Search engine optimization is by far one of the most important jobs that any marketer handles. However, that doesn't always mean that it is also the easiest of tasks to take on. As soon as you've got your tactics mastered, it seems like Google makes an algorithm update and it's time to start all over again! How will you determine what matters and what doesn't when SEO best practices can change in an instant?

ImageWorks understands that SEO can be a daunting task, and that's why we want to help. Below are some SEO best practices that you should incorporate into your search engine optimization strategy!

How to Create SEO-Friendly Blog Posts.

1. Focus on 1-2 long-tail keywords. Keywords are an important part of any SEO strategy, when used properly. In a world where everyone thinks the more the better, it's easy to get caught up in that mindset, but for SEO that isn't always necessarily the case. Instead of trying to cram 5 or 6 keywords into your blog post, you should really hone in and focus of 1-2 keywords for a single post to ensure you are using those keywords to their maximum potential. Just remember, search engines can actually penalize you if it looks like you are over using keywords. If you aren't sure where you should be integrating your keywords, start here:

• Title
• Body
• URL
• Meta Description

2. Have a responsive website design. Having a responsive website is a big deal now a days solely because it ensures that your website can conform to the screen of any device. So, whether your potential client is surfing the web on their tablet, desktop, phone, or other mobile device, your site will still look the way it's supposed to. However, having a site with a responsive design actually has relevance to your SEO tactics as well! Responsive designs can create one URL for your website. That means that your site won't be split up between different domains.

3. Include meta SEO tactics. Having meta keywords and a meta description are great ways to boost your SEO strategies and should not be overlooked. The meta description can give readers the important information they are searching for under the link for your post in their SERPS that way they can decide whether or not your content is relevant to them. Make sure you include the keywords you are trying to rank for, just because it's a small blurb doesn't mean it's not part of your content strategy!

4. Optimize your images. The written word isn't the only kind of content that can be optimized. Visual content like images or video can also hold SEO value for your blog posts. Although search engines aren't particularly looking at the images or video themselves, they do search for images with alt text. It's vital to add your keywords to these alt texts because by adding alt text to images you are allowing search engines to understand what your visual content is about.

5. Link to reputable sources, or internally. Inbound and outbound links in your content helps show search engines that your content is reputable, valid, and valuable. So, if you have content that corresponds to the blog post you are writing you should link to it! This can help retain visitors to your website, and also link them to internal resources on your website that they may be interested in.

Ready to start your SEO adventure but unsure where to begin? Click below to download our FREE guide to writing web copy that sells!