The hardest part about SEO for me is not trying to figure out some "secret code," but rather just simply sticking to the basics of on page SEO best practices. These "best practices" are really no secret at all, and can be found by anyone. Sticking to them is another story!
Getting the Post Started
I divide my post into two different layers, so to speak. The first layer is setting up a solid post structure which includes things like using proper title and heading tags as well as keyword techniques.This will be the topic of today's post. The second layer has to do with linking and publishing. That will be covered in a later post.
I like to first write the post without thinking about SEO. This helps for things to flow without initially worrying about the cyber critters that will be crawling the post. The post is for people first, cyber critters second. After I have written the post, I then go back and make the necessary changes for having an on page SEO best-practices-compliant web article.
H1 and Title Tag
Luckily today's WordPress users have the All-In-One SEO Pack plugin. Before that, WordPress bloggers were committed to the post title (h1 tag) being the title tag. Today the AIO SEO PP overrides this heading or post title. This way the title of the post (the H1 tag) can be designed to catch readers' attention, while the title tag (set up in the All-In-One SEO) can be set up for the search engines. check out my video: How To Use the All-In-One SEO Pack
A few things about title tags
1. Use the space provided! Many times title tags are either too long or too short. On the Chicago Handyman site that I'm selling and using for my Chicago SEO challenge, my title tag is composed of the three target keyword phrases that I'm trying to rank for. I place the phrases in a hierarchy using my most important phrase first. I use the following handy device, that came with one of the SEO training courses that I took, as a guide for title tag length:
Chicago handyman- handyman services Chicago, handyman in Chicago... fits quite nicely!
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2. The title tag MUST have your target keyword phrase or phrases. It is amazing how many websites have poor title tags with their company name or other "cool" slogan that tell Google nothing about what content is on the site.
This tag is without a doubt the most important tag. You can get away with screwing up other things, but not your title tag.
Opening Sentence
I think it is a good idea to have your number one target keyword in the first sentence if at all possible. Not a bad idea to bold the phrase as well.
First Paragraph
I like to use my related keywords once or twice in the opening paragraph while being careful not to "stuff." Depending on the length of the opening paragraph, I like to throw one more keyword in for good measure. With a proper title tag, and your main keyword phrase in the first sentence, this will be all that is needed to tell the cyber critters what's going on.
H2 Title Tag
I like to separate each idea transition with an h2 tag that is descriptive and includes my keywords. This guides the reader as well as the cyber critters crawling your site.
Additional Paragraphs
I would then use my main phrase once or twice in the remainder of the post, as well as sprinkling other keywords. All this should flow naturally rather than repetitively and obviously. When I read my post back and it sounds redundant, I toss out the culprit. No need for keyword stuffing.
Google changed their algorithm to combat people gaming the system by mathematically constructing posts with laser SEO precision. People had the amount of keywords to feed Google down to a science. This content was not always quality however, and Google shook the cyber tree.
Constructing a post with basic SEO best practices lays the foundation for further and more advanced SEO.
• Correct Title Tag With Keyword Phrase
• Use H2 Tags At Transitions
• Use Target Phrase In First Sentence
• Use Target and related Keywords In First Paragraph
• Sprinkle Keywords In The Post But Don't Overdo It
Just a few quick basics that set the foundation for an SEO text-compliant page or post. One other point - it is a good idea to use Google Analytics and make adjustments as needed. :-)
Any comments, suggestions or corrections welcome.
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