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SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is quickly becoming the go-to marketing tactic for people trying to improve the visibility of their website. There is good reason for this enthusiasm: studies have shown that the top 3 search results of any given search engine get 60% of user clicks. In other words, getting a top page ranking is a major key to success. But getting that ranking can seem a daunting task, and not everyone has the money to hire an SEO company. Luckily, there are several basic SEO techniques that dont require an expert.

Strategic Keyword Placement

Keywords are words that relate to the content of your website, so that when people search these terms they are directed, hopefully, to you. In a perfect world, your keywords should be effective yet almost unnoticeable. Avoid cramming keywords into every sentence of your content; not only does it drive users away, but search engines have developed algorithms to punish sites that utilize this method. Instead, put the keyword where it fits naturally in content. Then, sprinkle the keywords in titles, headers, descriptions, image descriptions and tags. A normal website title (that appears at the top of the site) for a clothing company might look like this:

Clothes.com

But adding in some keywords can make the title exponentially more effective:

Shoes, Shirts, and More | Clothes.com

Youve instantly improved your sites visibility as well as given the user a clear vision of what your website is about

Easy URLs

Your content isnt the only thing that should be search engine-friendly. Your URL should be too. Take for instance, this URL of the hypothetical clothing store from the previous example:

www.clothes.com/11789/s201.htm

What is a search engine supposed to do with those numbers? They certainly dont improve your rankings. Try to structure your URLs so they are plain English and users and search engines can pick up on them easily. For example:

www.clothes.com/sweaters/cardigans

Now its apparent exactly what the page is directing to, and these keywords can be recognized by the algorithms that rank your website.

User Generated Content

Getting first-time traffic is important, but just as vital is bringing traffic back again and again. A great way to do this is by incorporating a community element to your site. Encourage users to post reviews, engage in discussions, or even post guest content on your website. Its a great not only to retain traffic, but to continually have fresh content on your page, which is highly valued by search engines and brings in more traffic. The best part? Its free, and your existing traffic is helping generate more.

Search Engine Optimization can be a daunting undertaking, especially for someone without the experience of having done it before. Luckily, getting started on SEO doesnt require a private company. These are techniques you can utilize even with the slightest SEO knowledge, and you will learn much more along the way. Happy optimizing!