SEO do’s and don’ts 2018

 

Search engines are becoming more and more sophisticated, and with this SEO is becoming a lot easier to explain yet much harder to execute.

Here are the do’s and don’ts of SEO in 2018, a lot of these you will already be familiar with but these practices have never been more important to execute for SEO then now:

1) Accessibility  

• DO use internal links – this will help the search engines to crawl and index your website
• DO make it easy to access your homepage
• DO clearly structure your website
• DON’T overload your web pages – too many tabs and links will reduce white space and slow down loading time, which in turn will increase your bounce rate.
• DON’T cram your drop down menus – this hinders usability

2) High quality content

• DO use high quality content – Only create content that is of value to your users. This may be informative, newsworthy, educational or fun.
• DON’T duplicate content – copying or duplicating content will have a negative effect on your SEO.

3) Use good linking practices

• DO start a blog – create high quality content that is quotable, sharable and easy to reference. This will improve your editorial links.
• DO build backlinks – have backlinks pointing to key pages throughout your websites.
• DON’T buy links.  
• DON’T link to irrelevant pages or websites.

4) Improve the user-experience

• DO ensure all of your pages are aesthetically pleasing – not just your homepage.
• DO ensure you have a quick loading speed – slow loading speed will increase the bounce rate meaning you will lose more customers.
• DO keep important information above the fold – this will ensure all of the vital content is the first thing your audience reads.
• DON’T overload your pages with too much information.

5) Go Mobile

• DO ensure your website is fully mobile-friendly.
• DO ensure links are easy to click – all the links throughout your website should be easy to click with your finger.
• DON’T have a non-mobile friendly website or use non-mobile friendly software like Flash.

6) Be social

• DO promote your content on social media – distribute your content through social media to expand your reach and drive traffic.
• DO include share buttons clearly on your website – make it easy for people to share your content and like your pages.