Improve Rankings with 4 Overlooked SEO Practices

Search engine optimization (SEO) is something that many companies take advantage of. It’s one of the most effective strategies to boost traffic to your website and widen your reach.

Especially today, most businesses are using SEO to make their website more attractive to search engines. To keep up with the competition and adapt to the constantly-evolving algorithms, you’ll want to have all of your bases covered. Here are 4 often-overlooked SEO practices that can improve your website’s ranking.

1. Make Your Site ADA Compliant

In recent years, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been interpreted by courts to apply to websites. To widen their scope, companies should ensure that their content is accessible to those with disabilities.

In addition to being inclusive, making your site ADA compliant can improve your rankings. Tasks such as adding alternative text and closed captioning not only make your site more accessible but also enrich your SEO. To learn further about this overlooked practice, click here for more info on ADA website compliance.

2. Disavow Negative Backlinks

Because search engines such as Google take note of who is linking your website, backlinks are a great way to improve your rankings. However, not all backlinks are good. Google wants to see that your website is being placed on credible pages. Your website might be linked on spam websites for the following reasons:

• You’re using unethical SEO tactics. Practices such as blackhat SEO involve buying links and engaging in spam.
• You’re becoming more popular. As your credibility grows, less credible websites will want to start using your link.
• You’re being sabotaged. Unfortunately, the competition will sometimes purposefully have your link placed on spam websites to lower your rankings.

If you’re using unethical SEO practices, cease these activities immediately to prevent your website from getting banned by Google.

If low-quality backlinks aren’t your fault, don’t worry, you can take action. Use Google Search Console to see where your website is being linked and disavow any low-quality backlinks. This can be somewhat time-consuming but can greatly improve your ranking.

3. Voice Search Optimization

In today’s day and age, many people use voice searches. It has become a convenient way to quickly find what you are looking for.

Interestingly enough, voice searches can be very different from text searches. Some of the stark differences that you should keep in mind include:

• Length. Voice searches tend to be longer and much more specific. This is a good opportunity for you to use long-tail keywords to increase your chances of popping up.
• Locality. Voice searches are much more likely to be local-based, meaning local businesses should consciously use relevant search terms.
• Intent. Because voice searches are longer, it’s more obvious what the customer is looking for. By anticipating their needs, you can shape your content around them.

4. Make the Most of High-Performing Pages

Certain pages on your site are going to do better than others. But you don’t want your not-as-popular pages to be completely ignored. Go to your high-performing pages and find ways to naturally include links to other pages on your site.

By internal linking, you’ll be taking direct action to improve your overall site. Consumers will come to your website looking for one thing, but end up sticking around awhile. They’ll be encouraged to read more of your content and see what else you have to offer.

Keep in mind that these SEO practices are often ignored by other websites. By making these changes, you’ll help your website rank higher and stand out aga