Are you a website owner looking to improve your online presence and boost your visibility in search engine results? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the key to achieving these goals. In this blog post, we'll outline some initial steps you can take to get started with SEO and optimize your website effectively. At UR FTR Inc., we understand the importance of SEO and are here to guide you through the process.
Understanding How SEO Works
SEO involves various techniques and strategies aimed at improving your website's visibility and ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs). The ultimate goal is to attract organic traffic from search engines like Google. By optimizing your website's content, structure, and other elements, you increase the chances of appearing higher in search results when users search for relevant keywords.
Using a Website Crawler
To begin your SEO journey, we recommend utilizing a website crawler tool such as Screaming Frog. This tool crawls your website, analyzing its structure and providing you with detailed information about each page. It acts as a virtual spider, discovering the hidden corners of your website that search engines explore and provides you with a spreadsheet with all of the website's details that Search engines consider. This tool is free to use for small websites that have not many pages which makes it great for getting started on your own.
Once you open the tool, you will be able to add your website to the field at the top and then it will crawl your website and provide you a spreadsheet with rows for each page and columns for each data type. That data is basically what Google sees when analyzing your website and making sure that data is optimized for your website is important to make sure Google clearly understands what you do and what those pages are for.
Seeing all of those many columns might be confusing and here is an article from Screaming Frog that explains what each column means that can help you here. One of the most important fields for your pages are Meta Title and Meta Description which represent what the page will show in the search, if those fields blank, Google will automatically use the data from the page it likes and mostly it is something random. These elements play a crucial role in signaling to search engines what your page is about and can impact your ranking.
The next step will be to locate pages with empty or unoptimized meta titles and descriptions and then add content to them that will include the search terms you want to rank for. In the crawled spreadsheet you can find the Meta Title under the "Title 1" column and the Meta Description under the "Meta Description 1" column.
Here is what the Screaming Frog crawl will look like for Ontario.ca website:
Importance of Meta Tags and Headers
When you search for something on a search engine, the "Meta Title" is the clickable headline you see in the search results, while the "Meta Description" offers a concise overview of what the page is about. These sections should be carefully crafted and include relevant keywords that you want to rank for. Similarly, the Header 1 tag, often referred to as the main heading, helps search engines understand the main topic of your page (you can find it under the "H1-1" column. Make sure to optimize these sections by customizing your website with targeted keywords related to your content.
Optimizing Your Content
As you analyze the crawled details for each page, consider the overall quality and relevance of your content. Ensure that your website provides valuable and engaging information to visitors. Incorporate relevant keywords naturally throughout your content, but avoid overstuffing.
Conclusion
Embarking on your SEO journey requires an understanding of how search engine optimization works and the tools available to analyze your website. By using a website crawler like Screaming Frog, you can gain valuable insights into your website's structure and identify areas for improvement. Pay attention to crucial sections such as the "Meta Title," "Meta Description," and "Header1" tags, and optimize them with relevant keywords. Remember, effective SEO is an ongoing process, and partnering with a professional SEO agency like UR FTR Inc. can greatly enhance your results. Contact us today to discover how we can help you achieve your SEO goals.