The Art and Science of SEO: Crafting a Winning Strategy for Your Website

SEO is all about making sure our website shows up first when people search on Google, Yahoo, Bing, or other search engines. Being at the top gets us more visitors because most people only look at the first few results.

But it's tough because there's a lot of competition, especially among e-commerce, brokerage, and info-marketing sites.

To get to the top, developers and website owners can use a few strategies. First, check out your competition. Look at what they're doing for SEO and see where your website stands. Then, try these methods.

01. Meta Tags [Description, Keywords, Language, Viewport, Social etc.]

Tags like "Meta Keywords" and "Meta Description" are crucial for SEO. They're placed in the Head Section of a website and play a big role in boosting our site in search results.

<meta name="description" content=" ">
<meta name="keywords" content=" ">        

You can add related data in the content area. This means you can include a summary of your webpage in the Meta Description and list all the relevant keywords in the 'Meta Keywords' section.

For example, if you have a website about 'Story Books,' you can set the Meta Name and Description like this.

<meta name="description" content=Wonderful free childrens' books are available to read.">
<meta name="keywords" content="Books, Children's Books, Storybooks, Children, Fairy Tales">        

Remember, Meta Keywords are the words related to your webpage. They're the words users might type into the search bar. If these words match your Meta Keywords, your site could rank higher in search results. You can use tools like 'Google Keyword Planner' to find these keywords.

It collects data on what users search for on Google. Also, 'Google Trends' can be helpful. If you have a Google My Business Page, you can get keyword reports from the Queries Section under Insights.

These keywords can be added to your list. Search engines often display the meta description in search results, especially if the searched phrase is in the description.

The language tag defines the default or main language of the website. It's especially helpful for non-English websites or sites with multiple languages.

<meta name="language" content="spanish">
<meta name="language" content="french">        

A viewport is what you see on your screen when you visit a webpage. Since people use different devices like desktops, tablets, and phones, each screen has a different width.

For example, a tablet's screen is smaller than a desktop's, and a phone's screen is smaller than a tablet's. By setting the Viewport tag, the website adjusts automatically to fit the screen of whatever device you're using.

<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">        

Social meta tags help us make our websites look good when we share them on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus. They let us choose what titles, descriptions, and images show up when people see our posts.

Facebook Meta Tags -

<meta property="og:url" content=" "/>
<meta property="og:type" content=" "/>
<meta property="og:title" content=" "/>
<meta property="og:description" content=" "/>
<meta property="og:image" content=" "/>        

<meta property="og:url" content="https://granadasuppliers.com/"/>
<meta property="og:type" content="website"/>
<meta property="og:title" content="Granada Suppliers (Pvt) Ltd."/>
<meta property="og:description" content="The Granada Group of Companies' satisfied Customers now include five-star hotels in Colombo"/>
<meta property="og:image" content="https://granadasuppliers.com/images/home/slider/a.jpg"/>        

Twitter Meta Tags -

<meta name="twitter:card" content=" ">
<meta name="twitter:site" content=" ">
<meta name="twitter:title" content=" ">
<meta name="twitter:description" content=" ">
<meta name="twitter:image" content=" ">        

<meta name="twitter:card" content="The Granada Group of Companies' satisfied Customers now include five-star hotels in Colombo">
<meta name="twitter:title" content="Granada Suppliers (Pvt) Ltd.">
<meta name="twitter:description" content=" Due to our insistence on quality and uncompromising service form the very inception, the enterprise has grown rapidly and diversified into a significant production, trading and service industry.">
<meta name="twitter:image" content=" https://granadasuppliers.com/images/home/slider/a.jpg ">        

Google Plus Meta Tags (Outdated) -

<meta itemprop="name" content=" ">
<meta itemprop="description" content=" ">
<meta itemprop="image" content=" ">        

<meta itemprop="name" content="Granada Suppliers (Pvt) Ltd.">
<meta itemprop="description" content="The Granada Group of Companies' satisfied Customers now include five-star hotels in Colombo">
<meta itemprop="image" content="https://granadasuppliers.com/images/home/slider/a.jpg">        

02. Page Title Tag

The title tag is located in the Head Section of a webpage. It tells you the title of the webpage and appears at the top of your browser tab.

Furthermore, it will display as the title in search results.

03. Title and Alt Tags

You can give a title to each element on your webpage. These titles represent what the element is about. When a user hovers their mouse over the element, the title will appear as a small popup box, giving more information.

<div id="information_tab" title="Information about Books"> </div>        

You can also add 'Alt Tags' to images. These are alternative texts that appear if the image fails to load properly.

<img src="images/about/flower3.jpg" title="Sunflower" alt="Sunflower"/>        

Adding titles and alt tags to your webpage's elements and images can include extra keywords related to your business. It's best to write them in a way that reflects what your business is about.

<img src="images/about/flower3.jpg" title="Sunflowers for sale in Sri Lanka" alt="Sunflowers for sale in Sri Lanka"/>        

You can gather keywords from your competitors' websites and Wikipedia. Implementing titles from Google AdWords is another effective strategy.

In addition, many people use words like 'Best' and 'Top,' and they pay close attention to numbers. For example, 'Top 10 Hotel Management Software in the World,' 'Best 5 Websites about SEO,' 'Top 7 Trends about SEO in 2019,' and 'Top 15 Rules about Marketing.'

Most analysts believe that mobile users will increasingly utilize Mobile Voice Search after 2020. Therefore, we need to consider this trend. For instance, if someone wants to know the name of the President of Sri Lanka, 99% of people might type 'President Sri Lanka' in search engines using their desktop computers. People tend to use short phrases because they are lazy to type.

However, in Mobile Voice Search, people will use complete sentences, such as 'Who is the current President of Sri Lanka?' Therefore, in the future, we need to structure website content more conversationally.

According to analysts, there has been a significant increase in 'Near' searches in recent years. This means that many people are searching for products and services in their local areas or around their current location. For example:

• Restaurants near Nugegoda
• Web Designing company near Kottawa
• Furniture Shops near Watareka
• Kitchen Equipment near Unawatuna

Businesses need to take this behaviour into account when optimizing their online presence.

Also, remember to use everyday language instead of technical jargon or uncommon words. Since most users type common phrases, this approach can help make your content more accessible. For example;

• Our Services instead of Our Strength
• Contact Us instead of Connect with Us
• Content Management Systems instead of CMS
• Imports & Exports instead of Portation

04. File Names

Give meaningful names to your files. For instance, if your website is for a solar power company named ABC Solutions, you could name your HTML/PHP files like this:

• About Page - about-abc-solutions-solar-power-srilanka-hot-water-heaters.html instead of about.html
• Contact Page - contact-abc-solutions-solar-power-srilanka-hot-water-heaters.html instead of contact.html

Also give meaningful names to other files as well (Images, Videos, PDF Documents etc.). For example,

• Image - abc-solutions-solar-power-srilanka-hot-water-heaters-profile.jpg
• Video - abc-solutions-solar-power-srilanka-hot-water-heaters-profile.mp4
• PDF - abc-solutions-solar-power-srilanka-hot-water-heaters-profile.pdf

05. Make Responsive

The term 'Responsive Web Design' means that a website can be easily accessed from various devices such as desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones without any viewing issues.

Search engines like Google prioritize responsive websites and follow the 'Mobile First Index' rule. Having a fully responsive website can significantly improve your search engine rankings while neglecting responsiveness can have negative consequences.

06. Proper Codings

Developers should adhere to W3C standards when coding their websites. It's important to utilize modern HTML5 codes and avoid outdated HTML versions. Always ensure that you include closing tags for elements and validate your code using Markup Validation Services.

07. Webmaster Tools

Many search engines offer Webmaster or Search Console Tools, with Google and Bing being the most popular examples. These tools are invaluable for improving a website's performance in search engine results.

Site owners can check indexing status and optimise visibility by accessing free reports, tools, and resources through Webmaster Tools.

Moreover, the 'Submit URL' option in Webmaster Tools allows users to add new sites to search engine results or index and update existing ones.

E.g. - Google, Bing, Yahoo

08. Create a Google Page

Google Chrome stands as the most widely used browser globally. You can leverage this by creating a Google page for your business and linking it to your website's URL. When users search for your company name, your Google page will often appear on the right side of the search results.

Encourage your friends and clients to leave positive reviews and give your business a 5-star rating. Additionally, ensuring that your business's location is clearly marked on Google Maps can provide significant benefits.

Furthermore, claiming your Business page grants you access to your account, allowing you to analyze page statistics and officially add content to your page.

09. Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure

Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is the secure version of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

It means all the communication or data transfers between the web browser and website are very secure or encrypted. Google gives the first priority to HTTPS websites rather than HTTP websites. Because HTTPS can keep everyone safe on the website.

10. Tag Clouds

Tag Clouds are similar to the concept of Meta Keywords, but they are displayed within the Body Tag of a webpage, not inside the Head Tag.

For example, if your webpage is about a restaurant, you can include Tag Clouds like this...

11. Images & Website Speed

Search engines like Google prioritize website speed. If your site is fast, you'll have a better chance of ranking well. Always aim to reduce the size and resolution of images on your website.

Tools like Adobe Photoshop offline and Tiny PNG online can help with this.

12. User Experience

You should always prioritize the user experience (UX) of your website. If your site lacks good UX, visitors are likely to leave and may never return. Search engines like Google consider the 'Bounce Rate,' which measures how many visitors leave your site quickly. If Google sees a high bounce rate, it may lower your site's ranking in search results. You can track bounce rates and daily visits using analytics tools like Google Analytics.

Moreover, visitors dislike intrusive popup ads, images, and videos. Google warns users about annoying popups and may penalize sites with excessive popups by dropping their rank in search results. Similarly, having many broken links on your site can also lead to a drop in ranking by Google.

If your website has a comments section, watch out for spam comments. These often contain duplicate or meaningless text. All of these factors affect user experience and can impact your website's visibility in search results.

13. Google Featured Snippets

Google Featured Snippets are small dropdown boxes that appear at the top of many first-page search results in Google Search Engine. These snippets provide direct answers to users' keyword searches or questions.

According to most analysts, to have your website content featured in a snippet, your website should rank between the 2nd and 10th search results. However, some analysts believe that the algorithm may also consider the 1st search result.

There are two types of Featured Snippets:

• Paragraph Format
• List Format

According to the guidelines, your page title should be written in the form of a question. If your webpage describes a process, ensure that the content is presented in a step-by-step list format.

For example, if your website ranks 3rd among search results but is not featured in the Featured Snippets section, it indicates that you may not have followed these rules.

14. Create a Traffic

Share your website URL with friends and clients and encourage them to visit your site regularly. They can do this using two methods:

• Search the website using the Search Bar [Indirect]
• Enter the website URL directly into the URL Bar [Direct]

By doing this, search engines will recognize your site as active. Additionally, consider running email campaigns to further promote your website.

15. Unique Content

Ensure that all content on your website, including text and images, is original. Search engines like Google prioritize originality and penalize websites for plagiarism. For instance, if Google detects duplicate content on two websites, it will typically rank the older page higher and demote the newer one.

Moreover, when creating content for your website, include paragraphs or sentences rich in keywords relevant to your website's topic. This helps improve your website's visibility in search results.

16. Backlinks

Creating anchor tags or linking to another website from our own is known as Backlinking. These links, also called external links, should be natural and relevant. Google's Page Ranking Algorithms consider the number of Backlinks to a webpage and estimate its importance.

For example, if your website is about photography, you could link to a blog written by a world-famous photographer. You can incorporate these links naturally into your content.

For instance, if you're writing an article about the health benefits of chocolate on your website, you could include a link to another article discussing the potential drawbacks of consuming chocolate from a different website.

17. Sitemaps

A Sitemap is essentially a list of all the web pages on your website. Search engines use this list to quickly find and index all the pages on your site. This is done by accessing your Sitemap file and updating their search results indexes accordingly.

There are many online sitemap generators available that can help you create a sitemap for your website. Once generated, you'll need to download it as an XML file and place it in the root folder of your website. Below is an example structure of an XML Sitemap File.

Data and information for each webpage are contained within URL tags. 'loc' signifies the location or URL of the webpage, while 'lastmod' indicates the last modified date. 'changefreq' specifies how frequently the webpage is likely to change (e.g., Always, Hourly, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly), and 'priority' denotes the priority rate of the webpage compared to others on the website, with values ranging from 0.1 to 1.0. If you create a new webpage, you can add its details to this sitemap and update the XML file.

Not only can you create sitemaps for web pages, but you can also generate a sitemap for the images on your website. An Image Sitemap can affect 'Image Search Results,' while Page Sitemaps target 'Web Search Results' in search engines. You can generate an Image Sitemap using an online sitemap generator and add it to your root folder. Below is an example structure of an image sitemap.

After creating both sitemaps, you should link them to your Search Engine Consoles (such as Google Webmaster Tool, Bing Webmaster Tool, etc.) by submitting the URLs of your sitemap files.

This ensures that Search Engine Crawlers can directly access and index all the pages and images on your website.