Your homepage is the front door to your business, and we're here to make sure it's not just welcoming, but downright irresistible to both Google and your visitors. Grab this no- fuss checklist to spruce up your homepage SEO.
SEO Terms for Beginners | WickedGood SEO Checklist
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): The practice of improving your website’s visibility in search engine results pages (sometimes called SERPs). It involves optimizing various elements of your site so that search engines can easily understand, index, and rank your content. The goal is to increase organic traffic to your site by making it more discoverable.
Keyword: A specific phrase that describes the content on your page. It's what people type into search engines when they're looking for something specific, and it's crucial for your SEO efforts. Single words typically have too much competition, so it’s more practical to try to rank for short phrases, also called longtail keywords.
Meta Data: These are snippets of text that describe a page's content; they don’t appear on the page itself but in the page's code, or in your listing snippet in Google. One key component is the meta description, which provides a brief summary of the page. Keyword tags can be helpful as well. Most content management systems guide you along with filling these items out on your web page or blog post.
H1 Tag: The main header of your page and typically the title. It should include your primary keyword and tells search engines what the page is about, making it incredibly important for SEO. You should only have one H1 tag per page.
H2 Tag: Subheadings used under the H1 tag to organize content. They support your SEO by incorporating secondary keywords and enhancing your content's readability.
H3 Tag: Smaller subheadings that help break down your H2 sections into more detailed parts. They're great for readability and incorporating additional keywords.
Alt Text: A description of an image on your website, used to describe the appearance and function of an image on a page. Helps search engines understand the image content and also improves accessibility.
Backlink: A link from another website to yours. It acts like a vote of confidence from one site to another. The more high-quality backlinks
you have, the more reputable your site appears
to search engines.
Action items to help you rank higher on Google
Write high-quality content
First and foremost, write high-quality content in your own voice! Well written, educational, and factual content will always outrank keyword-stuffed fluff.
Optimize your page title
What to Do: Mix in your top keyword with your business name like you're a cocktail master.
Why It’s WickedGood: It’s not just a label; it’s your first SEO handshake with Google, showing up in search results and browser tabs.
Example: Digital Marketing Agency | WickedGood Marketing
Write a meta description
What to Do: Whip up an enticing 160-character description that makes people want to click.
Why It’s WickedGood: Think of it as your ad copy in the search results—a little nudge to get visitors to click through.
Be thoughtful with how you use heading tags
What to Do: Lay out your content with heading tags (H1, H2, etc.), ensuring your main keyword hits the spotlight in H1 and H2 at minimum.
Why It’s WickedGood: It’s like a map for Google, guiding it through your page and highlighting the stops that matter.
Images and alt text
What to Do: Add images that catch the eye and use alt-text to describe them, sprinkling in relevant keywords.
Why It’s WickedGood: Alt text is your secret weapon for helping Google 'see' your images and boosting your accessibility cred.
Ensure your website is mobile friendly
What to Do: Make sure your site looks good on phones and tablets.
Why It’s WickedGood: With most of the planet browsing on mobile, Google loves a site that plays nice on all devices.
Website loading speed
What to Do: Kick up your site's loading speed by compressing images and streamlining scripts.
Why It’s WickedGood: Speed is important! Fast-loading pages win hearts and Google points.
Use internal links
What to Do: Weave in links to other related killer content on your site.
Why It’s WickedGood: Spread the love around your site with smart links that keep users clicking and engaged.
Utilize social proof and trust signals
What to Do: Showcase those glowing testimonials and shiny badges loud and proud.
Why It’s WickedGood: Show off that credibility! It’s a trust booster for newbies landing on your page.
Lastly, we can’t leave without telling you what not to do when optimizing your content for SEO:
Do not overuse your keywords, also called keyword stuffing. Google is smart and will notice.
Do not duplicate content. This means your own content or content from another website.
Do not use AI to write your content and then never change anything. AI can be a great tool, but Google knows if it’s copy and pasted from ChatGPT. It has a certain...ring to it. Always fact check AI content, re-write sections that sound very ChatGPT-esque (you know what we mean), and make sure the content is in your brand voice.
Kicking off your SEO journey doesn't have to be overwhelming. With the WickedGood SEO Checklist for Beginners, you can start making significant improvements today. And if you ever feel stuck, remember, the WickedGood Community is just a click away. If you're a marketer, join here. And if you're an entrepreneur, this is the space for you! Join us today—we'll see you on the inside!
Looking for our agency services? Let us know at hello@wickedgoodmarketing.co, or fill out our form at wickedgoodmarketing.co/services.
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