yoast’s small seo guide to optimize your website small seo-guide
TRANSCRIPT
Edited byMarieke van de Rakt
Yoast ’s small SEO guide to optimize your website
Colophon© 2016 YoastISBN/EAN 978-94-92320-11-7NUR 988Publisher: YoastAuthors: Michiel Heijmans, Marieke van de Rakt, Joost de Valk Editor: Sophie van den Boogaard, Marieke van de RaktDesign: Mijke PetersIllustrations: Erwin BrouwerEdition: 2
3
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
About this book 4
Chapter 2
The very basics of SEO 6
Chapter 3
Keyword Strategy 12
Chapter 4
Site structure 19
Chapter 5
Some technical SEO tips 24
Chapter 6
User experience best practices 28
Chapter 7
SEO content writing 41
Chapter 8
About Yoast 49
5
What to expect?
Th is b ook will cove r t h e m os t im p or t an t t op ics t h a t will h e lp you t o
op t im ize you r Wor d Pr es s s it e . We’ll t e ach you t h e bas ics of Sea r ch
En gin e Op t im iza t ion (SEO) an d exp la in t h e im p or t an ce of Us e r
Exp e r ien ce (UX). Als o , we will give t h e m os t im p or t an t in s igh t s on
im p r ovin g you r cop ywr it in g. Th e ch ap t e r s a r e wr it t en by ou r ve r y
own exp er t s in t h e Ľe ld of SEO, Naviga t ion , Con vers ion an d An alyt ics .
Learn More?
If you wou ld lik e t o r ead m or e abou t ce r t a in t op ics , you can r ead on e
of ou r o t h e r eBook s . We h ave wr it t en an eBook abou t SEO for
WordPres s an d on e abou t con t en t SEO. Ou r la t e s t r e leas e is an eBook
abou t u s e r exp e r ien ce an d con ve r s ion r a t e op t im iza t ion , an d we’r e
cu r r en t ly wor k in g on an eBook abou t s h op SEO.
You can a ls o fo llow on e of ou r n ew on lin e SEO cou r s e s . We cu r r en t ly
o ļ e r fou r cou r s e s : Bas ic SEO, Yoas t SEO for Wor d Pr es s , SEO Cop y-
wr it in g an d Keywor d r e s ea r ch . In t h e s e cou r s e s , we will t e ach you
h ow t o d o SEO in a s e t of vid eos , t ext s an d exe r cis e s .
Need advice?
If you wou ld lik e p r act ica l t ip s on h ow t o im p rove you r s it e s p eciĽ -
ca lly, you cou ld ord e r a Webs it e r eview. In ou r r eviews , we d o an
in - dep t h an a lys is of you r webs it e , ch eck in g m ore t h an 30 0 im p or t an t
SEO an d Us ab ilit y is s u es . Th e r e s u lt s is a clea r ove rview of a ll t h e
t h in gs you a r e d oin g wron g (an d of t h e t h in gs you a r e d oin g r igh t )
an d t ip s on h ow t o im p rove .
6
Chapter 2
The very basics of SEO
7
What does a search engine do?
Before you can s t a r t op t im izin g you r s it e , it is ve ry im p or t an t t h a t you
u n ders t an d wh a t s ea rch en gin es exact ly do. In t h is ch ap t e r , we exp la in
h ow search en gin es Ľn d you r s it e an d wh a t t h e bas ics of SEO are .
Search engine - terminology
In t h is b ook , we will o ft en wr it e ‘Google’ wh en we r e fe r t o a s ea r ch
en gin e . Of cou r s e , t h e r e a r e m an y o t h e r s ea r ch en gin es , lik e Bin g
an d Yah oo. Bu t s in ce Google p r e t t y m u ch d om in a t e s t h e s ea r ch
en gin e m ar k e t , we will on ly r e fe r t o Google in ou r t ext s .
What does Google do?
How does Google ȴ nd your site?
Sea r ch en gin es lik e Google fo llow lin k s . Th ey fo llow lin k s fr om on e
web p age t o an ot h e r web p age . A s ea r ch en gin e lik e Google con s is t s
of a cr awle r , an in d ex an d an a lgor it h m . A cr awle r fo llows t h e lin k s
on t h e web . It goes a r ou n d t h e in t e r n e t 24 / 7 an d s aves t h e HTML-
ve r s ion of a p age in a gigan t ic d a t abas e , ca lled t h e in d ex. Th is in d ex
is u p d a t ed if Google h a s com e a r ou n d you r webs it e an d fou n d a n ew
or r evis ed ve r s ion of it . Dep en d in g on t h e t r aĿ c on you r s it e an d t h e
am ou n t of ch an ges you m ak e on you r webs it e , Google com es a r ou n d
m or e or le s s oft en .
For Google t o k n ow of t h e e xis t e n ce of you r we b s it e , t h e r e Ľ r s t h a s
t o b e a lin k fr om a n o t h e r s it e in t h e in d e x - on e it a lr e a d y k n ows -
8
t o you r s it e . Followin g t h a t lin k will le ad t o t h e Ľ r s t cr awle r -
s e s s ion an d t h e Ľ r s t s ave in t h e in d ex.
Google’s secret algorithm
Aft e r in d exin g you r webs it e , Google can s h ow you r webs it e in t h e
s ea r ch r e s u lt s .
Google h a s a s p eciĽ c a lgor it h m t h a t d ecid es wh ich p ages a r e s h own
in wh ich or d e r . How t h is a lgor it h m wor k s is a s ecr e t . Nobod y k n ows
exact ly wh ich fact or s d ecid e t h e or d e r in g of t h e s ea r ch r e s u lt s .
Mor eove r , fact or s an d t h e ir im p or t an ce ch an ge ve r y oft en . Tes t in g
an d exp e r im en t in g gives u s a r e la t ive ly good fee l for t h e im p or t an t
fact or s an d t h e ch an ges in t h e s e fact or s .
Google’s results page
Google ’s r e s u lt s p a ge s h ows 7 or 10 lin k s t o s it e s wh ich Ľ t you r
s e a r ch t h e b e s t . We r e fe r t o t h e s e r e s u lt s a s t h e o r ga n ic s e a r ch
r e s u lt s . If you click t o t h e s e con d p a ge , m or e r e s u lt s a r e s h own .
Ab ove t h e s e 10 b lu e lin k s a r e t wo or t h r e e p a id lin k s , m os t o f t h e
t im e . Th e s e lin k s a r e a d s ; p e op le h ave p a id Google t o p u t t h e s e
lin k s a t t h e t op of t h e s it e wh e n p e op le s e a r ch for a s p e ciĽ c t e r m .
Pr ice s fo r t h e s e a d s va r y gr e a t ly, d e p e n d in g on t h e com p e t it ive n e s s
o f t h e s e a r ch t e r m . Sim ila r a d s cou ld a p p e a r on t h e r igh t o f
Google ’s s e a r ch r e s u lt p a ge s a s we ll.
9
The value of links for search engines
It ’s ve r y im p or t an t t o h ave a ba s ic u n d e r s t an d in g of h ow Google an d
m os t o t h e r s ea r ch en gin es u s e lin k s : t h ey u s e t h e n u m ber of lin k s
p oin t in g t o a p age t o d e t e r m in e h ow im p or t an t t h a t p age is . Bot h
in t e r n a l lin k s (fr om you r own web s it e ) a s we ll a s ext e r n a l lin k s
(fr om ot h e r web s it e s ) cou ld h e lp in t h e r an k in g of a web s it e in
Google . Som e lin k s a r e m or e im p or t an t t h an o t h e r s : lin k s fr om
web s it e s t h a t h ave a lo t of lin k s t h em s e lves a r e gen e r a lly m or e
im p or t an t t h an lin k s fr om s m a ll webs it e s wit h lit t le ext e r n a l lin k s .
Yoast Tip
There are di erent ways how links help you rank. Read about the
most important ways in our eBook SEO for WordPress.
Universal search
Next t o t h e or gan ic an d p a id r e s u lt s , Google a ls o em bed s n ews
it em s , p ict u r e s an d vid eos in it s s ea r ch r e s u lt s . Th is em bed m en t
is ca lled u n ive r s a l s ea r ch .
What is Search Engine Optimization?
High ranking in organic search results
Sea r ch En gin e Op t im iza t ion (SEO) is t h e p r ofe s s ion t h a t a t t em p t s t o
op t im ize s it e s t o m ak e t h em ap p ea r in a h igh p os it ion in t h e or gan ic
s ea r ch r e s u lt s . In ord e r t o d o s o , SEO t r ie s t o Ľ t a webs it e t o Google ’s
a lgor it h m . Alt h ou gh Google ’s a lgor it h m r e m a in s s e cr e t , a lm os t a
10
d ecad e of exp e r ien ce in SEO h as r e s u lt ed in a p r e t t y good id ea abou t
t h e im p or t an t fact or s . In ou r view, t h e fact or s in Google ’s a lgor it h m
can be d ivid ed in t o t wo ca t egor ie s :
1 Th e r e a r e on - pa ge fact or s wh ich d ecid e t h e r an k in g of you r
webs it e . Th es e fact or s in clu d e t ech n ica l is s u es (e .g. t h e qu a lit y
of you r cod e ) an d m or e t ext u a l is s u es (e .g. s t r u ct u r e of you r s it e
an d t ext , u s e of wor d s ). Th e t ext u a l is s u es will r e ce ive in d ep t h
a t t en t ion in t h is book . For m or e in for m a t ion abou t t e ch n ica l
is s u es , ch eck ou t ou r b logs abou t (t e ch n ica l) SEO.
2 Th e r e a r e t h e off- pa ge fact or s . Th es e fact or s in clu d e t h e lin k s t o
you r s it e . Th e m or e o t h e r (r e levan t ) s it e s lin k t o you r webs it e ,
t h e h igh e r you r r an k in g in Google will be . We will n o t go in t o
off- pa ge fact or s in t h is b ook .
Yoast Tip
Need help with Search Engine Optimization on your WordPress site?
Use our Yoast SEO Premium plugin! Most of the technical aspects of
SEO you should do are also covered by our free Yoast SEO plugin.
Installing this plugin and using the default settings already improves
quite a lot. It even ȴ xes some minor issues WordPress has. Our Yoast
SEO plugin also helps in writing SEO-friendly content. Our advice is to
download and install either the free or the premium Yoast SEO plugin
on your website. In the premium plugin extra functionality is added
and customers of this premium plugin can ask our team for support.
11
Make an awesome website!
At Yoas t , we give SEO ad vice
t o (s m a ll) web s it e own er s
an d la r ge con s u lt an cy clien t s
(t h e Gu a r d ian , Facebook ). Joos t
d e Va lk began h is ca r ee r in SEO
ove r 10 yea r s ago . An d a lt h ou gh
Google h a s ch an ged it s a lgor it h m
qu it e a few t im es , m os t of t h e ad vice we give a t Yoas t h a s r em a in ed
t h e s am e ove r t h e yea r s . An d t h is ad vice is ve r y s im p le : you ju s t
h ave t o m ak e s u r e you r s it e is ve ry good . Do n ot u s e an y ‘t r ick s ’,
becau s e t h ey u s u a lly don ’t work in t h e lon g ru n , an d m igh t even
backĽ r e . Google ’s m is s ion is t o bu ild t h e p e r fect s ea rch en gin e t h a t
h e lp s p eop le Ľn d wh a t t h ey a r e look in g for . Mak in g you r webs it e
an d you r m ark e t in g s t r a t egy Ľ t t h is goa l is a lwa ys t h e wa y t o go . You
ca n r e a d m or e ab ou t m a k in g an d m a in t a in in g a gr ea t web s it e in ou r
eBook SEO for Wor d Pr es s . You can lea r n m or e abou t op t im izin g you r
con t en t in ou r eBook Con t en t SEO.
Phot
o: p
unkm
edia
.nl
12
Chapter 3
Keyword Strategy
13
What’s keyword research?
Keywor d resea rch can be d eĽn ed a s t h e act ivit y you u n d e r t ak e in
or d e r t o com e u p wit h an ext en s ive lis t o f k eywor d s you wou ld lik e
t o r an k for . Keywor d stra tegy can be d eĽn ed a s a ll t h e d ecis ion s you
m ak e on t h e bas e of t h a t k eywor d r e s ea r ch .
Ke ywor d r e s e a r ch is t h e b a s is o f a ll s e a r ch m a r k e t in g. It s t a r t s
w it h e xp la in in g wh a t you d o in t h e la n gu a ge you r a u d ie n ce u s e s .
Ke ywor d r e s e a r ch fu r t h e r m or e h e lp s you t o d is cove r wh a t you
s h ou ld b e r a n k in g fo r , o r a im in g t o r a n k fo r .
Why is keyword research important?
Pr op e r k e ywor d r e s e a r ch w ill m a k e cle a r wh a t s e a r ch t e r m s a r e
u s e d b y you r a u d ie n ce . An d t h is is o f gr e a t im p or t a n ce . At Yoa s t ,
we r e gu la r ly e n cou n t e r clie n t s t h a t h ave a s p e ciĽ c s e t o f wor d s
t h e y u s e wh e n r e fe r e n cin g t h e ir p r od u ct s , wh ile t h e ir u s e r s u s e
a com p le t e ly d iļ e r e n t s e t o f wor d s . Op t im izin g fo r wor d s t h a t
p e op le d on ’t u s e o f cou r s e d oe s n ’t m a k e a n y s e n s e . Do in g good
k e ywor d r e s e a r ch m a k e s s u r e t h a t you u s e t h e wor d s you r t a r ge t
a u d ie n ce u s e s , a n d t h e r e fo r e m a k e s t h e wh o le e ļ or t o f op t im izin g
you r we b s it e wor t h wh ile .
Keywords and keyphrases
We t en d t o u s e t h e wor d k eywor d a ll t h e t im e , bu t we
d on ’t n eces s a r ily m ean it ’s on ly on e wor d . ‘WordPress SEO’
14
is a k eywor d , a s is ‘Google An a lytics plugin ’. You can
t h u s h ave k eywor d s con t a in in g m u lt ip le wor d s !
We will r e fe r t o t h e s e k eyp h r a s e s a s k eywor d s
t h r ou gh ou t t h is ch ap t e r .
Yoast Tip
In our eBook Content SEO, we take you through the process of
executing your own keyword research step by step, provide concrete
examples of keyword research and introduce handy tools you can
use! You can also enroll in our Keyword research training courses to
learn more about keyword research.
To consider: make sure keywords ȴ t your site
Be a wa r e t h a t you s h ou ld b e fou n d for t e r m s t h a t Ľ t you r s it e . If we
ge t cr a zy a n d d o ou r ve r y b e s t t o le t yoas t .com r a n k for b a lle t s h oe s ,
p eop le wou ld b e r a t h e r d is a p p oin t e d t o Ľn d ou r s it e . Th ey will
p r ob ab ly in s t a n t ly go b ack t o Google . Ran k in g on b a lle t s h oes will,
in ou r ca s e , le a d t o a m a s s ive b ou n ce r a t e . An d a h igh b ou n ce r a t e
t e lls Google t h a t p eop le d o n ot Ľn d wh a t t h e y a r e look in g for b a s e d
on t h a t s e a r ch t e r m . Th is will in e vit a b ly le ad t o a lower r an k in g on
b a lle t s h oes for ou r s it e (a n d t o t a lly ju s t iĽ e d , we k n ow n ot h in g
a b ou t b a lle t o r a b ou t s h oe s for t h a t m a t t e r ).
15
Repeat keyword research regularly!
Keywor d r e s ea r ch is an act ivit y you u n d e r t ak e eve r y n ow an d t h en .
If you h ave a clea r d eĽn it ion abou t t h e p r od u ct or s e r vice you wan t
t o ‘s e ll’ wit h you r webs it e , you s h ou ld be ab le t o com e u p wit h
k eywor d s , r e la t ed k eywor d s en even m or e r e la t ed k eywor d s t o
m ak e you r awes om e webs it e (m or e ) Ľn d ab le . As you r p r od u ct an d
t h e m ar k e t will evolve , you r k eywor d s t r a t egy s h ou ld d o t h e s am e .
Yoast Tip
Keyword research is the basis of all search marketing. Read more
about that in this post!
Resemble the vocabulary of your audience
Th e k eywor d s you wan t t o focu s you r SEO on , s h ou ld clos e ly
r e s em b le t h e vocabu la r y of you r au d ien ce . In or d e r t o com e u p wit h
t h e p r op e r k eywor d s you r ea lly h ave t o ge t in s id e t h e h ead s of t h e
p eop le wh o s ea r ch for you r webs it e . Wh a t t e r m s will p eop le u s e?
How d o p eop le s ea r ch ? Wh ich qu es t ion d oes you r webs it e an s wer ?
You s h ou ld cr ea t e a lis t o f a ll s ea r ch t e r m s p eop le cou ld u s e an d
t h in k of com b in a t ion s an d n u an ces wit h in t h e s e s ea r ch t e r m s .
16
Keyword research tools to use
Mak in g a lis t r em a in s h a r d . An d u p u n t il a few yea r s ago , d oin g
you r k eywor d r e s ea r ch was m u ch ea s ie r . You cou ld s im p ly ch eck
Google An a lyt ics t o s ee on wh ich t e r m s p eop le fou n d you r webs it e .
Th a t is n o lon ge r p os s ib le . So you ’r e p r e t t y m u ch le ft in t h e d a r k
ab ou t t h e t e r m s p eop le u s e in s ea r ch en gin es t o en d u p a t you r
web s it e . Lu ck ily, t h e r e a r e s om e o t h e r t ools wh ich can m ak e you r
k eywor d r e s ea r ch a b it e a s ie r :
Google Adwords Keyword Planner
Us e t h e Google Ad wor d s Keywor d Plan n e r t o Ľn d n ew an d r e la t ed
keywords , bu t ign ore t h e s ea rch volu m e da t a ! Th e s ea rch volu m e da t a
in t h e p lan n e r is r ea lly on ly u s e fu l for k eywor d s t h a t you ’r e act u a lly
s p en d in g m on ey t o ad ve r t is e on . Ot h e r wis e , t h e s e volu m es a r e n ot
r e liab le . Wh ile n ot r ea lly h e lp fu l t o d ecid e wh ich k eywor d is m os t
u s ed by you r p ot en t ia l au d ien ce , Google Ad wor d s Keywor d Plan n e r
m ak es a u s e fu l t oo l in com in g u p wit h id eas for p ot en t ia l k eywor d s !
Yoast Suggests
Joos t d eve lop ed h is own k eywor d r e s ea r ch t ool t o com e u p
wit h k eywor d s a s we ll! Yoas t Su gges t s u s e s t h e Google Su gges t
fu n ct ion a lit y you k n ow fr om s ea r ch in g in Google . It Ľn d s t h e
k eywor d exp an s ion s Google gives an d t h en r equ es t s m or e of
t h em . So if you t yp e ‘exa m ple’, it ’ll a ls o give you t h e exp an s ion s
for ‘exa m ple a …’ t ill ‘exa m ple z…’ e t c. Ju s t go on an d t r y it an d Ľ ll
ou t s om e of you r p ot en t ia l k eywor d s . It ’s a gr ea t way t o qu ick ly
Ľn d m or e lon g t a il k eywor d s you can focu s on .
17
Google Trends
Google Tren d s a llows you t o com p are t h e t r aĿ c for s e t s of k eyword s .
You can even s ee t h e d iļ e ren ce for n u m erou s geograp h ica l r egion s .
It ’s ve r y im p or t an t t o ch eck Google Tr en d s if you exp ect t h a t s om e
of you r k eywor d s a r e s ea s on a l, for in s t an ce d u e t o r egu la t ion s ,
h o lid ay s ea s on s e t c.
Figure 1: compare traɝ c for sets of keywords in Google Trends
Your internal search engine
Wh at a r e p eop le look in g for on you r s it e ? Th es e t e r m s a r e k eywor d s
in t h e vocabu la r y of you r act u a l au d ien ce an d s h ou ld d eĽn it e ly be
ad d ed t o you r k eywor d lis t . Do n ot for ge t t o look a t t h e k eywor d s
p eop le Ľ lled in t h a t d id n ’t ge t an y r e s u lt s : t h is was s t u ļ p eop le
we r e exp ect in g bu t d id n ’t Ľn d . You can look in t o t h e r e s u lt s of you r
in t e r n a l s ea r ch en gin e wit h Mon s t e r In s igh t s Pr o .
18
Conclusion
Th es e k eywor d r e s ea r ch t ools s h ou ld m ak e it e a s ie r t o cr ea t e a lis t
o f r e levan t s ea r ch t e r m s . You s h ou ld m ak e s u r e t o cr ea t e awes om e
lan d in g p ages for k eywor d s you wan t t o be fou n d on . You s h ou ld
a ls o t h in k abou t cor n e r s t on e con t en t a r t icle s an d a gr ea t in t e r n a l
lin k in g s t r u ct u r e in or d e r t o m ak e you r SEO s t r a t egy com p le t e .
In t h e n ext ch ap t e r we ’ll t e ll you m or e ab ou t s it e s t r u ct u r e .
19
Chapter 4
Site structure
20
About this chapter
In t h is ch ap t e r we will give ad vice on h ow t o s e t u p or im p r ove
t h e s t r u ct u r e of you r s it e . We will exp la in wh y it is im p or t an t t o
s t r u ct u r e you r webs it e wis e ly. Su bs equ en t ly, we will s h ow you
h ow t o s e t u p an id ea l s it e s t r u ct u r e . An d , we will p r ovid e t ip s on
h ow t o (qu ick ly) im p r ove t h e s t r u ct u r e of you r s it e wit h ou t t o t a lly
d is r u p t in g t h e cor e of you r webs it e . Wan t p r act ica l t ip s ap p lied
t o you r webs it e? Ou r Sit e r eview- t eam can h e lp you op t im ize you r
web s it e even fu r t h e r !
Why is site structure important?
In t h e p r eviou s ch ap t e r of t h is book , we exp la in ed a ll abou t k eyword
r e s ea rch . For a lo t of p eop le wh o wan t t o im p rove t h e ir r an k in gs , it
m ak es s en s e t o t h in k abou t k eywords . Bu t wh a t does t h e s t ru ct u re
of you r webs it e h ave t o do wit h you r r an k in g in Google? For m an y
p eop le , t h is r em a in s u n clea r . In t h is ch ap t e r , we will t h e r e fore t r y
t o exp la in t h e im p or t an ce of h avin g a good s it e s t ru ct u re . We will
exp la in wh a t an idea l s it e s t ru ct u re look s lik e an d h ow you can
im p rove u p on you r own s it e s t ru ct u re . For h an ds - on t ip s abou t op t i-
m izin g you r s t ru ct u re (lik e u p da t in g you r in t e rn a l lin k s t ru ct u re an d
eva lu a t in g you r s ect ion s ), r ead ch ap t e r 9 of ou r eBook Con t en t SEO!
Yoast Tip
A good structure is well categorized, and pages within it only link to
other pages on the same topic. We explain it all in his post Intelligent
site structure for better SEO.
21
Two reasons why site structure is important
In ou r op in ion , t h e r e a r e t wo m a in r ea s on s wh y s it e s t r u ct u r e
is an im p or t an t r an k in g fact or :
1 A decent structure makes sure Google ‘understands’ your site
Th e way you r s it e is s t r u ct u r ed will give Google im p or t an t clu e s
ab ou t wh e r e t o Ľn d t h e m os t im p or t an t con t en t . You r s it e ’s
s t r u ct u r e d e t e r m in es wh e t h e r a s ea r ch en gin e u n d e r s t an d s wh a t
you r s it e is abou t , an d h ow eas ily it will Ľn d an d in d ex con t en t
r e levan t t o you r s it e ’s p u r p os e an d in t en t . A good s it e s t r u ct u r e
cou ld t h u s le ad t o a h igh e r r an k in g in Google .
By cr ea t in g a good s t r u ct u r e , you can u s e t h e con t en t you ’ve wr it t en
t h a t h a s a t t r act ed lin k s fr om ot h e r s t o h e lp o t h e r p ages t o r an k a s
we ll. You r s it e ’s s t r u ct u r e can h e lp s p r ead s om e of t h a t lin k ju ice
t o t h e o t h e r p ages on you r s it e . On a com m er cia l s it e , t h a t m ean s
t h a t you can u s e t h e qu a lit y con t en t you ’ve wr it t en t o boos t t h e
s ea r ch en gin e r an k in gs of you r s a le s p ages t oo .
2 A decent structure makes sure you do not compete with your own content
On you r we b s it e o r we b log, you will p r ob a b ly wr it e m u lt ip le a r t icle s
a b ou t s im ila r t op ics . At Yoa s t , we wr it e a lo t a b ou t SEO. If we wou ld
wr it e e igh t d iļ e r e n t a r t icle s a b ou t SEO, Google wou ld n o t k n ow
wh ich of t h e a r t icle s is t h e m os t im p or t a n t on e . If we d id n ’t s o lve
t h is wit h ou r s it e s t r u ct u r e , we ’d b e com p e t in g wit h ou r own a r t icle s
22
fo r a h igh r a n k in g in Google . So lvin g t h is p r ob le m wit h a good
in t e r n a l lin k in g s t r u ct u r e will t h u s r e s u lt in h igh e r r a n k in gs .
Yoast Tip
Clean up your site once in a while! Read this post on how to clean up
your site structure.
The ideal site structure
In t h eory, you s h ou ld bu ild you r s it e a s a p yram id . On t op of t h e
p yram id is you r h om ep age an d u n d e r t h e h om ep age a r e a n u m b er of
ot h e r p ages (ca t egor ies ). Th ese p ages in t u rn r e fe r t o even m ore p ages .
Figure 2: the structure of your website should look like a pyramid
Focus keyword and site structure
Us in g t h e Yoas t SEO p lu gin a llows you t o ch oos e a focu s k e ywor d
a n d t o op t im ize you r p os t u s in g t h e fe a t u r e s o f t h e Con t e n t An a lys is
t oo l. Som e p e op le s e e m t o t h in k t h a t e ve r y p os t s h ou ld focu s on
23
t h e s a m e k e ywor d . Th is is n o t t h e ca s e . In fa ct , e ve r y p os t s h ou ld
h ave a differen t focu s k e ywor d . Su b s e qu e n t ly, p os t s a b ou t s im ila r
t op ics s h ou ld b e lin k e d t o e a ch o t h e r .
Keyword strategy and site structure
You r k eywor d s t r a t egy an d t h e way you s t r u ct u r e you r s it e s h ou ld
be r e la t ed . In a p r op e r k eywor d s t r a t egy, you wou ld h ave t h ou gh t
ab ou t com m on , com p e t it ive k eywor d s a s we ll a s m or e lon g t a il
n ich e s ea r ch t e r m s .
A s im ila r d ich ot om y sh ou ld be m ade in you r s it e s t ru ct u re . Pages
focu s in g on m ore com m on s ea rch t e rm s sh ou ld ap p ear h igh in you r
p yram id , wh ile p ages op t im ized for m ore lon g t a il keywords sh ou ld
ap p ear in a lower p a r t of you r s it e s t ru ct u re . Th ese lon g t a il p ages a t
t h e bot t om of t h e p yram id s h ou ld t h en be lin ked cor rect ly t o t h e
p ages h igh er in t h e p yram id . Read t h is p os t t o lea rn m ore abou t lon g
t a il keywords .
Figure 3: long tail pages should be at the bottom of the pyramid
24
Chapter 5
Some technical SEO tips
25
About this chapter
In t h e p r e viou s ch a p t e r s , we h ave give n in for m a t ion a b ou t k e ywor d
r e s ea r ch an d s it e s t r u ct u r e . Th e n ext s t ep is m ak in g s u re t h a t Google
ca n in d e x you r we b s it e p r op e r ly a n d r a n k you r s it e wh e n p e op le u s e
t h e s e s e a r ch t e r m s . In t h is ch a p t e r , we will give t h e ve r y b a s ics o f
t h e t e ch n ica l a s p e ct s o f SEO. On yoa s t .com , you ca n Ľn d n u m er ou s
a r t icle s wh ich d ive m u ch d e e p e r in t o t e ch n ica l SEO.
Yoast Tip
If the technical stu just isn’t your cup of tea, we can also check all
technical aspects of SEO for you in a Website review.
Check your crawlability
A con d it ion for you r we b s it e t o r a n k in Google is t h a t Google ca n
cr a wl t h r ou gh you r s it e . No cr awlin g, m e an s n o s avin g of you r s it e
in t h e in d e x an d t h u s n o r a n k in g. A qu ick wa y of ch eck in g wh e t h e r
a p a ge on you r s it e ca n b e s p id e r e d is b y d oin g a Qu ix SEO ch eck .
Sim p ly go t o t h e Qu ix SEO ch eck p age , en t e r t h e URL an d ch eck
t h e r e s u lt s . If it ’s n o t gr e e n , you ’ve got s t u ļ t o Ľx!
Wrong canonical
If you h ave t wo p a ge s h o ld in g t h e s a m e con t e n t , t h a t ’s p r ob le m a t ic
fo r you r r a n k in gs . To Ľx t h is p r ob le m , Google in t r od u ce d t h e
ca n on ica l lin k . Ma t t Cu t t s e xp la in s t h is in t h is vid eo . Th e b a s ics
a r e t h a t a ca n on ica l lin k is u s e d t o in d ica t e t o Google wh ich p a ge
you wou ld lik e Google t o d is p la y in t h e s e a r ch r e s u lt s .
26
A can on ica l lin k sh ou ld t h u s be u sed wh en t wo p ages h ave t h e sam e
con t en t . For in s t an ce , if you h ave t wo URLs t h a t h ave t h e sam e (or
95% t h e sam e) con t en t , it wou ld be ben eĽcia l t o u se a can on ica l lin k
from t h e du p lica t e p age t o t h e m ain p age (you can do t h is wit h t h e
Yoas t SEO p lu gin ). If you don ’t kn ow wh ich on e is t h e ‘can on ica l’ on e :
p ick on e . Not doin g an yt h in g is m ore h u r t fu l t h an ju s t p ick in g on e .
Th e p r ob lem com es wh en you ’r e s e t t in g t h e can on ica l wr on g. Th is
cou ld occu r for in s t an ce by in s e r t in g a lin k t o a 40 4 p age or s im p ly a
n on - exis t in g URL in t h a t can on ica l lin k . Als o , if you r can on ica l lin k
r e fe r s t o a p age wh ich is a ct u a lly ve r y d iļ e r en t fr om t h e or igin a l
p age , Google will ge t con fu s ed an d you r r an k in g m ay r ed u ce a s we ll.
So m ak e s u r e you u s e t h e cor r ect can on ica l lin k s . It ’s a p ower fu l
t oo l, u s e it wis e ly.
Breadcrumbs
Br e ad cr u m b s s h ow t h e p a t h p eop le t ak e wh e n t h ey click t h r ou gh
you r s it e . Th ey a r e oft e n vis u a lis ed on t h e t op of a p a ge s o vis it o r s
ca n s ee h ow t h e y n aviga t ed . A b r e ad cr u m b s p a t h cou ld b e Hom e »
Clothes » Dresses. Us in g b readcru m bs will a llow Google t o eas ily grasp
t h e s t ru ct u re of you r s it e an d t h is cou ld we ll r esu lt in h igh er r an k in g.
Yoast Tip
Breadcrumbs provide a way for the user to easily navigate up and
down your site. Our Yoast SEO plugin makes this even easier!
27
Tools to check your site speed
In ou r Web s it e r eviews , we a lways ch eck t h e s p eed of a webs it e .
Obviou s ly, s it e s p eed is d iļ e r en t wh en ch eck in g it fr om d iļ e r en t
loca t ion s . Ju s t on e r ea s on wh y s p eed t ools d o n ot a lways p r ovid e
t h e s am e r e s u lt s . Th a t is wh y we u s e a ll t h e s e t ools in ou r s it e
r eviews (an d d o n ot r e ly on ju s t on e ):
• Google PageSp eed In s igh t s
• Pin gd om Tools
• Ys low
• WebPageTes t
Google Pa ge Speed In sigh ts s p lit s m ob ile an d d es k t op , Pin gdom Tools
a llows for m u lt ip le loca t ion s an d Yslow h as s egm en t ed t h e ch eck s
n ice ly. WebPa geTest h a s a few m a in ch eck s it gr ad es n ice ly. We
wou ld r ecom m en d t o u s e a ll o f t h e s e t ools t o ch eck you r s it e s p eed .
Com bin ed t h ey give t h e m os t com p le t e ove r view of t h e s p eed of
you r webs it e .
If you wan t t o t e s t you r s it e s p eed , you can Ľ ll ou t t h e u r l of you r
web s it e in t h e s e t e s t s . Th ey r eview t h e s p eed of t h is s it e an d give a
lis t o f op t ion s on h ow t o im p r ove u p on you r s it e s p eed . Bot h Google
an d YSlow h ave r eas on ab ly good , t h ou gh s ligh t ly t ech y, exp lan a t ion s
on t h e va r iou s a s p ect s t h a t you can im p r ove . Th e o t h e r t ools s h ow
s om ewh a t le s s exp lan a t ion an d a r e a b it h a r d e r t o in t e r p r e t .
29
The user comes ȴ rst
Wh en op t im izin g you r webs it e for s earch en gin es , p eop le oft en forge t
t h a t even for Google , t h e u s e r com es Ľ r s t . If a u s e r or vis it or can ’t
Ľn d wh a t h e or s h e is look in g for , t h ey will h it t h e ‘Back ’ bu t t on
(b ou n ce ) t o go back t o Google an d p ick on e of t h e o t h e r r e s u lt s . If
t h is h ap p en s m or e t h an on ce , Google will va lu e (r ead : r an k ) you r
web s it e le s s for t h e k eywor d u s ed t o Ľn d you r webs it e . For t h a t
ve r y r ea s on , you wan t you r webs it e t o be t h e bes t u s ab le webs it e
p os s ib le . To ach ieve t h is , you can u s e a n u m ber of be s t p r act ice s ,
wh ich we will cla r ify in t h is ch ap t e r . Ou r t e am of exp e r t s r eviews
h u n d r ed s of webs it e s a yea r . If you wou ld lik e an exp e r t r eview on
t h e Us e r eXp e r ien ce (UX) of you r webs it e , you a r e we lcom e t o or d e r
a Webs it e r eview.
Clarity
Wh en a vis it or Ľn ds you r h om ep age for t h e Ľ r s t t im e , it s h ou ld
be im m ed ia t e ly clea r wh a t you r webs it e is abou t , an d wh a t you r
p rodu ct s an d / or se rvices can do for t h e vis it or . If p oss ib le , you even
wan t t o com m u n ica t e your va lu es an d s t an dards so t h e vis it or can
im m edia t e ly bon d wit h your com p an y.
If you wan t you r vis it or t o im m ed ia t e ly bon d wit h you r com p an y,
you s h ou ld h ave a k ille r h om ep age or a k ille r lan d in g p age . Th e
m a in d iļ e r en ce be t ween t h e t wo is t h a t a lan d in g p age is d e s ign ed
t o con ver t t h e vis it or in t o a cu s t om er on tha t pa ge, wh ere a h om ep age
is m u ch m or e lik e a wa r m we lcom e an d a gu id e t o d iļ e r en t p a r t s of
you r webs it e .
30
Bot h a lan d in g p age a s we ll a s a h om ep age s h ou ld in clu d e a clea r
in t r od u ct ion . In t h a t in t r od u ct or y con t en t , you will exp la in wh a t
you r bu s in es s is abou t , an d wh a t you can d o for t h e vis it or s . Us e
laym an ’s lan gu age . Th is is r ea lly im p or t an t . Le t m e u s e ou r bu s in es s
a s an exam p le . Ou r p it fa ll is , s in ce we a r e s e llin g s oft wa r e p r od u ct s
(p lu gin s ), we t en d t o go in t o t e ch n ica l d e t a ils t oo qu ick ly. In s t ead
of focu s in g on a ll t h e b r illian t t e ch n ica l s t u ļ t h a t ’s in ou r p lu gin s ,
we n eed t o exp la in h ow t h e p lu gin s will m ak e t h e bu s in es s of ou r
cu s t om er be t t e r , e a s ie r or m or e p r oĽ t ab le . ‘Us e r Ľ r s t ’ is a p op u la r
s ayin g, an d in ca s e of t h e in t r od u ct ion , t h is is ve r y t r u e .
Som e we b s it e h ave a n im m e d ia t e focu s on p r od u ct im a ge s in s t e a d .
Wh ile we s t r on gly ad vis e aga in s t u s in g a s lid e r , a lo t o f we b s it e s s t ill
u s e t h e s e . Th a t d oe s n ’t m e a n t h a t you ca n ’t a d d t h a t in t r od u ct ion !
If you wou ld wr it e a n a we s om e t a glin e o r s loga n , a n d a d d t h a t in
t h e h e a d e r o f you r we b s it e r igh t a b ove t h a t s lid e r , you cou ld a lr e a d y
t r igge r p e op le t o d ig a b it d e e p e r in you r we b s it e .
Content focused design
Con t en t is k in g, r igh t ? Th a t a ls o goes for t h e con t en t p lacem en t
in you r d e s ign . If you r s id eba r s cr eam s ‘Sa le!’ or ‘Subscribe!’ or is
cr am m ed wit h ban n e r s , ch an ces a r e t h e u s e r is d is t r act ed b y t h e s e
e lem en t s in s t ead of be in g ab le t o focu s on t h e m a in p a r t of t h a t
p age : t h e con t en t .
31
Figure 4: focus on your content
Un for t u n a t e ly, you can ’t con t r o l con t en t p lacem en t wit h in you r
bu s in es s m od e l a ll of th e tim e. Som e web s it e s s im p ly ‘n eed ’ t h a t
focu s on t h e s e ban n e r s , a s t h e s e ban n e r s a r e t h e ir m a in s ou r ce of
in com e . Th e d ilem m a in t h is is t h a t m or e focu s on t h e con t en t will
p r obab ly give you m or e vis it or s , wh ich equ a ls m or e ban n e r r even u e .
Bu t on e can on ly a s s u m e t h a t . You wou ld h ave t o t e s t t h a t s om eh ow.
As t h e e ļ ect s of con t en t focu s ed d es ign will on ly becom e vis ib le
a ft e r a ce r t a in p e r iod of t im e , t h is will be ve r y h a r d t o A / B t e s t
(m or e on t e s t s la t e r ); you ’ll proba bly n eed t o r u n t h e con t en t focu s ed
va r ia t ion for a cou p le of m on t h s , an d you r cu r r en t r even u e will n eed
t o a llow for s u ch a t e s t .
32
Bot t om lin e is t h a t con t en t focu s ed des ign will a t leas t r edu ce bou n ce
r a t e . Th e r e will be n o s u r p lu s of ban n e r s or o t h e r s a le s it em s s ca r in g
you r vis it or away, an d it will b e im m ed ia t e ly clea r by focu s in g on t h e
act u a l con t en t if you r webs it e is goin g t o p rovid e t h e an s wer s you r
vis it or is look in g for . Th e r igh t t it le an d p a ragrap h h ead e r s , an d an
im age abou t t h e s u b ject a t h an d will of cou r s e s t r en gt h en t h a t be lie f.
Call-to-action
We can ’t ign or e ca lls - t o- act ion , wh en t a lk in g ab ou t u s e r exp e r ien ce
an d con ve r s ion . A ca ll- t o- act ion is an e lem en t on a p age , t h a t
t r igge r s t h e u s e r in t o an act ion . Oft en t im es p eop le t h in k t h is h a s
t o be a bu t t on , bu t a t ext lin k or ban n e r m igh t be u s ed a s we ll.
Th e ca ll- t o- act ion of a p age t r igge r s t h e u s e r t o click t o t h e n ext
p age , or d e r you r p r od u ct or s u bs cr ibe t o you r n ews le t t e r , ju s t t o
n am e a few. Th e r e a r e a n u m ber of be s t p r act ice s for s e t t in g u p a
good ca ll- t o- act ion .
• No clu t t e r . If you ad d a ca ll- t o- act ion , t h e r e s h ou ld n ’t b e o t h e r
e lem en t s d em an d in g t h e vis it or s a t t en t ion . No s ocia l s h a r e
bu t t on s r igh t be low you r ca ll- t o- act ion bu t t on .
• Ad d u r ge n cy. Wh y act n ow? Becau s e t h e r e a r e ‘on ly t h r ee s lo t s
ava ilab le ’ or ‘ju s t on e le ft ’. Webs h op s u s e t h is a lo t t h e s e d ays .
• Size d o e s m a t t e r . Mak e s u r e p eop le a r e ab le t o view t h e bu t t on
wit h ou t an y t r ou b le . Don ’t go ove r boa r d ; t h e r e h a s t o be a ba lan ce
s o you won ’t becom e t oo aggr e s s ive .
33
• Ad d t r u s t . A m on ey- back gu a r an t ee will m ak e it ‘e a s ie r ’ for t h e
vis it or t o click you r or d e r b u t t on . A gr ea t t e s t im on ia l b e low you r
con t act for m will lower ba r r ie r s t o con t act you .
• Be c le a r a b o u t t h e b e n e f i t s . Men t ion t h em n ea r you r
ca ll- t o- act ion . For in s t an ce , a s h or t b u lle t ed lis t n am in g
t h e m a in ad van t ages of you r p r od u ct or s e r vice can con vin ce
vis it or s t o click t h e bu y bu t t on . .
• Righ t b e lo w yo u r p r ice . Ad d in g t h e ca ll- t o- act ion r igh t be low
you r p r ice will en t ice vis it or s t o click t h e ca ll- t o- act ion (if t h ey
lik e you r p r ice ). No t im e t o h e s it a t e .
• Co lo r is im p o r t a n t . If you r en t ir e d e s ign is u s in g b lu e an d or an ge ,
you r ca ll- t o- act ion will s t an d ou t a lo t m or e if it ’s gr een , for
exam p le . Us in g b lu e or or an ge will m ak e t h e ca ll- t o- act ion
b len d in t oo m u ch .
• Be b r ie f . If you r ca ll- t o- act ion is a bu t t on , d on ’t u s e ‘Buy th is
product n ow a n d get a 2 0 % discoun t’ a s t h e m a in bu t t on t ext .
Us e ‘2 0 % OFF’. You ge t t h e d r ift .
Mobile design
Res p on s ive d es ign is a webs it e d e s ign t h a t ad ju s t s t o t h e viewp or t
o f t h e d evice you a r e u s in g t o vis it t h a t webs it e . Mos t s it e t em p la t e s
can be m ad e r e s p on s ive by ad d in g ext r a s e t t in gs in t h e CSS or s t yle -
s h ee t of a webs it e . We exp la in ed a b it m or e abou t t h is in a p os t on
ou r webs it e .
34
Des ign in g you r webs it e for b ot h d es k t op an d m ob ile vis it or s is even
m or e im p or t an t s in ce Google r o lled ou t ‘Mob ileged d on ’, a s we t en d
t o ca ll it . It ’s an u p d a t e in t h e way Google r an k s webs it e s in t h e ir
m ob ile s ea r ch r e s u lt s t h a t t ak es in t o accou n t if t h e webs it e is ‘Ľ t ’
for a m ob ile d evice . Google even cr ea t ed a Mob ile - Fr ien d ly t e s t
t o h e lp you Ľn d ou t if you r webs it e is m ob ile fr ien d ly.
As you r m ob ile s cr een is m u ch s m a lle r , m os t r e s p on s ive webs it e s
con s is t of ju s t on e co lu m n an d a lo t of s cr o ll d is t an ce . Th is m ean s
t h a t t h e s e t u p of you r m ob ile webs it e p r obab ly n eed s t o be ju s t a t ad
b it d iļ e r en t fr om you r d e s k t op s it e s e t u p . You n eed t o d ecid e wh a t
d e t a ils you r m ob ile vis it or is m os t lik e ly t o be look in g for . If you
h ave an act u a l s h op loca t ion , p eop le p r ob ab ly n eed ad d r e s s d e t a ils
or a p h on e n u m ber . Lis t t h e s e in t h e Ľ r s t m ob ile view, s o vis it or s
d on ’t h ave t o look for t h em .
In or d e r t o d ecid e on t h e in for m a t ion you r vis it or s n eed , you m igh t
r equ ir e s om e t e s t in g an d / or a s u r vey. As k you r (m ob ile ) vis it or s
wh a t t h e ir p r im ar y t a s k s on you r m ob ile webs it e a r e an d d es ign
you r p ages accor d in gly.
Now bes id es t h is s o- ca lled t a s k bas ed d es ign , you n eed an e s cap e .
Ju s t in ca s e s om eon e is r ea lly look in g for s om e t h in g e ls e . Th a t
e s cap e s h ou ld b e p r ovid ed b y t h e ad d it ion of a s ea r ch op t ion in
for in s t an ce a s t ick y m en u (a m en u t h a t is a lways vis ib le , even
wh en s cr o llin g d own ).
35
On e m or e t h in g abou t m ob ile webs it e s . Mak e s u r e t h e s e a r e b lazin g
fa s t . As n ot a ll you r m ob ile vis it or s will h ave Wi- Fi acces s , ch an ces
a r e t h ey n eed t o d own load a ll t h e MBs of you r webs it e wh ile t r yin g
n ot t o exceed t h e ir ca r r ie r d a t a lim it . Alt h ou gh m ob ile in t e r n e t is
ge t t in g fa s t e r an d fa s t e r , if you r s it e load s in le s s t h an a s econ d ,
t h a t will for s u r e im p r ove u s e r exp e r ien ce . Com m on p r ob lem s
t h a t s low you r s it e d own a r e :
• t h e u s e of la r ge im ages on you r webs it e , obviou s ly;
• t oo m u ch CSS an d JS Ľ le s b e in g load ed in t h e h ead s ect ion of
you r web s it e , be for e t h e con t en t ;
• s low load in g s h a r e bu t t on s , wh ich is t h e ca s e for a lo t of s ocia l
Wor d Pr es s p lu gin s , by t h e way;
• n ot com p r es s in g you r webs it e , for in s t an ce u s in g Gzip .
Th e r e is m u ch m or e t o s ay abou t m ob ile UX, wh ich we a ls o m en t ion
in ou r a r t icle on im p r ovin g m ob ile UX on ou r webs it e .
A/ B testing
A/ B t e s t in g m ean s you t e s t you r or igin a l p age (A) ve r s u s a va r ia t ion
p age (B), t o s ee wh ich ve r s ion p e r for m s be t t e r . 50 % of you r vis it or s
will be s h own ve r s ion A, an d 50 % will b e s h own ve r s ion B. You will
t e s t for a ce r t a in am ou n t of t im e (u s u a lly a week or t wo), an d s ee
wh a t t h e d iļ e r en ces a r e b e t ween t h e t wo ve r s ion s . In gen e r a l,
t h e va r ia t ion t h a t m ad e you m or e m on ey or s u bs cr ibe r s will be t h e
va r ia t ion you will go for .
36
Howeve r , you d o h ave t o act u a lly t h in k abou t wh a t you ’r e goin g
t o t e s t . If you ’r e t e s t in g wild ly in h op e of fin d in g a gold n u gge t ,
A / B t e s t in g can be a r ea l was t e of t im e . Th a t ’s wh y you n eed t o
u s e A / B t e s t in g t o ad d r e s s im p or t an t is s u es on you r s it e . Be for e
s t a r t in g an y A/ B t e s t , m ak e s u r e you fo llow, or a t le a s t t h in k
ab ou t , t h e s e s t ep s :
1 Us e yo u r a n a lyt ics . You can u s e you r an a lyt ics t o Ľn d p ages
t h a t h ave is s u es . Ar e you s ee in g p ages t h a t ge t (a lo t of) t r aĿ c,
bu t n o s a le s for in s t an ce?
2 Fin d yo u r In t e n s ive Ca r e Pa ge s . You ’ll p r obab ly Ľn d m or e
t h an on e is s u e in you r an a lyt ics . Th a t ’s wh y you n eed t o focu s
on you r In t en s ive Ca r e Pages . In t en s ive Ca r e Pages a r e t h e
p ages t h a t a r e t h e m os t im p or t an t . Th es e a r e u s u a lly you r
s a le s p ages .
3 Id e a s o f im p r o ve m e n t . Com e u p wit h a way t o im p r ove t h e s e
p ages for you r vis it or s . You can d o t h is by u s in g s u r veys , or in
s om e ca s e s ju s t com m on s en s e .
4 H yp o t h e s ize . You n eed t o u s e h yp ot h es e s . Th is ba s ica lly m ean s
you wr it e d own wh a t you t h in k will ch an ge an d wh y t h is ch an ge
will occu r , a ccor d in g t o you .
5 Te s t t h e b ig ch a n ge s Ľ r s t . Th e r e ’s n o n eed t o ge t los t r igh t
away in t e s t in g eve r y s in gle s m a ll ch an ge you can t h in k of.
Com b in e m os t of you r id eas (t o go) in t o on e b ig ch an ge . If t h is
va r ia t ion work s be t t e r , you can t h en s t a r t op t im izin g for t h e
s m a lle r t h in gs .
37
6 Do u b le ch e ck yo u r Ľ n d in gs . Som e A/ B t es t in g t ools , wh ich we’ll
go in t o n ext , a re kn own t o h ave som e is su es . So a lways dou ble
ch eck t h e Ľn d in gs of you r t ools t o t h e act u a l h ard da t a from
you r bu s in es s .
You can r ead m or e abou t p lan n in g an d h yp ot h es izin g you r A / B t e s t
on yoas t .com .
A/ B testing tools
Th er e a r e a few t ools s p eciĽ ca lly for A / B t e s t in g ou t t h e r e , m os t of
wh ich a r e p r e t t y s im ila r . At Yoas t we u s e con ve r t .com , bu t t h e r e a r e
o t h e r t ools s u ch a s Vis u a l Webs it e Op t im ize r an d Op t im ize ly. It ’s u p
t o you t o ch oos e wh ich eve r you p r e fe r m os t , bu t ou r p r e fe r en ce is
clea r ly Con ve r t Exp e r im en t s (con ve r t .com ).
Ap a r t fr om t h e t ools p e r for m in g t h e act u a l A / B t e s t s , t h e r e a r e a ls o
a lo t of t oo ls t h a t can h e lp you Ľn d ou t wh e r e you r p r ob lem a r ea s
lie . He r e ’s a lis t o f t oo ls you m igh t Ľn d h an d y t o u s e :
• Google An a lyt ics
• Cr azyEgg
• Hot Ja r
Data pollution
Wh e n r u n n in g t e s t s , you s h ou ld a lwa ys k e e p in m in d t h a t d a t a
p o llu t ion is a fa ct or . It ’s a lwa ys h a r d t o k n ow wh e t h e r t h e r e s u lt o f
you r t e s t is a ct u a lly t h e r e s u lt o f you r t e s t . Wh ile r u n n in g t e s t s on
a we b s it e , e s p e cia lly b ig s it e s , t h e r e a r e a lo t o f t h in gs ‘p o llu t in g’
38
you r d a t a . Th is is b e ca u s e t h e r e a r e a lwa ys t h in gs go in g on on a n d
a r ou n d you r we b s it e ; you ’r e ch a n gin g a n d t we a k in g t h in gs , you ’r e
b loggin g, you ’r e b e in g a ct ive on s ocia l m e d ia a n d s o fo r t h . Th e s e
a r e t h in gs t h a t ca n a n d p r ob a b ly will in ľ u e n ce you r d a t a .
Th e r e ’s n ot h in g we can r ea lly ch an ge abou t t h is , bu t you d o h ave t o
k eep it in m in d . If you d on ’t wan t t h is t o h ap p en , you b as ica lly h ave
t o r u n you r t e s t for a t le a s t a week an d n ot d o an yt h in g e ls e t o you r
web s it e . For an yon e r u n n in g a bu s in es s , t h is is n ext t o im p os s ib le .
Th e m a in t ak eaway h e r e is t h a t you s h ou ld n ’t fool you r s e lf. Wh ile
t h e r e s u lt s a r e good gu id e lin e s an d p r obab ly a good r ep r e s en t a t ion ,
t h e r e s u lt s will p r obab ly n ot t r an s la t e 10 0 % t o r ea l life . Of cou r s e
t h is cou ld wor k bot h ways . Maybe you r win n in g va r ia t ion p e r for m s
wor s e t h an t h e t e s t s h owed , bu t it cou ld a ls o p e r for m b e t t e r .
Checkout
Wh ile A / B t e s t in g is im p or t an t , t h e r e a r e qu it e a few t h in gs t h a t will
gen e r a lly wor k . Th is s ect ion con t a in s a few bes t p r act ice s t h a t you r
ch eck ou t s h ou ld p r obab ly h ave . Obviou s ly, d on ’t m in d le s s ly cop y
t h is , bu t it ’s a good p lace t o s t a r t .
Progress bar
Th e p r ogr e s s b a r is a ct u a lly fe e d b a ck t o t h e vis it o r s . It s h ows t h e m
h ow fa r a lon g in t h e p r oce s s t h ey a r e a n d h ow m u ch m or e t o exp ect .
Alon g wit h givin g t h e vis it o r s in s igh t , it a ls o m ak es p eop le wan t t o
Ľn is h t h e s t e p s , a p r oce s s ca lle d ‘ga m iĽ ca t ion ’. An d t o t ak e t h is
39
p os it ive fe e d b ack on e s t e p fu r t h e r , you cou ld m a k e you r p r ogr e s s
b a r s o you a lwa ys e n t e r in s t ep 2 ou t o f 4 of t h e ch eck ou t p r oce s s .
Th e r ea s on b eh in d t h is is t h a t t h e vis it o r h a s a ct u a lly a lr e a d y t ak e n
t h e b igge s t s t e p : click in g t h e b u y b u t t on . An d a d ecis ion lik e t h is is
s om e t h in g t h a t s h ou ld b e r e wa r d ed .
Figure 5: progress bar, gamiȴ cation
Continue shopping
Wh en p eop le en t e r you r ch eck ou t , you h ave t o m ak e s u r e t h is is n ot
ju s t a clos ed o ļ s ect ion of you r webs it e . Allow p eop le t h e op t ion t o
k eep s h op p in g. A s im p le lin k t o b r in g p eop le back t o t h e gen e r a l
s h op can be en ou gh .
Caching
It h ap p en s qu it e oft en t h a t p eop le ad d a p r od u ct t o a ca r t , b u t d on ’t
bu y it r igh t away. Howeve r , t h e s e p eop le a r e lik e ly t o com e back t o
you r webs it e t o Ľn is h t h e t r an s act ion . To ca t e r t h e s e p eop le , it ’s
im p or t an t t o in cr ea s e t h e cach in g t im e of you r s h op p in g ca r t an d
ch eck ou t . Th is ba s ica lly m ean s you r web s it e will r em em ber wh a t ’s
in t h e ca r t / ch eck ou t for a vis it or for a lon ge r p e r iod of t im e .
In cr ea s e it t o ab ou t 24 h ou r s an d you will h ave cove r ed m os t of t h e
p eop le lik e ly t o com e back .
40
Yoast Tip
Want to know more about user experience and conversion rate
optimization? Check out our eBook UX & Conversion from a holist ic
SEO perspective!
41
Chapter 7
SEO content writing
42
The basics of SEO copywriting
Th e t e xt on you r we b s it e is a ve r y im p or t a n t fa ct o r in Google ’s
a lgor it h m . Google s p id e r s you r t e xt a n d in d e xe s t h e r e le va n t wor d s .
You r t e xt s h ou ld t h u s b e wr it t e n in s u ch a wa y t h a t you r k e ywor d s
a n d s e a r ch t e r m s h ave a p r om in e n t p la ce . H owe ve r , u s in g you r
k e ywor d s t oo o ft e n s e ve r e ly d a m a ge s t h e r e a d a b ilit y o f you r t e xt .
In t h is ch a p t e r , we will g ive s om e p r a ct ica l t ip s a n d t e a ch you t h e
b a s ics o f SEO cop ywr it in g.
Writing your text: Think before you write
Cop ywr it in g is a t r u e p r ofe s s ion . It can be qu it e h a r d . An d cop y-
wr it in g in or d e r t o op t im ize you r webs it e for s ea r ch en gin es m ak es
t h e job even h a r d e r . Mak e s u r e t h e m is s ion of you r p r od u ct is cr ys t a l
clea r . Wr it e it down . Th in k h a rd abou t t h e m es s age of you r t ext . Wh a t
d o you wan t t o t e ll you r r ead e r s ? An d wh a t is t h e p u r p os e of you r
t ext ? Wh a t d o you wan t you r r ead e r s t o d o a t t h e en d of t h e p age?
Wr it e d own t h e an s wer s t o t h e s e qu es t ion s b e for e you s t a r t wr it in g.
SEO copywriting: Use your keywords wisely
Of cou r s e , t h e k eywor d s an d s ea r ch t e r m s you wan t t o be fou n d
for will h ave a p r om in en t p lace in you r t ext . Bu t m ak e s u r e t h a t
you d on ’t u s e t h e s e s ea r ch t e r m s t oo oft en . If you wan t t o r an k
for a ce r t a in t e r m - s ay ch ild r en ’s clo t h es - an d you wr it e a t ext
wh ich h as t h e wor d s ch ild r en ’s clo t h es in eve r y s en t en ce , ch an ces
a r e t h a t you r au d ien ce will b e p r e t t y an n oyed . You r t ext ju s t is n ’t
43
r ead ab le an ym or e . Keep in m in d t h a t Google wan t s t o facilit a t e it s
u s e r s . Us e r s wan t t ext s t h a t a r e u n d e r s t an d ab le , we ll s t r u ct u r ed
an d ea s y t o r ead .
Yoast Tip
Not sure what keywords ȴ t your audience? Check out this post about
keyword research tools!
As a gen e r a l r u le of t h u m b : t r y t o p u t d own you r s ea r ch t e r m s in
ab ou t 1 t o 2 p e r cen t of you r t ext . Mak e s u r e you r a r t icle s h ave a
m in im u m of 30 0 wor d s . So in an a r t icle of 30 0 wor d s , you s h ou ld
m en t ion you r s ea r ch t e r m s 3 t o 6 t im es . Th e m in im u m of 30 0 wor d s
is n ’t an exact s cien ce , of cou r s e , n or is t h e am ou n t of k eywor d
m en t ion s , bu t 30 0 is a d ecen t m in im u m n u m ber of wor d s for an
a r t icle t h a t n eed s t o s h ow au t h or it y.
Yoast Tip
In our eBook Content SEO, we explain how to write well structured,
high quality copy that has a clear objective.
Use of subheadings
If you wr it e lon ge r t ext s an d wan t p eop le t o Ľn d t h e ir way in you r
a r t icle s , you s h ou ld u s e s u bh ead in gs . Head in gs h e lp Google t o gr a s p
t h e m a in t op ics of a lon g p os t an d t h u s can h e lp in you r r an k in g.
Us e of s u b h ead in gs will p r ob ab ly le t you ge t away wit h u s in g t h e
44
k eywor d le s s . Su bh ead in gs will le ad p eop le , h e lp t h em s can you r
p age , an d m ake t h e s t ru ct u re of you r a r t icles t h a t m u ch clea re r .
Make s u r e t h a t you r k eywor d s a r e u s ed in t h e s u bh ead in gs , b u t
d o n ot p u t you r k eywor d in eve r y s u bh ead in g (a s it will m ak e t h e
t ext u n r ead ab le ). You can r ead m or e ab ou t h ead in gs in on e of
Mich ie l’s p os t s .
Mak e s u r e you ad d p ict u r e s or illu s t r a t ion s t o you r t ext wh ich Ľ t
t h e con t en t of you r s t or y. Wh en you p u t a p ict u r e in you r a r t icle ,
a lways t r y t o ad d an a lt t ag (con t a in in g you r k eywor d ) t h a t is s t ill
d e s cr ip t ive of t h e im age .
Beware of over-optimization
Over - op t im iza t ion in you r cop ywr it in g can r e s u lt in Google t h in k in g
you ’r e t r yin g t oo h a r d . Google will t h en p u s h you r webs it e d own in
t h e s ea r ch r e s u lt s . Always k eep you r au d ien ce in m in d an d wr it e
t ext s t h a t a r e a im ed a t you r au d ien ce an d ea s y t o r ead .
Yoast Tip
Writing great copy is a skill you can learn. In our SEO copywriting
training we will help you master this skill. You’ll ȴ nd all our courses at
Yoast Academy.
45
Content writing with the Yoast SEO plugin
Ou r Yoas t SEO p lu gin act u a lly h e lp s you t o wr it e a SEO- fr ien d ly t ext .
If you wan t t h e h e lp of ou r p lu gin you s h ou ld s t a r t by ch oos in g you r
focu s k eywor d an d en t e r in g it in t h e ap p r op r ia t e box. Th is is t h e
m os t im p or t an t s ea r ch t e r m you wan t p eop le t o Ľn d t h is p a r t icu la r
p age for . Ou r p lu gin act u a lly m eas u r e s m an y a s p ect s of t h e t ext you
a r e wr it in g an d h e lp s wit h m ak in g you r t ext SEO- fr ien d ly. We will
d e s cr ibe t h e m os t im p or t an t on es :
1 Th e p lu gin a llows you t o for m u la t e a m e t a d e s cr ip t ion . Th is
d e s cr ip t ion h as t o be a s h or t t ext wh ich in d ica t e s t h e m a in t op ic
of t h e p age . If t h e m e t a d e s cr ip t ion con t a in s t h e s ea r ch t e r m
p eop le u s e , t h e exact t ext will be s h own by Google u n d e r n ea t h
you r URL in t h e s ea r ch r e s u lt s .
Figure 6: Yoast SEO Premium
46
2 Th e p lu gin an a lyzes t h e t ext you wr it e . It ca lcu la t e s a Fles ch
r ead in g eas e s core , wh ich in d ica t e s t h e r eadab ilit y of you r a r t icle .
Th e Fles ch r ead in g eas e s core for exam p le t akes in t o accou n t t h e
len gt h of s en t en ces . Th e p lu gin a ls o ch ecks t h e u s e of p as s ive
voice , t h e len gt h of s en t en ces an d p a ragrap h s , an d t h e u s e of
t r an s it ion words . It ’s a grea t t ool t o h e lp you wr it e exce llen t t ext s .
3 Th e p lu gin d oes a p r e t t y b ig n u m ber of ch eck s . It ch eck s wh e t h e r
or n ot you u s ed you r k eywor d in im p or t an t loca t ion s : t h e a r t icle -
h ead in g, t h e t it le of t h e p age , t h e URL of t h e p age , t h e con t en t of
t h e a r t icle an d t h e m e t a - d es cr ip t ion . Th e p lu gin a ls o ch eck s t h e
p r e s en ce of lin k s in you r a r t icle an d t h e p r e s en ce of im ages in t h e
a r t icle . It ca lcu la t e s t h e n u m ber of wor d s an d t h e d en s it y of u s age
of t h e focu s k eywor d in t h e a r t icle . Above t h a t , t h e p lu gin a ls o
ch eck s wh e t h e r or n ot o t h e r p ages on you r webs it e u s e t h e s am e
focu s k eywor d , t o p r even t you fr om com p e t in g wit h you r s e lf.
If you wr it e a t ext wh ich is r e la t ive ly SEO fr ien d ly (bas ed on t h e
a s p ect s m en t ion ed b e for e ) t h e p lu gin will in d ica t e t h is wit h a gr een
bu lle t . Wr it in g p ages wit h gr een b u lle t s will h e lp you im p r ove t h e
r an k in g of t h e p ages on you r webs it e . Plu s , you r vis it or s will ge t t o
r ead t h e qu a lit y con t en t t h ey cam e for .
47
Figure 7: the (green) bullets in the Readability tab
Yoast Tip
The gamiȴ cation of the page analysis within our Yoast SEO plugin
helps you to upgrade the SEO-friendliness of your post. It can be a
fun game to get as many green bullets as possible! However, be
aware of The temptation of the green bullet!
Keeping your site up to date
Th er e a r e m an y m yt h s a r ou n d h avin g t o k eep you r s it e u p d a t ed
for Google . It ’s n ot en t ir e ly clea r wh e t h e r r egu la r ly u p d a t in g
you r webs it e le ad s t o a h igh e r r an k in g in Google . Bu t ou r ad vice
is s im p le : m ak e s u r e t h a t you r egu la r ly wor k on you r webs it e .
Ad d in g an a r t icle r egu la r ly t o you r webs it e will d o t h e t r ick , wh ich is
wh y a b log is ve r y u s e fu l. Ad d in g act u a l an d fu n ct ion a l in for m a t ion
t o you r webs it e will give Google t h e id ea t h a t you r webs it e is a live .
If it is n o t an act ive webs it e , Google will cr awl it le s s oft en an d it
48
m igh t becom e le s s ap p ea lin g t o Google t o in clu d e t h e p age in t h e
s ea r ch r e s u lt s . Next t o t h a t , m ak e s u r e you k eep you r cor n e r s t on e
con t en t u p - t o- d a t e .
Yoast Tip
Cornerstone articles are the most important articles on your website.
Read more about this in chapter 11 of our eBook Content SEO!
49
Chapter 8
About Yoast
50
It’s is all about improving the web
Yoas t h e lp s you op t im ize you r webs it e in m an y ways . Wit h ou r
b logp os t s on yoas t .com , we give lo t s of fr ee ad vice on h ow t o d o
t h is op t im iza t ion you r s e lf. For t h os e wh o’d r a t h e r h ave p r ofe s s ion a l
ad vice for t h e ir webs it e , we s e ll Webs it e r eviews . Wit h a r eview lik e
t h is , we ’ll go ove r you r en t ir e s it e t o ch eck eve r y b it o f it . Bas ed on
ou r r eview- Ľn d in gs , we give you s om e r ecom m en d a t ion s on h ow
t o op t im ize you r s it e ’s SEO, u s e r exp e r ien ce , con ve r s ion r a t e an d
m or e ! Yoas t a ls o o ļ e r s s eve r a l p lu gin s , fr ee an d p r em iu m . Th es e
p lu gin s h e lp t o op t im ize you r web s it e in a ve r y ea s y way. Ou r m os t
im p or t an t p lu gin is t h e Yoas t SEO p lu gin , bu t we a ls o o ļ e r Vid eo ,
Loca l, WooCom m er ce an d News p lu gin s . Bes id es t h a t , we o ļ e r
eBook s an d cou r s e s .
At Yoas t we ’r e con s t an t ly evolvin g an d s h a r in g ou r k n owled ge . We
t r y t o le a r n a s m u ch a s we can an d we’r e eage r t o s h a r e ou r Ľn d in gs
wit h t h e r e s t of t h e wor ld . At t h e m om en t , t h e r e a r e m or e t h an
30 p eop le wor k in g a t t h e oĿ ce in Wijch en . An d we’ve got m or e
em p loyees wor k in g for u s fr om a ll a r ou n d t h e wor ld , t o m ak e s u r e
we ’r e ab le t o give s u p p or t on ou r p lu gin s 24 / 7 .
In t h e fu t u r e , we h op e t o k eep on gr owin g an d d eve lop in g ou r
com p an y. Th e im p or t an ce of a h ea lt h y an d fr ien d ly wor k en vir on -
m en t will s t ay ou r n u m b er on e p r ior it y. Wit h t h e en t h u s ia s m of
ou r em p loyees an d ou r u s e r s , we ’r e look in g for war d t o a ll t h e gr ea t
t h in gs we ’ll be exp e r ien cin g in t h e fu t u r e .