SEO doesn’t have to be all that difficult. There are definitely things you can do yourself – the important part is knowing when it’s time to get help.
Are you working on search engine optimization on your own? Does it feel hard to get started, or maybe it’s difficult to pinpoint what’s most important right now? With experience comes the ability to prioritize efforts, and at Brath we have just that experience. That’s why we’d like to take the opportunity to share our ten best tips for those of you who want to succeed with SEO.
Don’t skip the keyword analysis
Use Google’s Keyword Planner to find the right words for you. Keep in mind to choose words that are reasonably likely to generate sales. For example, “Learn to ride a bike” won’t bring as much increase as “Bike spare parts,” even if it has higher total volume.
Go for the low-hanging fruit first
Changing titles and headings is a small job compared to many other SEO tasks. Including the page’s keyword in the title is the single most important on-page factor you can adjust. Review your titles and headings!
Answer your visitors’ questions
Think about how your customers search and provide answers to what they’re looking for. When do they want to find a category page and when do they want a product page? Who should land on the homepage and who might actually be looking for your FAQ? “How to order from Bosse’s store” might belong on the FAQ page, while “Order from the store” should perhaps lead to the homepage.
Build your authority
One of the most important parts of SEO is having other sites linking to yours. A single link from a strong site can boost your search rankings more than a lot of tweaking on your own site. A strong site in Google’s eyes is one that is relevant to you and has plenty of inbound links from other authoritative websites. Some argue that you should just wait and hope it happens spontaneously, but we don’t share that view.
Avoid flashy JS frameworks and other things that can block Google
There are plenty of systems to build websites. A good guideline is: the flashier it feels, the greater the risk that Google simply can’t read your site properly. Two useful Google searches are site: and cache: followed by your page. If something looks odd there, it might be time to review your platform. If you have Google Search Console, you can also test your pages there to see how Google views them.
Be careful not to overdo it
This is unfortunately a balancing act you have to manage. Making sure the keyword is present in the text and heading is good. Doing it a hundred times is bad. Exactly how “aggressive” you can be varies from site to site. The same applies to a dozen other factors: how far you dare to go with links, how many filters you can show Google on your category pages, and so on. Try to find the right balance. For more detail, read about Panda and Penguin, for example.
Create “content-rich” content
https://www.youtube.com/embed/gS8VQP4lCHY?controls=0
Many SEO consultants will probably tell you to just add more text. Often that can help, but the most important thing here is that the content is truly useful. The length itself is secondary. The more valuable information you can capture in your prose for your users, the better the text will look in Google’s eyes. In the video above, which is still relevant even though it’s a few years old, Aaron and I go through how we view content.
Think through your main navigation
The links in your navigation make the pages they point to the most important in Google’s eyes. You therefore need to weigh these carefully – don’t waste importance on pages that aren’t so relevant. The smaller your navigation, the more strength goes to the pages that are actually there.
Make sure your site is fast and mobile-friendly
Today you can’t get away with having a slow site or one that only works on desktop. Google will heavily downgrade you if either of these factors doesn’t meet their standards. The speed requirements vary between industries, but a good rule of thumb is at least not to be slower than your competitors. Test your site with Google PageSpeed Insights.
Finally, get help before it’s too late
One of the most common problems we have to solve is when someone has gone too far – whether it’s a competitor or someone who has managed their own site. If you get stuck in one of Google’s many filters, it can take a very long time and cost a lot of lost revenue before you’re back on track. Missed redirects during a domain or platform migration can crash even the best SEO. If you’re planning bigger changes or want to accelerate your SEO, check with a consultant to see if there’s a risk. Of course, we’re more than happy to help – contact us and we’ll take a look.
Magnus Bråth
Consultant & Adviser
Magnus is one of the world's most prominent search marketing specialists and primarily works with management and strategy at his agency Brath AB.