Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be a bit intimidating. How do you get your little corner of the web found by the big guys? How can you stand out?

I’ve put together a cheat sheet you can download and reference, but here’s a quick rundown on how you can easily optimize your own SEO without hiring a professional!

Website SEO

This shows search crawlers what a website is all about. It helps search engines see that a page is a good search result because it is relevant and useful.

Optimize your website:

• use H1 titles in your headers. They like that.

• put meta tags and descriptions in your images and files. Don’t just keep the “original file name” - change it to reflect your business/project/etc.

Website Content:

• put keywords in your text. In H1, H2, H3, etc.

• use hyperlinks - link to other websites.

• change the descriptions and titles in images and alternate text

Other tips:

• use search-friendly URLs (no random bits of numbers and letters!)

• have a clear site map

• make sure your internal and external links are accurate

Off-Site SEO

This shows search crawlers that a website is important and valuable. It helps search engines see that a page is a good result because the brand and websites are authoritative.

Link to your website:

• link to your social media of choice (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, etc.)

• link to other websites

• link to business directory websites (LinkedIn, other directories)

Product and Service Reviews:

• Google reviews

• Other online review services - Yelp, Amazon, Trip Advisor, etc.

• Social Media site reviews

Social Media:

• Create social media accounts (but DON’T CREATE ALL THE SOCIAL MEDIA - ONLY CREATE ONES THAT YOU CAN MAINTAIN!)

• submit your website to Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. (instructions to submit your site data coming soon)

This list is simplified, of course, but it’s a great start to optimizing your site for SEO. I’m all about hiring professionals if need be, so that may still be a route you end up taking, but this handy sheet could give you the head start you need!