SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, can feel like a black box. So many agencies promise top billing on Google Search and SEO makeovers that will “change your business”. While this might not be true, there are some simple changes you can make on your website that can help improve your ranking.
Prioritize Clean Structure on Your Website
Information hierarchy is not just important for good design but helps with SEO as well. Search engines expect to see just one “H1” or Level 1 Header text on each page. This should describe what the page is about – like “Meet Our Team” or “Blog”. Then there should be only a couple H2s and H3s to separate sections, and the rest should be body copy. When your structure is neat & readable, it helps search engines crawl (or read) the website and improves your ranking.
This tip not only helps with SEO, but accessibility as well! To make your website pages usable for screen-readers the correct structure is key.
Add Image Descriptions
A simple way to help with your search ranking is making sure all your images have useful descriptions and detailed file names. Instead of uploading an image called “image.png” try naming the file “Hannah-Martin-Owner-Sore-Thumb.png”. Then, create a short (1-2 sentence) image description that says what’s happening in the picture but also includes relevant keywords – like “Hannah Martin, owner of Sore Thumb marketing agency, smiling at the camera wearing a patterned shirt.”
How does this help? Now your images may show up on relevant image searches as well as text searches and boosts your value in the eyes of search engines.
Update with New Content
This is the big one! Regularly updating your website can help you rank higher in search. Things like news articles, blog posts, new testimonials or case studies can really help bring new traffic to the site. If this seems daunting, you can start by repurposing newsletter content or content from social media posts and use that as a jumping off point. It is important not to exactly duplicate content across platforms as search engines can penalize what they view as “duplicate content”. Set some achievable goals when it comes to refreshing and get in a rhythm with it. It’s better to do something that nothing at all!
What About GEO?
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the new kid on the block in boosting your visibility. By optimizing your content for Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT or even Google AI search, you can help customers find your services when using AI. All of the optimizations you’re making for SEO are important for GEO as well, but in addition to those updates you can also:
- Add natural language FAQ sections on multiple pages on your site. This helps LLMs find and serve up clean answers to user questions directly from your site.
- Create clean citable blocks of text on your website including lists, summaries & steps
If you’re looking for support with SEO or a site audit Sore Thumb can help! Get in touch with our team.
