The basics of SEO #2: titles, metadata and time

We recently covered the definition of SEO and the importance of keyword phrases in organic search.

Let us now move on to a few other essential elements of SEO…

H1 to H6 headings

You may have already heard about H1, H2, H3 headings and so on.
These are tags used to format text. H1 headings and their equivalents use a large, often bold typeface that immediately draws the eye. They also improve the clarity of the text by segmenting paragraphs and avoiding presenting users with a wall of text.
The numbers rank the headings in order of importance. H1 is therefore the most important, H6 the least. Accordingly, the closer you get to H6, the smaller the heading.

How does this help with search optimisation? Just like a human reader, Google uses these headings to quickly understand the subject of your page.
Thus, as with a human, the clearer, more airy and well-organised (with headings) your text is, the more easily Google can index it — and will reward you for it.
Finally, placing your keywords in headings is strongly recommended.
Note that your page should contain only a single H1 heading for maximum effect.

Metadata

Another concept that is important to know when you start taking an interest in organic search: metadata.
This is handled off-page — meaning this element will not be visible on the web page itself.
It is actually what a user reads when they discover you on a Google results page.

On a WordPress site, you can fill in this metadata in a dedicated section beneath each page.
Here again, certain rules must be followed to optimise your search ranking:

• Do not exceed 160–165 characters, including spaces. This ensures the full description will be displayed and will not be cut off by three trailing dots.
• Write a description for each page. If two pages share the same description, Google will consider them to be 2 identical pages with copy-pasted content, which is forbidden in SEO.
• Avoid producing a simple list of keywords. You would be seen as a spammer.
• Do not repeat the same keyword too frequently or in too close proximity.

Time

This may seem obvious, or indeed surprising, but time remains your best ally when it comes to SEO — at two levels.
First, in terms of the time you will need to invest in maintaining your search ranking. Writing SEO-focused content, researching and choosing the right keyword phrases, filling in metadata, and so on, do not happen by themselves or in the blink of an eye.
While search optimisation is free in monetary terms, it is clearly an investment of time.

Secondly, time also works in your favour once your optimisation work is done. Google favours web pages based on their age. A site that has been around for several years proves that it works — otherwise it would have closed long ago. For Google, longevity is therefore a sign of seriousness and quality. As a result, the older your site becomes, the more advantaged it will be in its search ranking.
The downside of this approach is that it will be difficult to unseat a competitor who has been diligently working on their SEO for some time. But search results pages are fortunately large enough for two.

It is also worth knowing that, while Google's ways are broadly impenetrable, its algorithms aim for a pleasant user experience.
Therefore, if you do everything possible to make your pages and content enjoyable for a user, it is highly likely that Google will approve. This does not preclude the use of keyword-rich pages and well-placed keyword phrases to optimise your ranking — in fact, it is more than recommended.
But do not lose sight of the user experience, and avoid creating a page that is entirely indigestible for a human reader. Google will reward you for it.
It is also, as we have seen earlier, a way of avoiding being blacklisted due to excessive or haphazard use of your keyword phrases.

Next article on organic search: handling images and traffic on your site.