Gone are the days when simply sprinkling a few keywords throughout your website would make the search engines bow at your digital doorstep. Today, SEO is an art, a symphony of techniques and tactics that harmonize to create an unforgettable online presence. It requires a keen understanding of the intricate dance between technology and human behavior, as well as the ability to adapt to the ever-changing algorithms that rule the digital realm.

So, buckle up and prepare to embark on a transformative journey. Together, we will unravel SEO principles and search engine optimization, unlocking the full potential of your online presence. We will delve into the depths of data, wield the power of creativity, and harness the energy of innovation to craft a strategy that not only boosts your website’s visibility but also captivates the hearts and minds of your target audience.

In this post, we will explore the nooks and crannies of SEO, unraveling its secrets and uncovering the hidden gems that will set you apart from the competition. From the technical intricacies that lie beneath the surface to the captivating content that enthralls your visitors, we will leave no stone unturned in our quest for digital supremacy.

What Is SEO?

Let’s start with the basics, shall we? SEO, short for Search Engine Optimization, is the magic wand that boosts organic traffic to your website by skyrocketing its ranking on the search engine results page (SERP). Think of it as a VIP pass to the top spots in the digital world, where search engines approve of your content and eagerly share it with engaged viewers.

Now, you might be wondering, “Why do I need to embrace the power of SEO?” Well, picture this: You pour your heart and soul into creating remarkable content, but it often gets lost in the vastness of the online universe. That’s where SEO swoops in to save the day! It acts as a bridge, connecting your content with those who are actively searching for it. With a well-crafted SEO strategy, you can strategically tailor your content to match what your audience craves. It’s like a match made in digital heaven, saving you time and resources while delivering value to your potential customers.

Search Engine Optimization Pillars

But hey, let’s not jump ahead just yet! We need to break down the key components of a robust SEO strategy. Here’s the lowdown on the three pillars of SEO:

1. Technical SEO: Behind every successful website lies a solid foundation of technical SEO. It’s like the backstage crew that ensures search engines can easily index and crawl your website’s content. It may sound a tad technical, but don’t panic! With a sprinkle of technical know-how, or a capable agency, you can optimize your website for peak performance. Not super technical? Find out how we can help you through our SEO service here!

2. On-page SEO: This is where the fun begins! On-page SEO is all about optimizing the content on each page of your website to make it shine like a corporate superstar. Think of it as the polish that makes your content irresistible to both search engines and human visitors. Incorporating relevant keywords, optimizing metadata, and enhancing page visibility are just a few tricks up your sleeve. This is something we incorporate into every website built with Burst Digital!

3. Off-page SEO: The world beyond your website! Off-page SEO is all about building your online reputation through backlinks from other websites. It’s like having a digital entourage that vouches for your capabilities. The more high-quality backlinks you have, the more search engines trust your website, leading to higher rankings. It’s time to network and mingle with the digital elite!

Strategizing

Now that we’ve covered the fundamentals, let’s roll up our sleeves and delve into the intricacies of crafting an unbeatable SEO strategy. The first order of business is setting crystal-clear goals that perfectly align with your corporate vision. Whether your aim is to build an email list that rivals all others, drive a stampede of traffic to your sales page, or conquer the vast digital landscape, defining your SEO intentions is the compass that will guide you towards success.

But hold on tight, because we’re just getting started. It’s time to put on your detective hat and immerse yourself in some serious industry and competitor research. We’re talking about sleuthing on the world wide web, exploring the virtual realms of your top rivals’ websites, and unraveling the enigma behind their achievements. Take a deep dive into the virtual playground of the big players in your industry, using Google as your trusty accomplice, and carefully dissect their website structure, content offerings, and the secrets they hold.

But let’s not overlook the crown jewel of your SEO strategy: your target audience. It’s time to get inside their heads and unlock the secrets of their preferences and consumption habits. Do they yearn for bite-sized humor that tickles their funny bone, or are they the kind who crave in-depth explanations that unravel mysteries? Fear not, for the power of tools like Google Analytics are at your disposal. Equip yourself with these digital magnifying glasses to uncover the keywords and phrases they wield like magic to discover your website.

Armed with this invaluable intel, you’ll be equipped to fine-tune your SEO strategy to perfection. You’ll speak the language of your audience with eloquence and precision, capturing their attention and igniting their curiosity. Your website will resonate with them on a level that transcends the digital realm, forging deep and meaningful connections.

Topic and Keyword Research

With all this valuable research in hand, it’s time to embark on the next phase: topic and keyword research. Think of topics that resonate with your audience and address their needs and desires. Let’s say you run a restaurant. Your audience might look for information about your location, hours, and contact details, while also wanting insights on reservations, parking options, dietary restrictions, or even your sustainability initiatives. Cover all the bases and become their go-to digital menu.

And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for: keyword research! Armed with tools like Google’s Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs, you can uncover the perfect keywords that will make search engines swoon. Look for those with decent search volume and value for your business. But remember, it’s not just about high-volume keywords; they need to align with your corporate persona and generate real value for your audience.

With your research complete, it’s time to unleash your creativity and start building or optimizing your website pages. Keep your ideal customer in mind as you create each page, striking the perfect balance between engaging content and optimized keywords. Craft clear URLs, incorporate keywords in titles, and write compelling meta-descriptions that entice searchers to click. It’s like crafting the perfect elevator pitch, but for search engines.

Blogs for Search Engine Optimization

Never underestimate the tremendous power of a blog in your SEO arsenal! Blogs are the unsung heroes of search engine optimization, tirelessly generating fresh and captivating content on a regular basis, effortlessly attracting a stream of new viewers to your digital domain. They serve as the perfect platform to leverage the latest keyword trends, allowing you to skillfully address the burning questions and queries that keep your customers up at night, positioning yourself as the unrivaled authority in your industry.

But here’s the secret: consistency is key! Maintain a well-oiled blogging machine by adhering to a steadfast schedule that ensures a steady flow of high-quality posts. Remember, it’s not about churning out endless volumes of content, but rather striking the perfect balance between quantity and quality. Each blog post is a carefully crafted masterpiece designed to resonate with your ideal customers, captivating their attention and leaving them wanting more.

Remember, SEO is a journey, not a destination. Regularly review and optimize your website to keep up with the ever-changing digital landscape. Fresh and relevant content is the name of the game. Don’t forget about the importance of off-page SEO and those elusive backlinks. Build relationships with other websites in your industry and create a network of digital allies. Internal linking within your own website is also a smart move, connecting relevant pages and boosting your overall SEO prowess (just like we’ve done throughout this post!).

So there you have it! By embracing the power of SEO principles and search engine optimization, you’re primed to elevate your digital presence, attract organic traffic, and connect with your target audience like never before. It’s time to unleash the SEO expert within you and conquer the digital realm with style and finesse.

The post Search Engine Optimization: How to Create A Bulletproof Strategy appeared first on Digital Agency Based In London & New York | Burst Digital.

What Is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. In the simplest terms, SEO helps you increase your website’s visibility on search engines like Google. Every time someone searches for information online, hundreds and thousands of websites fight to be the first link shown. Creating an effective SEO-optimized website can help your content appear on the first page of Google results.

What Is a WordPress Plugin?

Plugins help increase functionality and help personalize the usability of a WordPress website. Sometimes plugins are called modules or extensions, but no matter what they are called, plugins add features to your site. They help optimize workflows and help keep your site running. The best part is a developer is not needed when downloading plugins. Virtually anyone can do it.
Plugins can be installed from the administration panel of your site. Find the plugins section and select add new. Then install the plugin!

Do You Need WordPress Plugins on Your Website?

In reality, you don’t NEED WordPress plugins, but they do make things a lot easier. Especially if you are not an SEO expert, plugins can be a great addition to your digital marketing plan.
It is best to think of SEO plugins as a guide. They help direct you to issues on your site and offer recommendations to improve your search ranking. If you don’t need a guide to help you build an optimized site, plugins might not be for you. However, both beginners and experts alike use plugins to create efficiencies and accountability structures around the websites they manage.

Finding the perfect plugin can be stressful, mainly because so many are available. So here is a list of the 10 best WordPress plugins to improve your SEO!

10 Best WordPress Plugins for SEO

Yoast SEO

Yoast is one of the most popular plugins for WordPress, and there’s a reason why. It does a lot more than SEO, but it does SEO extremely well, and is easily one of the best WordPress plugins for SEO! It is also straightforward to use. A quick search on YouTube will bring up hundreds of video tutorials of folks walking you through every step of the Yoast process.

Yoast focuses on helping you optimize:
1. Your URL
2. Meta description
3. Tags
4. Keyword density
5.Internal & external links
6.Content readability
7.Focus keywords

Yoast is user-friendly and will provide digestible recommendations on how to improve your site. They use a stoplight grading system to highlight areas you need to work on. Red means there is something important to address. Yellow means something needs to be addressed when you have time. Green means everything is good!
Yoast SEO offers premium versions which can help you optimize your keywords usage, internal link suggestions, and how your webpage is previewed on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

SEOpress

SEOPress is another all-in-one feature that helps you optimize your site. It is also beginner-friendly but offers advanced options to those who seek them. With SEOPress, you can add image and content XML sitemaps, redirects, meta titles, descriptions, and more.

The free version of SEOPress offers an advert-free experience. So, although there is a paid version, which is significantly cheaper than competitors, most businesses won’t require it. The free version is very holistic and offers a robust infrastructure.

The premium version offers 404 monitoring, IP anonymization, backlink integrations, Google Page Speed integrations, video sitemaps, etc.

SEO Squirrly

This is a plugin has been expertly designed to support non-SEO experts. It offers valuable SEO strategies without the complicated elements. This means it works differently from other plugins that provide expert-level features. For example, when you’re writing copy for a webpage, SEO SQUIRRLY optimizes and offers recommendations as you write. So, by the time you’re done writing, the webpage is optimized.

SEO SQUIRRLY helps you create content that serves both your human readers and search engines. So, it not only helps people find your website, but it makes them want to stay on it.

SEO SQUIRRLY helps you:
1. Find and use optimal keywords
2. Analyze and optimize your articles
3. Examine your competition to see how you rank in comparison
4. Create an XML sitemap for Google and Bing

Squirrly also provides content reports and weekly progress checks, which can be easily shared with others in your organization. They also include a tool that shows recent tweets about your industry and topics that can be used to inspire new and relevant content ideas. 

SEO Optimized Images

It might feel like an image optimizer isn’t necessary, but image optimization is a critical part of the SEO process. We use images in our content to help us tell a story. So, in order for search engines to fully understand our content, it is best if they can also “see” the photo.

Alternate text and image titles can help search engines understand what is in your photo. This allows search engines to direct the right traffic to your site.

Redirection

You might not expect to see a redirection tool on a “best WordPress plugins for SEO” list, but it’s an important part of your SEO stack! Especially for large websites, 301 redirects and 404 errors can occur frequently. These errors may be harmful to SEO and your customer’s experience on your website.

Redirection helps you monitor 301s and 404s, which is necessary when building your SEO.

What does Redirection do? 

If you’re updating content on your website at all, sometimes search engine links can take users to URLs that no longer exist. Users get lost and become frustrated with your website and leave. However, with Redirection, search engines are told to stop paying attention to the missing link. This way, the link stops showing up on search engines, and customers can find relevant up-to-date information.

Broken Link Checker

Similarly to redirection, Broken Link Checker scans your website for missing or broken links. Missing links can negatively affect SEO efforts by making it increasingly difficult for search engine crawlers to index your site. 

Broken Link Checker keeps an eye on your site and lets you know if we find a broken link. This way, you can take action without requiring you to complete a manual audit. 
It’s best to turn on Broken Link Checker once per week or at the regular cadence of your choosing. Once the plugin is on, it will scan for broken links. Once those are fixed, turn the plugin off and wait until next week to check again. This way, the plugin’s user interface doesn’t slow down your site.

WP Video SEO

If video content is a large portion of your website, WP Video SEO should be on your list of plugins.

WP Video SEO helps you:
1. Optimize SEO for YouTube videos
2. Generate a sitemap for YouTube videos
3. Index video content

When it comes to video, WP Video SEO is one of the best WordPress plugins!

WPTouch Mobile Plugin

Making sure your website is mobile-friendly should always be a top priority. WPTouch Mobile Plugin helps you do this.
Google takes into account your website’s mobile-friendliness when ranking your website. This plugin helps you create a responsive, mobile-optimized website for your customers.

The SEO Framework

The SEO Framework is another all-inclusive SEO plugin that serves beginners and experts alike. The plugin can help you automatically create SEO-friendly titles for your posts, keep site speeds high, avoid duplicate URLs, build internal links into your content, and protect your site with anti-spam software.

SEO Framework gives you precisely what you need without any extras. It has a very clear user experience and helps you improve the things that matter the most. A website is optimize through a colored scale, similar to Yoast SEO. 

Autoptimize

Your website speed is one of the key factors in search engine rankings. Not only does Google take this metric into account on its own, but loading speeds also affect your bounce rate and other key metrics that affect your user experience rating. 

Autoptimize can ensure your page loads as quickly as possible. The plugin “can aggregate, minify, and cache scripts and styles, inject CSS in the page head by default and can move and defer scripts to the footer. It also minifies the HTML code itself, making your page really lightweight.

Using Autoptimize makes implementing these technical elements much easier.

So, not you know the best WordPress plugins for SEO! If you don’t want to do all of the legwork yourself and are looking for an SEO Agency, get in touch today!

The post The 10 Best WordPress Plugins For SEO appeared first on Digital Agency Based In London & New York | Burst Digital.

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. In the simplest terms, SEO helps you increase your website’s visibility on search engines like Google. Every time someone searches for information online, hundreds and thousands of websites fight to be the first link shown. Creating an effective SEO-optimized blog post can help your business to generate organic search traffic.

For example, if a recipe blogger wants people to read their article about meal prep recipes, they would have to optimize their blog to outrank other bloggers writing about the same topic. This is not an easy task, but with the right strategy, their recipes could appear on the first page of Google results.

The Importance of an SEO-Optimized Blog Post

Over 92% of online users pick Google as their search engine when searching for information, yet more than 90% of websites get no organic search traffic from Google. This means that businesses and brands from all over the world are creating valuable content that no one will ever be able to find. SEO optimization is important simply because it helps your content get seen.

10 Tips For Writing an SEO-Optimized Blog Post

1) Write great headings

The most widely read newspapers hire headline writers who specialize in creating headlines that convert. When writing an SEO blog post, headlines are just as important. They capture both the attention of the reader and the search engine.

Google uses bots called web crawlers or web spiders to read and index website content. These bots check webpage headers to help Google understand what the article is about and whether the post should appear in a Google search.

A header that clearly explains what your article is about will help web crawlers index your post. Follow-up your header with sub-headers that clearly outline your article, and direct the web crawlers (and readers) through the article. Organized headers and sub-headers give your blog an organized, scannable structure.

2) Include a meta description

What is a meta description, and why is it important? A meta description consists of a 1-3 sentence summary under the webpage title on the Google results page. Meta descriptions are another factor web crawlers use to determine your webpage’s search ranking.

Keep in mind that they are also helpful for the human who is completing the search and should be readable and compelling.  When entering your description, think about your target audience. What is the shortest yet most compelling way to share about your blog?

TIP: Most website hosting platforms have a place for you to enter the meta description, so you shouldn’t have to look too far to find this field.

3) Write to your audience

If your SEO-optimized blog post is readable and valuable to your audience, they will stay on your blog longer.  There are many reasons to want your audience to stay on your blog. One primary reason is the impact it can have on your SEO ranking. When users stay on your webpage, Google interprets this to mean your content provides value to its users, and it increases your search result ranking.

SEO copywriting is not much different from other forms of copywriting. Above all else, make sure your content is quality and provides value to your reader.

TIP: Where do people go after reading your blog? Why are they clicking away? Search your keywords on Google and read the “People also ask” section to find out. Add the answers to these questions to the body of your blog or after the conclusion as an FAQ section to keep users on your site.

4) Do your (keyword) research

Wouldn’t it be great to know exactly what content would drive organic traffic to your website? Keyword research can give you a crystal ball into your target audience’s searches on Google.

You can use free websites like Ahrefs, Google Keyword Planner, or Google Trends to research keywords. Any of these sites can help you determine what your audience wants and is searching for right now.

Keywords have been branded as the hero of SEO. This has led some copywriters to write a blog copy that doesn’t make sense to their human readers because they were too invested in using all of their keywords. Fewer people will visit the blog if an article is harder to understand. Fewer people staying to read the article tells Google that the blog post is not meeting the needs of their users and the post will rank lower. Always keep your reader in mind, above all else.

Otherwise, make sure to use keywords whenever it’s natural and drives your blog forward. If used well, they can be incredibly helpful in improving your blog optimization.

If possible, try to include keywords in

• Your main header and URL
• The meta description
• Your blog copy (whenever it’s natural)
• Your introduction and conclusion
• The alternative text in your image descriptions (see number 6)

5) Optimize your URL

After researching keywords, building a header that converts, and organizing your SEO-optimized blog post to serve both your reader and Google, don’t forget about your URL. Make sure to shorten your URL as much as possible while still making sure it describes your content and uses keywords.

6) Add alternative text to images

Photos and other media are essential to make your SEO-optimized blog posts look more interesting and reliable. The only issue is the web crawlers can’t read them. To optimize your images, name them with relevant titles and include alternative text.

If one of your keywords is “black cat,” and you want to upload a photo of a black cat sitting on a couch, use “black cat” as your image file, and your alternative text would read, “black cat sitting on a couch.”

Using alternative text can also help increase the accessibility of your webpage. If someone is accessing the page with a screen-reader due to a disability, they will be able to use the alternative text to understand what photos you used to supplement your blog copy.

TIP: Compress your images. If your image files are too large, it will slow down your webpage speed. Google likes pages with faster loading speeds and will rank them ahead of slower sites.

7) Build an internal linking strategy

Some copywriters also call this the Topics Cluster Model. To create a linking or cluster strategy for your blog, include links to posts or pages that already exist on your website. By linking similar content to each other, Google indexes these connection points to better understand your content. Linking 2-3 internal pages or posts in each blog also decreases your bounce rate by keeping people on your site longer.

8) Add fresh content regularly

Fresh content is essential to engage your target audience, but it is also crucial for SEO optimization. Google bots are very efficient, which means they don’t waste time crawling sites that aren’t active. To keep Google interested in your site, fresh content must be added regularly.

9) Extra credit: Backlinks

As an SEO agency, we love backlinks! Backlinks work similarly to hashtags on Twitter or social media sites. If a lot of people are talking about the same topic, Twitter will make it a trending topic. It’s the same with backlinks. If other websites link to your page, Google will mark you as trending and place more trust in your content. Once Google trusts you more, they will want to share your SEO-optimized blog posts more, and you will move up in the search rankings.

But how do you get other websites to link to your content? The best way is to post high-value content that includes quotes from thought leaders, unique images or videos, infographics, or original data. Basically, create content people will want to link to in their content. Also, if you engage with other bloggers and share their content on your page, they might share yours in return!

Find The Right Content For Your SEO-Optimized Blog Posts

Creating an optimized blog for your target audience will require some trial and error. Here are some analytics to track to ensure your SEO plan is moving you toward your goals.

• Total word count: Find the perfect number of words your audience wants by playing with different blog lengths.
• Where and how you use keywords: Find out the best way to optimize your keyword usage for your website.
• The number of images used in the content: Do 2 or 5 images work better for your website?
• The number of backlinks and internal links: How many internal links is best for your website? What content results in more backlinks to your website?

SEO copywriting can be overwhelming at first, but with a little time and patience, you’ll be writing content that delights your audience and Google alike! If you want more help to ensure your blog appears on the first page of search results, our search engine optimization specialists can help! Here at Burst Digital, we use proven techniques to help clients reach the top of Google and stay there.

We offer all-bases-covered SEO packages, including on-site optimization, content writing, link building & more.

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