In the bustling world of online businesses, attracting and retaining visitors to your website is crucial for success. While there are numerous strategies to achieve this goal, sometimes the most valuable insights come from fellow community members.
Recently, a forum member shared their expertise on how to gain more website traffic, and their advice has excellent actionable tips. Let's delve into their suggestions and explore how you can implement them to enhance your website's visibility and attract more visitors.
Member Skullpilot - Zazzle Store
Blog Comment extract
"I'd write blog posts within the same set of categories as your store categories - so you build up a large bunch of, say, phone case reviews, and within each blog post, you link across (internally) to a single page (the category page) for your Phone Case Products. So it ends up like a funnel - lots of possible entry keywords from Google, leading to decent quality articles that ALL link to a single page on YOUR site. That way you can begin to build page authority because of all the internal links. (So the "link juice" pools in specific Store Category pages.)"
The strategy that Skullpilot is describing is a great way to build page authority for your store category pages. By creating blog posts that are relevant to your store categories and linking to those category pages from within the blog posts, you're essentially creating a network of internal links that helps search engines understand the importance of your category pages.
This can lead to several benefits, including:
Improved rankings for your category pages: When search engines see that your category pages have a lot of high-quality internal links, they're more likely to rank them higher in search results. This means that more people will see your category pages, which can lead to more traffic and sales for your store.
Increased authority for your store: As your category pages gain authority, they'll also pass some of that authority on to your other pages. This can help your entire store rank better in search results.
Improved user experience: Internal links can also help users navigate your store more easily. By linking from your blog posts to your category pages, you're giving users a clear path to find the products they're looking for.
To implement this strategy effectively, here are a few tips:
Create high-quality blog posts: Your blog posts should be informative, engaging, and relevant to your target audience. They should also be well-written and free of errors.
Use relevant anchor text: When you link to your category pages from your blog posts, make sure to use relevant anchor text. This will help search engines understand the context of your links.
Link strategically: Don't just link to your category pages from every blog post. Instead, link to them strategically, only when it makes sense to do so.
By following these tips, you can use internal linking to build page authority for your store category pages and improve your overall SEO performance.
Additional Tips for Blog Success
Over the years, I've made my fair share of mistakes when it comes to websites and blogs. I've chased after popular trends, tried to cater to a broad audience, and even dabbled in topics that didn't truly resonate with me. But through these missteps, I've learned a valuable lesson:
Stick to what you know and are passionate about
You can grow your audience organically, by writing about what you are genuinely passionate about. In doing so you will attract individuals who share your interests and appreciate your unique perspective. More importantly, you will find yourself genuinely enjoying the process of creating content, answering readers' questions, and engaging with your community.
And now for some stats!
The sheer volume of content on the internet has exploded over the years, making it more difficult for individual websites to stand out. With an estimated 1.9 billion websites and 20 billion web pages, the competition for user attention is fiercer than ever.
Compounding the challenge is Google's ever-evolving search algorithm. This algorithm, which determines the ranking of websites in search results, is a complex and ever-changing entity. Google continuously updates its algorithm to better understand user intent and deliver the most relevant results, making it difficult for website owners to keep pace.
Key Statistics Highlighting the Challenge
Statistics paint a clear picture of the increasing difficulty in gaining website traffic:
The average website loses 55% of its visitors after just 15 seconds.
The average time spent on a page is just 3.4 seconds.
The bounce rate, the percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing just one page, is 90%.
Google's Recent Search Algorithm Updates
Google makes numerous search algorithm updates throughout the year to ensure their search engine continues to deliver the most relevant and helpful results to users. Here's a summary of Google's most recent search algorithm updates:
October 2023 Core Update: This update, rolled out in mid-October 2023, focused on improving the overall quality and relevance of search results. It aimed to identify and reward high-quality content that provides in-depth, informative, and trustworthy information to users.
November 2023 Reviews Update: This update, released in early November 2023, focused on enhancing the quality and relevance of product reviews in search results. It aimed to identify and promote high-quality, authentic, and helpful product reviews that provide valuable insights to users considering purchase decisions.
October 2023 Spam Update: This update, rolled out in early October 2023, aimed to combat spam and low-quality content in search results. It focused on identifying and demoting websites that engage in manipulative tactics, such as keyword stuffing and backlinks from low-quality sources.
September 2023 Helpful Content Update: This update, released in mid-September 2023, continued Google's focus on rewarding helpful and informative content. It introduced an improved classifier to better identify and promote high-quality content that provides original insights, in-depth analysis, and clear explanations to users.
These updates demonstrate Google's ongoing commitment to providing a seamless and informative search experience for its users. By prioritizing high-quality content and combating spam, Google aims to ensure that users can easily access reliable and trustworthy information.
Strategies to Attract Google's Attention and Rank Higher
Attracting Google's attention and ranking higher in search results requires a comprehensive approach that focuses on both on-page and off-page optimization. Here are some of the best strategies to achieve this:
On-Page Optimization
Create High-Quality Content: Content is king when it comes to SEO. Publish informative, engaging, and original content that provides value to your target audience. Use relevant keywords throughout your content, but avoid keyword stuffing.
Optimize Page Titles and Meta Descriptions: Craft compelling page titles and meta descriptions that accurately represent the content of each page. Include relevant keywords and keep them concise and engaging.
Target Relevant Keywords: Conduct keyword research to identify relevant keywords that your target audience is searching for. Use these keywords strategically throughout your content, including page titles, meta descriptions, and headings.
Enhance Page Loading Speed: Page loading speed is a crucial factor for both user experience and SEO. Optimize your website's loading speed by optimizing images, minifying code, and using a caching plugin.
Mobile-Friendly Design: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and responsive, providing a seamless experience for users on all devices. Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in search results.
Off-Page Optimization
Build High-Quality Backlinks: Backlinks from reputable websites are essential for building domain authority. Reach out to relevant websites for guest blogging opportunities, participate in industry forums, and create linkable content.
Social Media Engagement: Actively engage on social media platforms to promote your content and attract backlinks. Share your content, participate in relevant discussions, and collaborate with influencers.
Technical SEO: Ensure your website's technical aspects are up to par. This includes factors like site structure, URL structure, XML sitemap, and robot.txt file. Use tools like Google Search Console to identify and address technical issues.
Regular Website Updates: Keep your website fresh and engaging by regularly publishing new content, updating existing content, and adding new features. This signals to Google that your website is active and valuable.
Layout and Presentation of Content for Page Optimization
Page optimization is the process of making sure that your website's pages are optimized for search engines. This means using the right keywords, writing high-quality content, and making sure that your website is technically sound. By optimizing your pages, you can improve your website's ranking in search results, which will lead to more organic traffic.
H2 Tags
H2 tags are important for SEO because they help search engines understand the structure of your content and which headings are most important. Here are some tips for using H2 tags effectively:
Use H2 tags to break up your content into sections and make it easier to read.
Use keywords in your H2 tags, but don't overdo it.
Make sure your H2 tags are relevant to the content of your page.
F-Reading Style
Most people scan content online rather than reading it word for word. This is known as F-reading style. To optimize your content for F-reading, use the following tips:
Use bullet points and numbered lists to make your content easier to scan.
Use headings and subheadings to break up your content and make it easier to follow.
Use strong visuals to capture attention and break up your text.
Images
Images can be a great way to break up your text, make your content more engaging, and improve your SEO. However, it is important to use images effectively. Here are some tips for using images:
Use high-quality images that are relevant to your content.
Optimize your images for file size and alt text.
Use captions to describe your images.
Page optimization is an essential part of any successful online marketing strategy. By following the tips in this guide, you can improve your website's ranking in search results and increase your organic traffic.
Note I used to be a paid SEO content writer and was even hired to create content, written and visual for the Promoter of the Mastretta Super Car Tom Martin, before the car got shelved as well as other projects he had.
As such I can also add, keep your paragraphs SHORT. You will note I always use H2 headings as noted above, page breaks with 'lines' and short paragraphs. AND your font size should be large depending on the font for ease of reading! No fancy fonts and nothing smaller than size 16!
Additionally give all your images ALT tags (ie a description of what the image is) where able to do so on your chosen blog/website platform. AND ... don't be afraid to start a sentence with 'AND'. ;) Also adopt a conversational tone in most cases.
Whoa! I need to really study this. I've been looking for information just like this and holy cow, right now I'm a little overwhelmed with tech knowledge. But, I truly want to study this and learn about it, because I deeply feel like funneling is the way to go in today's marketplace! Honestly, I truly appreciate everyone's level of knowledge on this tech stuff. I will be reading it, trying to learn as much as I can.
Thank you for sharing your expertise and knowledge with us once again. We appreciate you.
I added an update to this as noted here:
"Note I used to be a paid SEO content writer and was even hired to create content, written and visual for the Promoter of the Mastretta Super Car Tom Martin, before the car got shelved as well as other projects he had.
As such I can also add, keep your paragraphs SHORT. You will note I always use H2 headings as noted above, page breaks with 'lines' and short paragraphs. AND your font size should be large depending on the font for ease of reading! No fancy fonts and nothing smaller than size 16!
Additionally give all your images ALT tags (ie a description of what the image is) where able…
Wonderful information packed in this post. Thank you both for informing others with these tips. I recently started using Canva to do some product and collection short videos touching on the options available and the specific design (new at this video thing so not my best, but as I keep working with it I hope to learn to make them well). I may start adding these into blog posts. I have added a few on Pinterest and noticed views accumulated quicker than an image post. So I will be learning and experimenting more with creating video media. Again, great post!
Great post Leah; well expanded on the original comment I made, and thanks for your notes on the new Google Algo Updates. I never manage to keep up with them all!
And it reminded me of another benefit of those internal links, if used judiciously - they can entice site visitors to click over to other pages on your website rather than bouncing. You definitely want to keep people on your site for as long as possible. (So if you happen to enjoy doing videos - I don't, and I know Leah also doesn't! Embed them into blog posts as well. Takes time to watch a video, so that also keeps visitors from bouncing back to Google too quickly, if…