Diving into Part II: The DIY Guide to SEO

In Part II of our DIY SEO Guide, we are going to dive into two more simple yet, effective ways you can master SEO and rank higher on Google. This week, we’ll cover the importance of schema markups and how they can help boost your website’s search engine rankings. We’ll also discuss strategies for integrating them into your web pages. Plus, we will share tips and guidelines on how to make sure your website is optimized for mobile devices. With this information, you will have the knowledge you need to make sure your website is performing optimally.

Buckle up, set sail, and get ready to unlock the secrets of SEO together and start devouring this whale one “bite” at a time.

Bite #3: Using Schema Markups to Boost Your SEO

Eating the whale of SEO can be an overwhelming task, but don’t worry—you don’t need to be an expert swimmer to dive into optimizing your website’s performance. Schema markups are like a life preserver that helps search engines better understand your content, adding tags and descriptions that not only help them identify and sort your content but also increase user engagement. Think of it like writing an address on an envelope, so it’s easier for Google to deliver the content directly to users.

What is Schema?
Schema is a special type of code that helps search engines like Google better understand your website content and make it easier for them to index and classify your content. Sometimes referred to as “your virtual business card.”

Schema.org explains the use of schema like this:

“Most webmasters are familiar with HTML tags on their pages. Usually, HTML tags tell the browser how to display the information included in the tag. For example, <h1>Avatar</h1> tells the browser to display the text string “Avatar” in a heading 1 format. However, the HTML tag doesn’t give any information about what that text string means—”Avatar” could refer to the hugely successful 3D movie, or it could refer to a type of profile picture—and this can make it more difficult for search engines to intelligently display relevant content to a user.”

By utilizing schema, you can easily optimize your website’s performance without having to become an SEO expert!

Schema Markups in Action

Amazon has implemented schema on its web pages to help search engines understand the different products and services they offer. For example, the product pages feature various schemas, such as ratings, reviews, and prices, so that users can easily find what they’re looking for with increased accuracy.

Additionally, Amazon used structured data to show the customer average rating and review snippets on SERP result pages, which can help draw more eyes to the page and directly increase traffic

Popular Schemas

There are a large number of schema tags for all different types of data, including:

• Articles
• Local Businesses
• Restaurants
• TV episodes and ratings
• Book reviews
• Movies
• Software applications
• Events
• Products
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• Recipes
• Music Albums and Songs
• Landmarks
• Images and Videos
• Product ratings and reviews

With such a vast list of different schema markup types, there is a good chance that there the content on your website will have related itemscope and itemtype.

A Beginner’s Roadmap to Schema Markups

Follow these steps for a comprehensive roadmap to get you started utilizing schema tags. These steps are proven to get you ranking higher than your competition on Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs).

1. Understand the different types of structured data available and which suits your website’s content.
   

   Click here to access the extensive library of schema markups from Schema.org which contains all the code markers that have been agreed upon from an inter-industry collaboration from teams at Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

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2. Use Google’s free Structured Data Markup Help tool to easily create the code for the schema you want to add to your site.

   * For a more detailed explanation of how to use the Structured Data Markup Help tool, Click Here.

   PRO TIP: There are various WordPress schema plugins that you can use to add schema tags to posts and pages.

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3. Ensure the code is correctly included in your HTML so that it can be properly read by search engines.

   *Watch this video to learn more about where to put schema markup on your website.*
   Use Google’s Rich Results Test tool to test your schema markup.
   

   PRO TIP: You can also use schema.org’s Schema Markup Validator to test all schema data markups without Google-specific validation.

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4. Stay up-to-date on changes in Schema standards – new features may be added or updated, so make sure you incorporate these into your code for maximum SEO optimization!

LEARN MORE: If you would like to learn more advanced schema markup techniques (JSON-LD, Microdata, and RDFa), here are some additional links for you to explore

• • Google Search Central – Introduction to Structure Data Markup in Google Search
  • Schema App: Ultimate How-to Guide for LocalBusiness Schema Markup
  • iloveseo: The Ultimate Guide to Using Schema.org Structured Data Markup for SEO

Feeling overwhelmed by the seemingly never-ending complexities of SEO? It’s easy to feel like you’ve bitten off more than you can chew. Let Arvig Media’s team of expert website designers help make this process easier for you.
Learn more about how we can help!

Having learned about schema data markups for improved searchability in SERPs, we’re now ready to set sail on our SEO voyage once more. Our next stop: optimizing the website for a fantastic mobile experience across all devices.

Bite #4: Optimize Your Website for Mobile Viewing

Mobile optimization is essential for businesses in today’s increasingly mobile world, allowing customers to have a seamless experience with your website no matter what device they’re using. With research and dedication to best practices, you can optimize your website for mobile viewing and ensure potential customers can easily find your business online – leading to more sales and conversions. If that old-school website of yours is looking like it was from the ’90s, now is the time to give it a modern makeover tailored specifically to mobile devices. Don’t wait – give your business the edge it needs and get started on optimizing your website with a mobile-friendly makeover today!

DIY Mobile Optimization: Tips, Tricks, & Tools

Here is a list of ways you can optimize your website for mobile viewing:

1. Evaluate the current mobile version of your website by using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool to get feedback on how it performs.
2. Streamline images and content to improve page loading speed. Compress large files and images, remove unnecessary elements, and optimize code where needed.
3. Ensure that your site structure is user-friendly, with effective navigational menus, hyperlinks, and buttons. Adjust the size of text and buttons for better visibility on smaller devices. Maintaining a simple and uncluttered design will improve your website’s user experience.
4. Use flexible layouts that adjust to the device’s screen size. The use of Responsive Web Design (RWD) techniques will ensure that your website will look good on devices of all sizes.
5. Test and optimize your website for different browsers and operating systems.
6. Use clear and concise typography for better readability on mobile devices.
7. Optimize your content for voice search capabilities (we will dive deeper into this in Part IV)

Mobile optimization allows visitors to access your website with ease and helps you stand out from the competition. It ensures potential customers can find your business online, leading to more sales and conversions.

If you need help optimizing your website for mobile viewing or are ready for a complete makeover, turn to Arvig Media’s Expert Team of Web Designers. Arvig Media always provides customers with a responsive and mobile-friendly website. This makes them stand out from the competition on SERPs and gives potential customers an easy-to-access experience.

Part II Synopsis: Down the Hatch

With two more “bites” out of our “DIY SEO Guide” under our belt, let’s review schema markups and mobile optimization. Making small changes one bite at a time will lead to big ranking improvements! In Part III we will continue our journey and explore additional “bites” – SEO heatmaps, user-generated content, and keywords.

We know the task of executing an effective SEO plan is daunting for many business owners. But with Arvig Media’s help, optimizing your website and digital presence for higher search engine rankings is easier than ever. Contact Arvig Media today to get started on your path toward more online visibility and success.