Blogging and SEO Archives - Showit https://showit.com Bring your Dream Design to Life with Drag-and-Drop Creative Control. No Coding Necessary. Tue, 08 Apr 2025 20:16:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://showit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/showit-favicon-150x150.png Blogging and SEO Archives - Showit https://showit.com 32 32 199952047 Best Image Optimization Tools of 2025 for Faster, SEO-Friendly Websites https://showit.com/blogging-seo/best-image-optimization-tools-of-2025-for-faster-seo-friendly-websites/ Tue, 08 Apr 2025 20:16:28 +0000 https://showit.com/?p=17244

8 Minute Read

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Bigger isn’t always better, especially in the case of images you’re using online.

Take any photo or high-resolution graphic and you might notice that the size is a little bigger (or even a lot bigger) than your website can handle.

Using it as part of your web design means your website is likely to lag or just stop loading. So, what should you do?

Optimize that image!

Image optimization is simply shrinking the file size of an image without sacrificing its quality too much – so it still looks good but is going to help your website load MUCH faster.

And when you have a website that loads faster, you create a better user experience. Plus, it’s good for SEO, because search engines want to send people to websites that aren’t slow.

Consider the ways image optimization is crucial for your Core Web Vitals, the key performance metrics used by Google to assess user experience on a webpage:

  •   Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): a measurement of how long it takes for the largest image on your website to load, which can be improved with optimized images
  • · Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): a measurement of how much the elements of a page shift as they load, which can be improved when an image has the proper height and width attributes
  •   First Delay Input (FDI): a measurement of the delay between when you take an action, such as clicking a link or typing in a form, and the browser starting the process of that action, which can be improved when you don’t have large images your browser doesn’t have to focus on

In short, if you want to improve the overall speed and functionality of your website (and let’s be real, who wants to sit around and wait for a website to load?), then you need to optimize your images for the web. That’s easy enough to do when you’re working with the right tools.

Why Image Optimization Matters for Websites

Image of woman working on a laptop with images on a website. Image optimization tools.

Tech power is like human power in some ways, when you’re asking a lot of it, you have to expect it to work a little harder and move a little more slowly. Makes sense, right?

So when you’re putting a large high-resolution image file on your website, it’s almost like asking your website to lug a 100-pound weight around. It’s going to take a while for your website to get stuff done!

That’s why a website with a lot of large images won’t load quickly. It’s almost as if your website is trying to set a bunch of 100-pound weights in place. And when your website loads slowly, search engines perceive it as less user-friendly.

Search engines don’t want to direct traffic to websites people don’t want to use, so your website’s slow loading time could end up affecting its SEO and Google rankings.

That’s not great, because essentially those big beautiful images you thought looked so great on your website are actually the reason you’re not showing up in search results.

Worth noting: Search engines are doing what’s known as mobile-first indexing.

That means they’re giving higher rank to websites built for mobile devices.

It makes sense because most people are looking at websites on their phones these days.

But many websites are built for computer screens, not for phone screens. Part of image optimization means making your images responsive, so they adjust to the type of screen they’re being viewed on.

Features to Look for in Image Optimization Tools

You might be sitting here and reading all this with the thought, “Great! So, what am I supposed to do with all these high-res images?” Before you go overloading your website design, you can quickly and efficiently optimize all your images for the web with one of several of the optimization tools in 2025.

When you’re choosing a web optimization tool, look for one with the following features:

  • Compression quality: You want a tool that is going to compress (i.e. shrink) your images via lossless compression, which reduces the file sizes without losing image data or quality, instead of lossy compression, in which some image data will be lost and the quality potentially diminished.
  • Bulk processing capabilities: You don’t have the time to go through and compress each image individually, especially if you’re somebody who is working with lots of photos—we’re looking at you, photographers and your extensive galleries. You want a tool that lets you optimize images in bulk to save you some time.
  • Support for modern image formats: When you’re choosing a tool, you should select one that’s able to handle image formats like WebP, AVIF, and JPEG XL.
  • Integration with CMS platforms: Once you optimize your images, you’re going to need to upload them to your site, so choose an optimization tool that will work with platforms like WordPress and Shopify.
  • Automation and AI-powered optimization: Remember how we talked about bulk optimization? Not every image needs to be optimized in the same way, so you want to find a tool that uses AI to determine specifically what needs to be done with each image and automates the task without your having to change any settings.

 Top Image Optimization Tools of 2025

Ready to optimize?

Great! You’ve got options when it comes to optimization—lots of options.

Alongside thinking about what features you need from an image optimization tool, think about what type of access you want to have.

Do you want something to simply use online via your internet browser? Or do you want something you can access through your website platform, or even from your computer desktop?

Consider these options:

Online Image Optimizers

These are the optimizers you can access directly through your internet browser by going to the website. They’re pretty straightforward, but they get the job done well enough.

You’ve got TinyPNG, which is a simple, effective tool for PNG and JPEG compression.

If you want to do advanced compression with various formats, try Compressor.io. And then for high-quality bulk images, there’s Kraken.io.

WordPress Plugins for Image Optimization

If you’re looking for the best WordPress image optimizer, consider a plug-in like ShortPixel or Smush for automated AI-powered optimization. Imagify is also a WordPress plug-in and it offers WebP conversion and fast compression.

Desktop & Developer Tools

For anyone working directly from their desktop, RIOT (Radical Image Optimization Tool) could be a great option—it’s free Windows software that lets you compress images quickly and efficiently.

Mac users can try ImageOptim, an open-source tool for lossless compression. Finally, there’s Squoosh by Google, a Browser-based tool with detailed compression controls.

AI & Next-Gen Optimization Tools

When it comes to AI and next-gen options, consider working with VanceAI Image Compressor for AI-powered image enhancement and compression or Cloudinary for Cloud-based image management with automation.

Best Practices for Image Optimization in 2025

Before you move full-steam ahead on optimizing your images, there's some best practices you should keep in mind.

First, be sure to choose the right file format for your images.

WebP offers better compression than JPEG while maintaining high quality and supports transparency, making it ideal for web performance.

AVIF provides even higher compression efficiency and better quality at lower file sizes than WebP but has slightly less browser support, whereas JPEG is widely compatible but results in larger files with lower efficiency compared to both WebP and AVIF.

Second, take advantage of lazy loading.

This is a technique that delays the loading of non-essential images until they are needed, improving page speed and performance. Instead of loading all images immediately when a page loads, it loads only the ones visible in the viewport and fetches others as the user scrolls.

Be sure you leverage CDNs, aka Content Delivery Networks, for faster global delivery. These improve website speed by distributing your images and other assets across multiple global servers, ensuring faster delivery to users regardless of their location.

Finally, be sure to maintain a balance between quality and compression.

Yes, you want your images to be smaller in size, but not so much that they compromise the quality of the image.

If the picture loses too much data, it becomes grainy and pixelated. Be sure to use an optimization tool that is going to give you compressed images that still look great and reflect your professionalism. Otherwise, what’s the point, right?

Main Takeaway

Optimizing your images for your website is a crucial step that improves your website speed (good for SEO), but it’s important to take the care you need so you don’t end up with reduced quality.

The best approach? Experiment with different tools based on your website’s needs and find the one that feels the most user-friendly while giving you the best results.

If you want to see how those optimized images look on a beautifully designed Showit website? Don’t forget that you have a 14-day free trial waiting for you with no commitment necessary. Sign up and get started!

Showit is a drag and drop website platform with a free trial at Showit.com
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17244
How to Blog Consistently: Tips & Tricks When You’re Super Busy https://showit.com/blogging-seo/how-to-blog-consistently/ Fri, 20 Dec 2024 18:10:29 +0000 https://showit.com/?p=16885

13 Minutes

The post How to Blog Consistently: Tips & Tricks When You’re Super Busy appeared first on Showit.]]>

One of the main things I've seen small business owners try to figure out when they're hoping to grow organic traffic is how to blog consistently.

But, let's not get ahead of ourselves. It's not just important to know how to blog consistently. You need to know WHY YOU SHOULD blog consistently as well.

Why You Should Blog Consistently

It turns out that developing good SEO for your website is a lot more about the content you're creating than anything else.

Sure, making sure your on page SEO is important. And, getting good backlinks is a worthy cause. But, if I had to pick just one thing that would help to show up on top of search engine results it would be writing good blogs…a lot.

And, not like just a one off every few months kind of rhythm. We're talking about AT LEAST once a week.

How do you keep up that pace? Turns out I've got a little bit of experience with this very topic.

My Blogging Crednetials

Back in 2019, I started a blog/podcast/youtube channel (all the things) called Self-Made Web Designer.

The goal was to help people learn how to build web design businesses without having any background in the field. So, I started blogging…a lot. At first it was about 3 small articles every week.

Then I learned that longer blog posts tend to rank higher than shorter ones. So, I started writing at least one 2,000 word plus blog every single week.

I did that non-stop up until 2022 when I decided to take a break.

Fast forward to 2024 and I decided it was time to start writing again. Inspired by Anne Lamot's book “Bird by Bird,” I set a goal of writing 1,000 words a day.

Depending on who you are that might sound like a lot or a little. BUT, I learned quite a few things along the way that has helped me to write so much. It got to the point that I've since increased it to about 1,500 words a day.

But, because of the tips and tricks I learned, it doesn't feel like a big deal at all.

So, I decided it was time to take all of the things I've learned on how to blog consistently and share it with you here.

How to Blog Consistently Tip 1: Don't Edit While You Write

One of the biggest hurdles to get over with blogging every single day is learning how to write without editing yourself as you're writing.

Everyone does it. You type a little bit, and then you go back and read what you typed. Decide it doesn't make sense and then delete everything you just wrote and try again.

Here's the biggest tip on how to blog consistently I can give you. Creating and editing take two different types of brain power.

So, you should keep them separate. Give yourself permission to write a rough draft that's ACTUALLY rough.

Give it some time and come back later to start editing. But, don't do it WHILE you're writing.

Just write.

How to Blog Consistently Tip 2: Aim for Mediocre

If you really want to learn how to blog consistently, you've got to understand that not everything you write is going to be great.

In fact, most of it will be bad. And, that's okay.

Most people don't even get started because they're worried that their content won't live up to other super hero bloggers out there that know how to say all the right words that keep people hooked from the first sentence.

First, none of those people started out that way. They did a lot of bad blogging that lead to a lot of mediocre blogging. Eventually, they started occasionally producing some top notch blogs here and there.

But, there still not hitting a home run every time they get up to bat even now that they have years of experience.

So, don't aim to write the VERY BEST ARTICLE THAT HAS EVER BEEN WRITTEN about said topic. Instead, shoot for medioce.

Just something that's slightly above horrible. Publish before it's perfect! Do that enough and eventually you'll start to write better and better blogs.

But, don't let the fear of imperfection keep you from blogging at all.

How to Blog Consistently Tip 3: Find a Rhythm That Works for You

I hear so many people trying to push their preferred method of getting things done:

  • Batching tasks
  • Doing a little bit every day
  • Putting it on your calendar

The list of ways to complete tasks is endless AND I have tried them all ad nauseam. Here's what I've found. What works for me might not work for you and vice versa.

I've personally found that trying to do a little bit every day is better than trying to do a lot all in just a few days. So, of all the things on my todo list, writing is one that shows up every single day.

And, when I get it done I feel like I've accomplished something.

I mean c'mon! We're taking a blank screen and turning it into something. A tangible thing that someone can consume and learn from.

The point is you don't have to do things the way I do things. Maybe you like to reserve a specific block of time on a specific day every week and just get a blog done. That's great.

Try a lot of different ways out and don't get discouraged if one doesn't work for you the way you thought it would. There's all sorts of different things you can do to try to keep a steady rhythm.

Just find a rhythm that works.

How to Blog Consistently Tip 4: Have a Running List of Topics

One of the biggest lessons I've learned on how to blog consistently is that the main enemy of keeping your blog going is that gap between your last blog and your next.

You were in it. Things were flowing AND you got the blog done. High fives all around. But the next week rolls around and it's time to write something new! Now what?

It takes me much more effort just to pick out a topic I'm going to write about than it does to just start writing.

To help with that I keep a running list of blog topics I'm planning to cover.

That also helps me to be thinking about what I'm going to be writing for on those topics. It's kind of like going to bed with a math problem in your head and waking up having solved it.

Your subconscious just kind of works on the topics even when you're not thinking about it.

How to Come Up With Blog Ideas

Okay, but you might be thinking, “How do I even come up with ideas in the first place?”

Great question. I like to do a little bit of research in Google Keyword Planner. It's a free resource that will tell you how often a phrase is searched for on their search engine.

I talk a lot about keyword research on this big blog all about SEO. But, the basic run down is you start with a general phrase connected to your website's topic.

So, if I was a photographer it would be something like “photography.” Then you get back a list of ideas.

Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner results

The phrases that you're looking for are ones that have a lot of volume but not a lot of competition.

Google keyword planner highlighting keyword suggestions, search volume and competition columns

From there you'll get a barrage of different ideas to start culling through.

Another great source is Chat GPT! I love asking it to brainstorm some topics and then building a list from there. Bottom line you've got a ton of options when it comes to coming up with ideas.

How to Blog Consistently Tip 5: Don't Worry About Repeating Yourself

Something I hear consistently from people wanting to learn how to blog consistently is that they're afraid they're going to start repeating themselves.

Like, there's only so much to say about a single topic, right?

Well, there's probably a lot. You just don't realize how much you know in relation to everyone else out there.

So, let's say on a scale of 1 to 10 of everything there is to know about a specific topic and you'd put yourself at like a 6 or 7.

You'd think that you need to bring down how your talking about that topic to like a 3 or 4 so everyone can understand. But, you'd be wrong.

You need to bring it down to like a 1 or 2.

It's okay to go basic, basic. In fact, that's going to reach most people, anyways.

Say It Again, Just Slightly Different

But, let's say you're right and you will run out of things to say. Just say it again. You'd be surprised how much people don't mind hearing something over and over.

Have you ever listened to the Dave Ramsey podcast? He's been doing it for forever. Even before it was a podcast it was a radio show.

But, here's the thing, he's basically saying the same thing over and over. People call in and tell him their financial troubles and he gives them the same advice he's been giving everyone for the last few decades.

Over and over. But, it's one of the most popular podcasts out there.

People don't get bored with it. And, people won't get bored with what you have to say. Plus, it's highly unlikely that everyone will read every single article you write from top to bottom.

How to Blog Consistently Tip 6: Let AI Help

I personally don't use AI to write out my blogs fully. I like writing and see it as a craft I'm trying to develop. BUT, I do use it to help.

If I'm having trouble getting started, I'll ask it how they'd intro a topic. If I need help with a general outline, I'll poke it for some ideas.

Almost always it will give me ideas that then lead to the ideas I actually use. But, that time between when I couldn't think of anything and when I started running with a topic gets cut down SIGNIFFICIANTLY with AI.

And, listen, I'm not opposed to having AI write your blog for you. I know people that do it and there are some great tools out there.

I'm just unfamiliar with the best approach. And, as much as people say that Google has a way of telling what was created by AI and what wasn't, I'm just not buying it.

At the very least, a secret weapon on how to blog consistently is to use AI to get ideas going and help you when you get stuck.

How to Blog Consistently Tip 7: Write How You Talk

The best thing to do when you're writing a blog is just write like you would talk. So, think of it like sitting down with a friend at a coffee shop and they're asking you questions about the topic you're blogging about.

What would you say to them? How would you say it? That's what you need to do in your articles and how to blog consistently.

Often the objection I get from this tip is something like, “But, I don't talk so good.” 🥴 But, hear me out.

First, I think it's kind of important to differentiate yourself from AI. Even if you're having AI write your articles. You need to go back through and put some of yourself IN THAT ARTICLE.

What better way to differentiate your writing from a robot's with your unique tone and even your mistakes.

AI can do a lot of things. But, it can't steal you or your story. So, don't be afraid to put some of yourself in what you're writing.

The Best Reading Level to Write To

People Like to Read anywhere from a 3rd to 6th grade level. So, if you're worried you won't sound smart enough, then you're actually in a really good place!

There's actually a really great resource called The Hemingway App that helps you write concisely and will tell you when your verbiage is getting too complicated.

By the way, the phrase “your verbiage is getting too complicated” was graded at a 7th grade level. 🤷🏼‍♂️

The point is you don't have to have a masters degree to start blogging about something. People just want to hear your perspective.

How to Blog Consistently Tip 8: Overcoming Writers Block

Ahh, the biggest hurdle for how to blog consistently, the dreaded writers block. There's good news though. There are so many ways to overcome it. Here's a few that have helped me.

FIRST: Just staying consistent. I know that seems like circular logic. How do you blog consistently when you're faced with writers block? Well, you blog consistently. 😂

But, here's the funny thing that happens when you start turning your blogging into a routine, it just becomes a part of you.

It'll start to feel the same as waking up and instantly brushing your teeth. It's just something you do.

It takes a bit of time to get some momentum but that's okay. It'll get easier as time goes on.

SECOND: If you start writing about anything it will prime the pump to help you write about something specific.

Sometimes I'll even just start copying other people's text verbatim when I'm trying to get the juices flowing. It's the “objects in motion tend to stay in motion” idea JUST for writing.

THIRD: Take a nap. When I really can't think of anything it's typically a sign that I'm just really tired. So, pause from it and come back later.

You'll have some other things that work for you as well. Someone I follow said she hates starting with a blank screen so she always starts her blogs by writing “something something something” over and over again until she's ready to start.

Final Thoughts on How to Blog Consistently

There is no perfect advice on how to blog consistently. The truth is it's messy. It takes time. You'll do good for a while and then start to fade.

And, that's all okay. The point is you wake up and you try again. Don't let fear or shame hold you back from just sitting down and writing something.

They don't have to be 3,000 word articles. They don't even have to be 1,000 word articles.

Sure, there is all sorts of advice about how “your blog should be minimum of 2,000 words” and there's some truth to that. BUT, think of it like going to the gym.

You don't do your very first session after being away for years and push yourself to the max. That's a surefire way of getting injured or at the very least being too soar to come back again for a few weeks.

Take it slow. Then gradually ramp up how much you're doing.

Over time you'll get into a rhythm and you'll be telling people how to blog consistently 😉

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16885
Powerful Chrome Extensions for Brand and Web Designers https://showit.com/blogging-seo/powerful-chrome-extensions-for-brand-and-web-designers/ Tue, 10 Dec 2024 15:31:22 +0000 https://showit.com/?p=16800

Let's check out some of the most powerful Chrome extensions for brand and web designers. On second thought, a lot of these are pretty helpful if you spend time working on anything on the online not just designing and branding. These are all tools that will help most folks make their process more enjoyable and […]

The post Powerful Chrome Extensions for Brand and Web Designers appeared first on Showit.]]>

Let's check out some of the most powerful Chrome extensions for brand and web designers.

On second thought, a lot of these are pretty helpful if you spend time working on anything on the online not just designing and branding.

These are all tools that will help most folks make their process more enjoyable and help cut back on headaches.

Check out the list below and bookmark this post so you can come back and see when we add new ones.

1. Dark Mode

The Dark Mode chrome extention flips the switch on blinding web pages with a global dark theme for the entire internet.

Need a break from the glare? Toggle it on or off with a single click, or customize chrome with over 50 theme options. Plus, its handy white-list feature lets you keep certain sites bright if you so choose.

Download for Google Chrome Here

2. 1Password

Think of 1Password as a personal online bodyguard—minus the earpiece and sunglasses.

This extension that makes remembering dozens of passwords a thing of the past.

With just one master password, it handles the rest: generating, saving, and filling your passwords with a level of ease that’ll make you wonder how you ever lived without it.

Download for Google Chrome Here

3. Pocket

The Pocket Chrome extension is your digital bookmarking assistant. With one click, you can save articles, videos, and links from across the web to revisit whenever you want.

Pocket creates a calm, distraction-free space for all the content you care about. It's a perfect fix for those of us who text our friends links just so we know where they are.

Download for Google Chrome Here

4. Tab Manager

Tab Manager plus can help you take control of your browser chaos.

Whether you're juggling work projects or researching endlessly, this extension helps you organize, find, and manage your tabs with ease. No more judgment from your friends when they look at your screen.

Download for Google Chrome Here

5. Scroll Capture

Scroll Capture is a great tool for designers and developers who want to create high quality screen captures for their portfolios.

This browser extension streamlines the process of showcasing your work, letting you create professional-grade recordings effortlessly.

Download for Google Chrome Here

6. Grid Ruler

Grid Ruler is the essential Chrome extension for web developers and designers, bringing the precision of Photoshop-style grids right to your browser.

Whether you’re aligning elements or measuring distances, Grid Ruler makes it easy to create and refine layouts with accuracy.

Download for Google Chrome Here

7. Font Ninja

Font Ninja makes font exploration effortless and enjoyable, whether you’re a designer, developer, or just a font enthusiast.

All you need to do is hover over text to instantly identify fonts and view CSS properties, plus get a full summary of all fonts used on a site.

Dive deeper into font details like styles, foundries, and pricing, bookmark your favorites to share with others, find similar fonts for inspiration, and search with advanced filters to discover exactly what you need.

Download for Google Chrome Here

8. Grammarly

Grammarly for Chrome is your personal writing coach, editor, and AI-powered brainstorming tool.

It catches typos, polishes grammar, and even helps you draft ideas on the fly—so your emails, posts, and messages sound polished every time. Maybe we should have paid more attention in school, but hey, at least we have Grammarly now.

Download for Google Chrome Here

9. Site Palette (For Help With Colors and HEX Codes)

Site Palette makes it super easy to generate color schemes from any website. Whether you're brainstorming a new design or just stealing…ahem…BORROWING inspiration, this extension delivers.

Just one click, and you’ve got a ready-to-use palette to fuel your creativity. Perfect for designers, developers, and anyone who loves a good gradient.

Download for Google Chrome Here

10. Colour Contrast Checker

Powerful Chrome Extensions Image 1

This extension makes accessibility a breeze by checking color contrast against WCAG standards.

Whether you're tweaking your website's design or double-checking readability, it ensures your color combinations meet the mark. Compare HEX codes, pick colors straight from a webpage, and even save your favorites for later. It’s like having a watchdog for inclusive design right in your browser.

Download for Google Chrome Here

11. Window Resizer

Powerful Chrome Extensions Image 2

This is a wonderful extension that helps web designers and developers test layouts across different screen resolutions with ease.

Quickly resize your browser window to emulate various devices like phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops.

Download for Google Chrome Here

What Are Some Other Powerful Chrome Extensions?

We hope you found this info helpful.

We also want to hear from you, what other powerful Chrome extensions are out there we forgot?

Let us know in the comments below.

Showit is a drag and drop website platform with a free trial at Showit.com
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16800
Five Tips for Optimizing Your Showit Website for Search Engines https://showit.com/blogging-seo/five-tips-for-optimizing-your-showit-website-for-search-engines/ Tue, 29 Aug 2023 11:28:24 +0000 https://showit.com/?p=12408

8 Minutes

The post Five Tips for Optimizing Your Showit Website for Search Engines appeared first on Showit.]]>

Have you recently googled something? Maybe a recipe or to find the most recent celeb gossip? Most likely you have googled something about your business in the last week. Wait! Do you think someone has googled looking for YOUR business in the last week?? No doubt! The better question is, in all their search engine hustle, did they actually find you? If they haven't yet, they will after you put this SEO gold into action! With these five tips for optimizing your Showit website for search engines, you will have so many potential clients, you will wonder why you didn't hop on the SEO wagon sooner!

So, what does it take for people to find your website? Well, in many cases, you might have traffic that comes from your social media platforms or your email list. But one traffic source with high potential for sending quality commerce to your website is search engines—especially Google! Did you know Google facilitates billions of searches each day?

There is no Google Lottery you have to win to be placed at the top of the search engine's page. And it's no coincidence that certain websites get the best exposure via search engines! Those winning websites have worked hard on their online home's SEO. The small business owner behind that website strategically designed it to get a search engine’s attention. And guess what? You have a secret weapon – You have a Showit website! Now SEO is easy to master because your Showit site makes it simple to optimize. 

Here are the five steps you need

So let's dive into the five steps you need to take if you’re going to optimize your new Showit website for search engines.

No. 1 : Verify your Showit site for search engines with Google Search Console.

The first step you want to take is to do what’s known as verifying your site with Google Search Console. Essentially this means that you prove to Google that you own your website. This is important because you won’t be able to take such steps as viewing search analytics or submitting your sitemap (more on both of those steps in a little bit) unless you have demonstrated ownership of your virtual property to Google.

Showit makes this step easy for you by providing step-by-step instructions for several different domain providers. When you have a domain registered with hosts like GoDaddy and eNom, as well as a few others, you have the ability to register directly from the Search Console. If you don’t have that option through your host, you can add a DNS TXT record or a CNAME record, which will provide instructions.

Google actually provides a lot of data about how it “sees” your website. In the Google Search Console, you’ll find data around search performance, what pages have errors, and whether or not pages are mobile optimized. 

No. 2: Submit your sitemap to Google.

A sitemap is pretty much exactly what it sounds like—a map of your website. This provides a list of all the pages you have on your site It also shows how all of those pages are structured and linked together.

This sitemap is what gives Google the ability to access all the different parts of your site. For example, if you have a frequently updated blog, the sitemap uses to index all of those individual pages. A search would also use a sitemap if you have a recently transferred blog with archived posts from another domain.

The beauty of a Showit-designed website is that you get a sitemap of your pages automatically generated as soon as you go live with your site. You’re easily able to access your sitemap at yourdomain.com/siteinfo.xml and submit it to the Google Search Console and other search engines so they can access your site.

Have a WordPress blog with your Showit website? You’ll need to submit a second sitemap. Check out this article for more information on submitting sitemaps for your Showit website.

No. 3: Set up your Google Analytics to track your web traffic.

How do you know whether your website is receiving traffic, and what pages are receiving the most traffic? The easiest way is to track via Google Analytics, which gives you an idea of things like sales, lead generation, how many visitors viewed a specific page, how long they stayed on that page, who downloaded certain files, and on and on. This is such a valuable tool because it helps you understand your customers—you see what works and what doesn’t work.

While setting up Google Analytics doesn’t directly optimize your website for search engines, it helps you evaluate how things like your marketing, content, and products are doing so you can continue with what works and reevaluate what doesn’t. So if you are creating blog posts or landing pages that just aren’t attracting visitors (or aren’t holding their attention very long, or convincing them to make a purchase, etc.), you know you need to make some changes.

Showit makes it super easy to get started with Google Analytics! Just create an account, grab your tracking code, and paste it into the appropriate box in your Site Settings. For more detailed directions, check out this article on setting up Google Analytics on your Showit website. See? It's not as hard as you think to optimize your Showit site for search engines!

No. 4: Utilize all of Showit’s SEO Tools.

Showit has built-in SEO tools designed to help you optimize your website for search engines.

Optimize your page’s SEO Title and SEO Description:

When you create a page with Showit, there are straightforward fill-in-the-blank places where you can add an SEO title and description (also known as a meta-description). A page’s title and meta-description should contain the keywords your page is trying to target. Most importantly, this provides context about your page for website visitors, but it also indicates to search engines what your page is about.

Additionally, those titles and descriptions will be what show up on the Google search results page, so it’s important they clearly convey what content will be found on your site. Otherwise, users might not be as inclined to click on them. (Note: Google and other search engines might opt to show different text than what you specify as the meta-description).

Optimize the images on your website:

Similarly, whenever you load an image, you’re able to give the image an SEO title and description.

Adding an SEO description is the more important task, as it provides what’s known as alt-text. Alt-text not only provides context of what the image is about for those who are visually impaired, but it also helps search engines understand the image.

Beyond adding an SEO title, you’ll also want to make sure you optimize the image file size. Images that are too large can slow down the load speed of a page, making it more likely for a visitor to leave before the page is loaded. 

No. 5: Create high-quality content around targeted searches.

It doesn’t matter how much you’ve “optimized” your website if you haven’t created high-quality content that people are searching for. Optimizing your content should start with keyword research, which can be done with tools like SEMrush and Moz Keyword Explorer.

Keyword research can help you determine how many people are searching for a given keyword or phrase, related keywords, and who is currently ranking for those searches. All of this information can be helpful as you determine what kind of content to create.

What’s one of the best ways to create lots of high-quality content? With a blog! Showit makes blogging easy through WordPress, often considered the most powerful blogging platform available. Adding a WordPress blog to your site will let you create a greater amount of content related to your industry and your area of expertise, thus giving you more opportunities for search engines to find you.

You can optimize your Showit website for search engines

All it takes is a little bit of working with the Showit platform to really appreciate its power when it comes to creating stand-out websites with little to no frustration along the way. But no matter how impressive your finished website ends up being, it won’t reach its full potential unless the right people (i.e. your customers) can find it.

Remember, having a website optimized for search engines is a tricky game because it’s not perfectly clear how the algorithms of these search engines work. But by taking advantage of the resources Showit provides to create a website that’s easy to index and find, you’ll increase your chances of attracting (and, more importantly, converting) new customers from the moment you go live. For more specific information around optimizing your website for search engines, be sure to check out our help documentation.

If you are feeling pumped to optimize your Showit site, but realize you don't have one yet – let's fix that! Start your free 14 day trial TODAY!

Showit is a drag and drop website platform with a free trial at Showit.com
The post Five Tips for Optimizing Your Showit Website for Search Engines appeared first on Showit.]]>
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How Long Does It Take to See SEO Results on Your Showit Website? https://showit.com/blogging-seo/how-long-does-it-take-to-see-seo-results-on-your-showit-website/ Fri, 25 Aug 2023 04:41:06 +0000 https://showit.com/?p=15196

12 Minutes

The post How Long Does It Take to See SEO Results on Your Showit Website? appeared first on Showit.]]>

So, you wanna see your website pop up at the top of the results page when somebody searches on Google? Hey, who doesn’t?

While we wish we could say we had a quick fix for you, one that could bump up your standing on Google over the course of just a few days, optimizing your website for search engines is a practice that takes time. The good news is that most businesspeople who have done it will agree: the time and effort are well worth it!

What you need to do is take advantage of search engine optimization (SEO). With consistency, you can see your website start to work its way higher and higher on search results pages. 

How long it takes for SEO to work will depend on several factors, so let’s break it down and discuss how you can get the best results for your business.

Back Up: What Is SEO, Again?

Good question! SEO stands for search engine optimization, and it’s pretty much a necessity for every business website (and probably a few hobby websites too).

SEO sounds like the sort of thing that would be super technical and tough to understand. The idea behind it is actually pretty simple. 

Optimizing your website for search engines is exactly what it sounds like: making your website appealing to search engines like Google, so they’re more likely to put your site in front of users (that is, the people searching for info on Google).

You can do this in several ways, but the one we’re focusing on today is using keywords in your website content. 

Think about all the words that people are searching for on Google and other search engines. We call these keywords, even though often they are specific phrases combining more than one single word. You can use these keywords on your website, not only in body copy but also in headlines and subheads. This indicates to the search engines that you have relevant content these users are looking for.

Making effective use of keywords involves a few key steps — and it’s just one of the many factors that affect your ranking in search results. Dive deeper by reading “How to Master SEO for Showit Websites: The Ultimate Guide.”

Does SEO Really Matter for My Business?

The short answer here? Yes, of course! You want your website to get more visibility, and that’s what SEO is all about. SEO gets your business website a more prominent place in search results, which means it’s ultimately noticed by more people. More traffic to your website often leads to more conversions.

Of course, there are many factors that affect whether someone on the internet ultimately becomes a paying customer. SEO is still one of the best ways you can get your name out there more prominently and build brand awareness. There are two main reasons for this.

First, it helps build trust, as people will see your website as more credible than an obscure site constantly buried on page 10 of Google’s search results. 

Second, it’s also cost-effective, because unlike paid advertising, in which you spend money with Google for prime placement on its results page, SEO doesn’t require anything from you other than the time you spend researching keywords, creating content, and tracking your results. 

On that note…

How Should I Measure My SEO Results?

Once you’ve put the time and effort into optimizing your website for search engines (including regular content that makes smart use of keywords), you need to take the time to figure out what’s working and what’s not. You do this through metrics known as key performance indicators, which are usually called KPIs for short.

Best SEO Metrics to Track

Think of KPIs as a sort of score for the game of SEO. You want to do better on as many of these metrics as you can, because a combined higher score means your website gets more prominence with search engines. Some of the KPIs you want to track are:

·   Impressions: The number of people who actually saw your link

·   Clicks: How many people actually clicked on your link

·   Keyword ranking: How your website ranks with search engines for keywords related to your business

·   Conversions: How many of the people who clicked through to your site actually did what you wanted them to do (e.g., make a purchase or sign up for your newsletter)

·   Bounce rate: How many people left your website after looking at just one page

·   Pages per session: The number of pages people visited on your site before they ultimately left your site

·   Session duration: How much time people spend on your site

Best Tools to Track SEO

Here’s the hard part, though — you can’t track all these numbers on your own. You can’t tally the number of click-throughs to your site unless you’re using the right analytic software, of which you have a lot of options.

Here’s what you should know about some of the top picks:

·   Google Analytics: A free tool by Google that gives you insight into website performance, traffic, and conversions

·   Google Search Console: Another free tool from Google that lets you monitor how you appear in search results and gain data on search performance

·   SEMrush: A good option for researching keywords, as well as for auditing your website based on backlink analysis (how many outside websites are linking back to you) and competitive analysis (how you compare with similar businesses)

·   Ahrefs: Like SEMrush, another good option for backlink analysis and competitive analysis

·   Moz: A good tool for auditing your site, assessing your credibility standing (do search engines perceive you as credible?), and tracking how you rank in search results

·   Ubersuggest: A good tool for researching keywords that people are searching for, so you can use them in your web content

·   RankMath: A plug-in for WordPress that lets you analyze your content based on how it will be perceived by search engines

BONUS TIP: Grab a great template that ups your aesethic and boosts your SEO in the Marketplace.

What Kind of SEO Results Can I Realistically Expect?

You might be reading this and thinking, “SEO sounds like a lot of work! I need to research keywords, create content, and then analyze how everything performs… So, realistically speaking, how long does SEO take to work?”

Here’s the thing you need to keep in mind: You shouldn’t expect your SEO efforts to show results immediately, even if you’re doing everything right. Instead, you should be focused on consistency, so you can see good organic traffic over time. 

This is traffic you’re not paying for through advertising, so you don’t need to worry about it dissipating as soon as you stop running ads. Ultimately, your goal is to get better visibility that will lead to better brand awareness — and that will lead to more purchases!

How Long Does SEO Take to Work?

“Yes… but again, the important question: How long does SEO take to work?” 

It’s not overnight. A realistic answer might be four to six months. We know that might sound shocking (and even unappealing) to some business owners out there. After all, a whole six months? That’s half a year! As with all things that demand consistency over immediate gratification, better web traffic through SEO seems like the type of thing that will take forever.

Don’t lose sight of the reality that four to six months, in the grand scheme of things, really isn’t all that long — it will go by faster than you realize, and when it does, you’ll be glad that you started today instead of waiting.

That said, don’t assume that the second the calendar marks four months from the date you posted an article, your page views will suddenly skyrocket. SEO is far from an exact science, so your results could be gradual at best — or you could create a unicorn piece of content that gets thousands of hits almost immediately. It’s really hard to tell.

The one thing we can be sure of? Like cream, the content that’s best will rise to the top. So as long as you stay focused on providing value, your efforts will eventually pay off.

Why the Heck Does SEO Take So Long?!

Organic traffic builds slowly, especially when you compare it with paid traffic. Search engines prioritize websites with authority that can be perceived as trustworthy. This isn’t the kind of reputation you can establish in a short period of time.

The reason SEO takes so long to show results depends on several factors, including:

·   Crawling: This is when search engines send bots that “crawl” through your website and read its content so they can report back about the quality of your site. This process sometimes takes several weeks.

·   Indexing: This is when a search engine categorizes your website in its database as determined by what the bots reported back when crawling. This is something that has to be done before your website can be considered for searches.

·   Keyword competition: This refers to how many other websites are also trying to rank for the keywords you’re creating content for (and how authoritative their sites are). As your website consistently starts creating relevant content, search engines will start to perceive it as a more valuable resource and ultimately will be more likely to prioritize it.

How Can I Improve My SEO Results?

There’s no one-size-fits-all pathway toward improving your SEO results. Instead, it’s a combination of many factors — some of which might be easier for you than others, or might be a better fit for your business compared with your competition.

These are the four big factors you need to observe if you want to achieve the most success:

·   Research your keywords: Look for keywords that people are searching for, but remember that the most popular keywords with searchers will also be the keywords that most businesses are using (and therefore might be a little harder to rank for). Mix up popular keywords with more obscure ones for best results.

·   Focus on quality content: Don’t create content just for the sake of stuffing in as many keywords as you can. Instead, focus on quality content. Yes, keywords are important, but if your content is subpar, users will quickly take notice and won’t spend a lot of time on your website. They might even be less likely to come back. All of this can diminish your standing with search engines.

·   Fix the tech glitches: If you have a glitchy website, your visitors aren’t going to have a good experience. Search engines don’t want to send users to a site where they’ll have a bad experience. So, if you have problems with site speed or mobile-friendliness, your website won’t be considered optimized. Take care of as many tech aspects as you can, from the common ones we just described to the more obscure ones, like creating descriptive alt tags for images.

·   Build links within your site to other (credible) sites: Linking to other credible websites establishes that you are reliable and trustworthy. After all, you wouldn’t be linking to the website of a leader in your industry if you didn’t know your stuff, right? When you have plenty of links within your content that go to credible sites, it establishes you as credible by association, and this will boost you within a search engine’s ranking.

Is Showit Good for SEO?

Our goal at Showit is to make it easy for you to have the best website possible. We recognize that a big part of that is helping you optimize your site for searches, even if you’re not a techy person. After all, what’s the point of building a beautiful, efficient website if nobody sees it? 

That’s why we created Showit with all kinds of resources that make search optimization easy, from step-by-step directions on creating meta descriptions for your pages to tools that will prevent you from building a website that lags at a slow pace.

We also have plenty of resources helping you better understand SEO, so you can always strive to keep improving your site’s visibility. Be sure to check out our past blog posts like How to Write the Best Titles for SEO (And Your Audience) or Blogging for SEO: It’s Not as Scary as You Think!

Stay the Course — Your Showit SEO Results Are Worth It!

Above all, just remember the old adage: Good things come to those who wait. 

It’s certainly true in the case of SEO — this is a practice that requires some dedication and patience, but those who stick to it are the ones who make it to the top of the Google search page. When you take the time to research the right keywords, create the best content you can, and actually track your metrics so you can continue learning and improving everything you do, you’ll see real payoff with long-term growth and increased opportunities for your thriving business.

Want to create that dream SEO-friendly website of yours with Showit (you know, so you can see for yourself just how easy we make it)? Don’t forget that we have a free trial that gives you 14 days to experiment with all our tools, without ever even entering any credit card information. All you need is your email address, so go ahead — sign up and start creating your site today!

Showit is a drag and drop website platform with a free trial at Showit.com
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How to Easily Master SEO (Without Getting Too Techy) https://showit.com/blogging-seo/how-to-easily-master-seo-without-getting-too-techy/ Tue, 11 Jul 2023 02:51:00 +0000 https://showit.com/?p=14882

15 Minutes

The post How to Easily Master SEO (Without Getting Too Techy) appeared first on Showit.]]>

So, you want your people to be able to find you online? Perfect. We want to help you optimize your website make that happen. 

In order to get discovered organically—aka without spending a single dollar on paid advertising—you’ll first need to get acquainted with the concept of search engine optimization (or SEO). 

We know that once acronyms get involved, things start to feel a bit overwhelming, but we promise: this introduction, and all of our SEO tips, are going to be easy to understand AND easy to implement. 

What is search engine optimization?

SEO is the process of optimizing your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (or SERPs) for relevant keywords and phrases, to help your desired audience find you.

Simple, right? 

In order to optimize your website’s pages for search engines to recommend your content to its users, all you have to do is improve the quality and increase the quantity of it. 

So, let’s talk about exactly how you can do just that. 👇

Why should you bother caring about search engine optimization? 

First, though, we need to discuss WHY you should even care about SEO in the first place. 

The main benefit of SEO, of course, is getting yourself discovered. Prioritizing your content for search engine optimization is the best way to get your content in front of the right people. It’s a tool you never have to pay for, that never turns off.

‘Round the clock, day in and day out, your SEO efforts are working hard to show off your website’s pages to all of the people who are looking for exactly what you have to offer. 

There’s also no expiration date on your SEO efforts, either. You could strike gold with one strategically-written blog post or webpage, and bring in consistent traffic to your website for years to come. 

Another amazing benefit of optimizing your site for SEO—one that most people tend to forget about—is the credibility factor.

Think about the last time you searched for something. Which link did you click? 

We’re willing to bet it was probably the first or second link, and if not, it was definitely a link from the first search results page. 

Now, think about why that specific link was the one you chose to click, and how it impacted your impression of the brand whose website you landed on.

Of course you initially regarded that person as an extremely credible source. They’re on the top page of Google, so they must be trustworthy! 

Every searcher has the same subconscious thought—because we live in such a digital-forward time, we’re so used to making judgments about brands within a nanosecond of interacting with them, and whether or not those first impressions last, they’re what can make or break your website traffic. 

The higher you rank on Google, the better chance you have of the right person finding you, deciding you’re worthy enough, and clicking on you. 

And, finally, “SEO will always be here,” according to SEO expert Stepfanie McCaffrey. “It won’t up and disappear like MySpace and your Top 8. … SEO won’t go out of style like skinny jeans and side parts, thanks to all the cool kids on TikTok. SEO will always be here, and other platforms are embodying this, too.” 

It’s a very common misconception to think about SEO as something that’s only relevant to Google, when it’s actually relevant to your entire content strategy & digital marketing plan as a whole. 

Other platforms now prioritize searchable content, by structuring their algorithms like the search engines do, so getting comfortable with the concept of optimizing your content for search capabilities is a smart move if you’re hoping for your brand to become more visible online. 

Is SEO Worth It?

Considering that optimizing your website costs $0, has more lasting benefits than any other marketing tool, and gives you a reason to serve your audience and improve your credibility—yeah, it’s worth it. 

RELATED: How Google Searches For Content & What That Means For Your Showit Website

What are the SEO basics you need to know, even if you’re not an SEO pro?

Now that you know why search engine optimization matters so much, it’s time for a brief overview of the SEO must-knows & SEO tips. 

WEBPAGES

One of the most important things to note about SEO is that each individual page of your website has the opportunity to rank on Google—not your website as a whole. 

This is great news! This means that you have endless chances for your ideal clients and customers to find you, and endless opportunities to show up in that #1 SERP spot we’re all chasing for. 

KEYWORDS

And if you want to earn that #1 spot, you’ll need to know how to optimize your content for keywords. 

But first, you’ll need to learn how to conduct keyword research.

A keyword is a word that “describes the content on your page or post best. It’s the search term that you want to rank for with a certain page. So when people search for that keyword or phrase in Google or other search engines, they should find that page on your website.” (Yoast)

Side note, speaking of Yoast: we highly recommend them as a great WordPress plugin for Showit users looking to optimize SEO on their blog posts! The plugin is SO easy to use, and makes SEO feel a lot more manageable.

Want to learn how to conduct keyword research for your website? Here’s our simple guide to it!

PAGE LOAD SPEED

How fast your website loads is one of the many things Google considers super important in determining whether or not they’re going to recommend their site to its users, because no one likes to wait.

Because Google prioritizes “page experience”—a set of signals that measure how users perceive the experience of interacting with a web page beyond its pure information value—making sure your website provides a positive experience for readers is key.

Here’s what Google considers a ‘positive’ page experience:

RELATED: Google’s Core Web Vitals & How To Improve Your Showit Website

Ensuring your website is quick enough to please Google and your readers all depends on how much data has to be loaded before someone can browse the entirety of a given page. 

While lots of things can affect a web page’s load time—embed code, text content, animations, etc—the biggest factor is often your website’s images. Here are our best tips for optimizing your images to improve page load speed!

And while we’re on the subject of how images affect speed… 

OPTIMIZED IMAGES

The text content on your site isn’t the only thing search engines are interested in; images help your SEO a great deal, too. 

Search engines love anything that makes your website more accessible, more appealing, and more engaging—because it means people will spend more time on your site, therefore solidifying the fact that their recommendation to send a user there was worth it—and that’s exactly what images can do.

Image SEO can also “make your content easier to interpret by search engine crawlers, which can give it an SEO boost on both search engine results pages and image results pages to make your site more discoverable.” (Hubspot)

Display of how to use Showit Image SEO Optimization
Optimize your images for SEO by adding ALT text descriptions in Showit.

METADATA

Two of the most important elements of SEO to master are SEO titles, and meta descriptions. These two elements make up your metadata, which is a type of on-page SEO that provides more info about a given web page. 

Despite their techy-sounding names, they’re actually really easy to optimize, and really helpful for your readers when determining whether or not they want to click on something.

Your SEO title (or page title) tells your user and search engines the topic of a web page.

The meta description (or page description) describes the content of that page.

Here’s how those 2 elements of metadata show up when you Google Showit:

The blue text is our title tag—telling our readers (and the search engine!) what our brand is, and the gray text is our meta description (giving our readers more context, so they can determine whether or not they want to click on our homepage).

When writing your SEO title:

  • Use a primary keyword (ours was “website builder”)
  • Keep your length between 50-60 characters
  • Don’t use generic titles; remember that your goal is to make people want to click!
  • Use title case (and avoid writing in all caps)

And when writing your meta description:

  • Keep your length between 140-160 characters to avoid being cut off
  • Ensure the description is relevant to the title tag and the content of the page
  • Only use keywords if it makes sense and reads like you would naturally speak; there are going to be real people actually reading them – no keyword stuffing!

The most vital thing you need to know about writing your metadata is this: NEVER DUPLICATE. Your SEO titles and meta descriptions are used to describe a given page of your website, not to be a blanket statement reused over and over.

Every page of your website is different, so every title and description of those pages should be, too. (Duplicate metadata will be flagged as an SEO issue and negatively impact your rankings!)

HEADING TAGS

HTML—or hypertext markup language, aka text tags—are Google’s signal to determine the importance and significance of a specific element of text on your website.

HTML tags are separated into 6 categories, from Heading 1 all the way until Heading 6. 

“H1” headlines tell search engines “hey, this is a title, this is important!” — you’ll want to use this tag just once on each page, so search engines aren’t confused about which element of your site is the real title.  

(In a search engine’s mind, the title is the most important element of the page, because it tells the reader what it’s about. It’s how they categorize the page in their giant “filing cabinet” of Internet content.)

“H2” tags tell them “hey, this is a subheading, it’s less important than the H1 but still a big deal!”

The HTML headings decrease in importance (in the eyes of search engines) as the numbers go on. 

Bottom line: heading tags help search engines determine what is important on a page, and how they should categorize the content of a given page. 

Here’s how to adjust your HTML and text tags in Showit!

CONSISTENT WEBSITE UPDATES

There’s not much search engines love more than a website with fresh, relevant content. And there’s not much search engines dislike more than a website with stale, unhelpful content. 

Users and search engines alike want to know that your website is current and active, so they can determine whether or not your brand is trustworthy and worth investing in.

Updating your website on the regular—once a month is a good goal!—signals to search engines that you’re committed to providing your readers with the best possible experience, and that’s going to improve your chances of ranking higher on those SERPs.

Before you freak out, though, and start thinking “how in the world am I going to update my website copy once a month?!” – we’ve got good news: blog posts count.

We’re excited to tell you all about why blogging is so great for SEO and for building a relationship with your website’s readers in Part 8 of Showit’s Website Health Series, but for now, what you need to know is this:

Consistently updating your website by posting blogs gives search engines more pages to index (meaning more opportunities for your site to potentially rank #1!), and it gives you a chance to show off your expertise about your industry to your potential clients.

A win-win, if you ask us!

LINK BUILDING

Another techy-sounding-but-actually-easy element of search engine optimization to learn is link building. It’s an important part of having an SEO strategy that actually works, so you’ll want to take advantage!

Remember: search engines are all about making users’ lives easier, and recommending credible websites to the people who trust them to give good results. Links play a huge role in that. 

There are 3 types of links you’ll need to care about to build a solid link strategy for SEO: internal, external, and backlinks. 

Internal links (also known as inbound links) are links on your site that link to another page on your site. 

Example: when we linked to our blog about Google’s Core Web Vitals & How To Improve Your Showit Website earlier in this post, that was an internal link. It’s a link from one place on our website to another. 

External links (also known as outbound links) are links on your site that link to someone else’s website. 

Example: when we quoted a Hubspot article earlier in this post, and shared the source with you, that was an external link. It’s a link from our website, to Hubspot’s website. 

Having a healthy amount of internal and external links throughout your content both helps your user more easily navigate your site, and signals to search engines that you care about making your site more accessible for those users. 

Backlinks are links to your website from other websites on the Internet.

Example: when Tonic Site Shop published a blog post about how to launch your Showit website, and included links to Showit.co, that was a backlink from their website to ours. 

Think of backlinks like an element of social proof, made specifically for search engines to determine if you’re worth it. 

You know how when you scroll through someone’s website, you look for a testimonial from a past client of theirs to see if they’re credible? Or how you scroll through Amazon product reviews before buying, to make sure the item is as good as you’re hoping it will be?

That’s how search engines view backlinks. The more websites that link to yours, the more credible search engines will think you are. In the search engine’s eyes, it's proof of your legitimacy.

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

Although Google themselves have stated that word count doesn’t actually play a role in whether or not a page has the opportunity to rank, it DOES play a role in serving a specific audience.

Google’s John Meuller compares it to the differences in readers’ preferences: some people need a lot of information to understand something, while others only need the short-and-sweet explanation. 

“If you have the information that you need for indexing, making it so users and Googlebot understands what [the] page is about, [and] what you’re trying to achieve with it in a short version, then fine, keep the short version.” — John Meuller, Google

But that’s not necessarily permission to always keep things short. Instead, it’s permission to write what you know your audience needs to hear; to put your readers above the algorithm in priority.

So, how do you know how long each page of your website (or blog post!) should be?

However long it takes for you to appropriately share the right information with your readers, in order for them to get a complete understanding of what you’re trying to say. If you’re able to give them all of the necessary context and details about a topic in 500 words, perfect—but you might find that, in some cases, you need closer to 2,000 words to get the job done. 

Both options are acceptable, because Google is able to discern the fact that you’re sharing relevant content either way

Let us break it down for you:

Google wants Sally to continue using its platform to search for the things she’s looking for. It’s in Google’s best interest to always give Sally the right content, so she’s a happy user, who wants to come back for more.

All Google cares about is serving Sally.

So, when determining what’s relevant to show Sally in terms of search results, Google is going to make its best effort to show her the things that she will find relevant, no matter how long or short it is. 

Speaking of serving your audience…

Our #1 Best SEO Tip

When you’re writing content for your website, you’ll want to put your audience and yourself before the algorithm.

If everything you write feels authentic to you, and is engaging and relevant for your reader, you’ll automatically be serving the search engines, because the purpose they’re serving is making their searchers happy.

Thinking out of the box: how you can get discovered by the right people online

When it comes to optimizing your website and writing content for the purpose of helping your people find you online, the most important thing to consider is, of course:

What are they searching for?

When you stop focusing on how to get your brand’s name out there, and instead think about what your ideal clients and customers are already searching for and hoping to find—aka their search intent—you’ll notice that copywriting and content creation get a whole lot easier.

And it makes helping your people find you a whole lot easier, too. 

Here’s an example of how you can put the concept of search intent into practice to strategically invite your ideal clients to your website. 👇

For the sake of this example, let’s say you’re a website designer, hoping to attract new clients to book out your next quarter.

You know that there are a lot of decisions that need to be made when launching a new website, from which website builder to choose, to which design style best fits the vibe of a brand—and as a website designer, you definitely have experience not only designing websites with different aesthetics, but also designing websites for a lot of different types of business owners. .

And because you know that your ideal client is likely considering which website builder to book before looking for their website designer—aka you!—you can help them with their choice by creating content about what you already know they’re searching for: which website builder to choose.

How easy would it be for you to gather your top 5 best websites you’ve designed on Showit, write a few sentences about why the platform is so great for creatives, and then compile everything into a blog post with a nice, clear call to action about your design template customization services at the end?

Pretty easy, right?

There’s an extremely high chance your ideal clients are going to search for (and read!) a blog post that answers their burning questions, gives them much-needed inspiration, and helps them make a decision they’ve been struggling with—and that’s where you come in to save the day, show off your value & expertise, and make a great impression.

And from there, the obvious next step will be for them to explore your services, and book you! Whoot!

Ready to Learn More About SEO?

🔘 Write to Delight Readers and Seo with Showit Design Partner Gillian Sarah

🔘 Listen your way to great SEO with Showit Design Partners Grace and Gold

🔘 Watch SEO Expert, Ryan Moreno of Tonic Site Shop, longtime Show Design Partners, drop a huge amount of knowledge in this webinar…

Now that you know how to help people find your site, you’ll need to make sure they like what they see when they get there.

Head over to Part 5 of Showit’s Website Health Series to learn how to write the best website copy, so that when your ideal clients land on your website, you’ll actually be able to convert them into buyers!

Showit is a drag and drop website platform with a free trial at Showit.com
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