Here Are Essential 10 SEO Tips

OK, now we've debunked those common myths, what shouldn't you ignore? Let's look at some things that actually matter. Here are 10 of the most common missed SEO opportunities.

1. Google Authorship

Often people write about the debate surrounding this tag – is it or is it not helping with rankings? What is often missed is the very basic concept that an image by your result in the search engine increases your click-through rates.

Don't add this tag everywhere. Make sure it is only on well written, good content, but add it. Give your site that extra lift.

2. Citations

Make sure wherever you list the name of your business online (or where anyone else has listed it) that everything in each one is the same as the other. Meaning the name, phone number, contact, address, etc. between all listings is the same, not similar.

3. Content

Google likes specific content, so keep topics clear and on point. Also make sure on average your content is over 600 words per page or you risk it being penalized as thin.

4. URLs

Make sure your site URLs are absolute and not relative in your code. They shouldn't be too long and contain multiple query parameters. If they need to be rewritten, you have rewritten them.

5. The Alt Attribute

Use this tag properly, but use it. It belongs on every image on your site (sometimes it will be empty).

In the case of linking an image, the alt attribute acts as though you added anchor text on a page. Don't stuff this though; we have seen this as part of penalty actions when that has been done.

Remember this is a tag for the blind. Treat it with respect.

6. Page Speed

Check your site on the Google Page Speed tool. Speed matters especially in mobile. Get your site score above an 85-90.

7. Robots.txt

Your robots.txt doesn't block your web page from being indexed, only crawled. If you want to block a page from being indexed, leave it off the robots.txt and add a no index tag.

8. Penalties

If you try to recover your site and you fail the first time, get an expert to help you. Google penalties are tricky subjects. You may not know enough about penalty recovery to get your site out of penalty status.

The longer your site stays penalized, the harder it will be to recover your site. A site auditor will know what to look for and how to communicate with Google in order to get the best outcome.

9. New Sites

There is only one way to really make sure Google won't find your new site: lock it down with a login. Robots.txt don't prevent site indexing and Google doesn't need a link to find you. If you don't lock it down, don't be surprised when your new site is indexed before you wanted.

10. Get a Site Audit Every Year

There are so many new aspects of SEO in the past two years that it can be very difficult for the average business owner to keep up. Add to these changes the number of simple penalties a site can receive and you can be quickly over your head.

Source: http://goo.gl/cUhTam