instantly upgrade your SEO strategy to a whole new level.

2. Title Tag

I would say that it is safe to assume that 100% of the readers of this article know about title tags, know how to improve title tags, and know that title tags are important. Why then even mention it?

Here are some important points that we often forget:

• After content, title tags are the second most important on-page factor for SEO.
• Search engines and algorithms have progressed greatly, but they still place a massive amount of importance on title tags.
• Title tags are important, not just for search engines, but for users too. Whenever you search for something in Google, you see title tags.
• Title tags are the largest and most noticeable elements of the SERPs.

Here are a few helpful tips on keeping this basic element of SEO as optimized as possible:

1. Do not rely on auto-generated title tags: WordPress might create a title tag for you, based on the title of your post or page. Do not simply accept it. Try to analyse and optimize it.
2. Follow a regular pattern for title tags.
3. Do not stuff your title with keywords.
4. Use a keyword in your title tag: Search engines are smart, but they rely on title tag as the first source of information on what the page is about.
5. Put your keyword at the front of the title tag: It is not only good for search engines, but it is also helpful for users as they will see the tag too.

Title tags matter a great deal, so give them the attention they deserve.

3. More Content

As most of us know, there’s a lot of really lousy content out there. As recently as 2010 there has been little demand for content marketing jobs. Content that is produced quickly, cheaply, and carelessly is not good content, in spite of the huge amount thereof. Despite the massive growth in the amount of published content, most brands plan to increase their content marketing spending.

Which got us asking, will there always be such a massive increase in content?

Due to the poor quality of content, many thought leaders are of the opinion that we have a problem on our hands. This is also referred to by some as “content shock” which can be defined as the increasing volume of content intersected with our limited human capacity to consume it.

It is however important to mention that no single human being is being requested or asked to consume the content. Each individual consume only as much content as he or she wish to. It’s not an all or nothing proposition. They may search for content, choose content, consume content, and interact with select content, all the while content is increased at a rapid pace. So what?

I believe that we all agree that low-quality content is a problem. I do however, not agree that more content is necessarily a problem. The point: more content is better as long as it’s good, engaging and current content. Consumers will select the best content available.

Don’t be shy to post great content and a great deal of it either!

Conclusion

SEO can be complicated, whether you are an experienced pro or a growing newbie, there’s always something to learn, techniques to master, and areas in which to grow. But no matter how near or far you are the fundamentals will always matter. The better you master the basics, the better you’ll become as a SEO and as a marketer.

What are some other SEO fundamentals that are easy to forget, but essential to include?

Questions or ideas?

Don’t be shy, leave a comment!