Brave River Solutions
since 2000
04/19/2019

SEO FAQs

With best practices for SEO changing day by day, it’s often difficult to keep up with the latest trends. We have outlined some of the most frequently asked questions that business owners, entrepreneurs, writers, and marketers are searching to find the answers for. Our SEO specialists have addressed the many concerns that have been raised in 2018 regarding SEO best practices, and all the details in between.

Technically you don’t need SEO to show on Google, however, it will more than likely take significantly longer for you to show on Google, giving you less exposure from the start had you fully optimized your site to begin with. Having an optimized site is not only great for ranking higher above competitors, but it will also assist in having your site appear in various locations across search engines, including: knowledge graph, local search, answer boxes, rich-snippets, reviews, product pricing.

What is Google Search Console?

Google Search Console is a web service that introduces your website to the search engine, as well as setting rules as to how you want Google to crawl your website. Using Google Search Console is important for your SEO practice, as it allows you to both direct and monitor the way that Google views your website.

What is image optimization? – file name formats/alt text/title text

Image optimization is another helpful practice to include in your SEO strategy. Setting the image file name, alt text, and title text with descriptions that effectively explain what the image is about will help Google recognize what is going on in the image without physically seeing it. Image optimization will also help you get your content be discovered through image search, leading to more potential website visitors or even customers.

Do meta-keywords still matter?

Google has disclosed that meta-keywords no longer hold the same value or relevance as in the past. Though including meta-keywords on your site and in your SEO plan won’t technically count against you, meta-keyword tags are collectively no longer being used and would take up more of your time than necessary.

How important are backlinks and internal links?

Backlinks and internal links are incredibly important for SEO. So long as the backlinks you are receiving come from reputable sources with high authority, this will drastically affect your ability to rank, and rank well. Think about it: if authoritative sources are linking out to you, they are telling their viewers that you content is valuable enough that they feel that the users could benefit from it. Internal links are also helpful for SEO, when linking appropriate content on your site to other relevant locations of your site.

How long does it take for rankings to increase?

It could take a few months to a year for you to see any significant increase in rankings. SEO is an ongoing task and should be monitored and edited consistently. Most commonly, if SEO is done correctly, you can begin to see your website rank between 3-6 months. Depending on how competitive the key phrase/term is that you are trying to rank for, the time may vary.

What is the best site hierarchy for SEO?

The best site hierarchy depends based on the type of website you have, whether it is solely informational or e-commerce—you will want to ensure that the navigation and on-page hierarchies match, with both categories and subcategories have a clear organizational pathway. The main purpose to have a solid hierarchy to begin with is to ensure that Google can understand what your website and webpages are about, in addition to assisting your users with clear navigation across the site.

Can I use more than one H1?

So long as having more than one H1 makes sense based on the user experience you are interested in putting forward, then it is fine to do so. However, for optimization purposes having more than one H1 is not technically the best practice to engage in.

Can an SEO agency really help me reach #1?

Any SEO agency can help you increase your opportunities to be found with SEO. To promise that you will in fact reach the #1 slot could potentially be misleading, as the practice of SEO is consistently changing just as frequently as user’s search habits/interests. Sure, an agency could very likely help you reach #1, but SEO is an ongoing practice and must be actively to continue performing well.

What is schema?

Schema, in reference to SEO, is a code that is placed onto a website so that search engines can recognize specifically what your content is about so it can serve better content to users. Schema is used to attribute meaning to content on your website, allowing search engines to know exactly what certain text is, rather than only acknowledging what it says. For more information, Neil Patel goes further in depth about schema, and how it can improve your chances to rank.

What is local SEO?

Local SEO refers to the optimization of your site for “local” or location-based searches. For example, if you are a Rhode Island based agency and are mainly marketing towards individuals who live in the Rhode Island area, you will want to make sure that the folks in the local area are able to recognize that you are in fact nearby.

What is a 404 error and how do I remove it?

Run into a few 404 errors on your website? Confused as to where they are being linked from? You will need to use a tool like Moz, SEMRush, ScreamingFrog or Xenu to run an audit. Once the audit is complete you can then find and dress each individual 404 error. In each error you will see a referring URL. This is the URL that is referring to the page that is no longer online/broken/or in existence. All you have to do now is correct, update or remove the link on each page.

Can I do SEO myself?

Yes, you can. However, the rules of the SEO game are constantly changing, and it can be very difficult to keep up. SEO is a competitive practice and requires years of experience to fully harness its potential. With the help of an SEO specialist, your odds of increasing rank and becoming found on Google becomes significantly more likely.

If you’re looking for a little SEO help, you’re in the right place. Our team or marketing experts are armed and ready to help you reach the top of the SERP with search engine optimization. What are you waiting for? Let’s get started.

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