SEO Quick Wins – 8 Simple Activities Google Loves

Table of contents:

• What are Quick Wins in SEO and Benefits of Using Them?
• 8 SEO Quick Wins You Can Use Today
  • Basic Home Page Optimizations
  • Global Settings
  • Header Structure Modifications
  • Menu Modifications
  • Redirect Modifications and Implementations
  • Internal Linking Modifications in Two Simple Steps
  • Alt Text Implementation and Optimization
  • Technical Verifications: SSL, Sitemap, Robots.txt
• SEO Quick Wins – The Takeaway

SEO quick wins are simple modifications you can easily implement on your website to achieve satisfactory results within a short period of time. Contrary to what you may think, simple and quick doesn’t necessarily mean inexpensive. Although most SEO specialists will list these quick fixes without problems, they may not be so obvious to people who don’t operate in the industry.

What are Quick Wins in SEO and Benefits of Using Them?

Quick wins is a technique derived from management. It consists in introducing small solutions that don’t require a lot of time, work, and money. These solutions can be successfully applied in SEO: as an integral part of the strategy, useful not only at the beginning but also during the process. Such quick fixes may be implemented right away and make it possible to boost the effectiveness of conducted activities.

It’s also worth mentioning that these activities are important and help to quickly improve the positions in the SERPs.Quick wins may include simple evaluations and decisions regarding the continuation or discontinuation of specific actions or improvement of SEO processes (e.g. global changes).

8 SEO Quick Wins You Can Use Today

1.    Basic Home Page Optimizations

When conducting audits of our clients’ websites, we always check technical elements on the home page and elements such as the title, H1 header, logo, and content optimization. Therefore, if you know keywords selected for the SEO process, at this point you may:

• Optimize the title tag – it should reflect the content of the page and include generic keywords. At this point, it’s important to make sure that these phrases actually appear on the website.
• Optimize the H1 header which is the most important header on the website – it’s best to place it in the above-the-fold section and ensure that it’s similar to the title tag (this is particularly important after the update of title generation in the search results).
• Optimize the alt element of the company’s logo.
• Optimize (or add and optimize) the home page description using specific, generic keywords.

2.    Global Settings

Modifications that can be made with the use of CMS and that have an impact on the positions in the search results are crucial when it comes to SEO quick wins. These are so-called global changes – they consist in setting up a template based on variables, according to which e.g. category page titles or meta descriptions are created. Depending on which content management system you use, you’ll find necessary settings in different places.

Remember to always stay up to date with new information. Keeping your SEO knowledge fresh is extremely important as you need to react accordingly whenever Google makes an update. Some time ago we wrote that Google updated the way it generates titles in the search results. Therefore, it’s worth making sure that your H1 header matches the title element, and that the meta description matches the part of the first paragraph marked with <p> tag. Keep this in mind when implementing global changes.

3.    Header Structure Modifications

This step is an ideal example of SEO quick wins. Although there are certain rules when it comes to generating website headers, you can easily implement basic changes even if you haven’t been following good header structure practices so far. It’s best to modify the <h1> or <h2> tags in the style settings. On the other hand, verifying the entire header structure may be more time-consuming, but it can be done by looking into the page code and comparing it with the graphic below:

When it comes to SEO quick wins, apart from modifying the structure, it’s crucial to optimize headers for relevant keywords. One of the easiest quick fixes that will help you optimize your headers is the option of setting H1 headers automatically based on category names. To do this, check if your CMS allows you to set the H1 header based on category and product names (WooCommerce and Shopper offer such options). This is a quick global modification that can support your SEO process.

4.    Menu Modifications

Every SEO specialist will tell you that naming categories on your menu properly is the key to success. Many beneficial changes can be implemented within an hour and their effects can exceed your expectations with this simple SEO quick win.

Keep in mind that it’s crucial to ensure that Google robots are able to easily recognize where a given link leads. For example, in a pet store the category “food” is divided into “dry” and “wet”. SEO-wise, it’s much better to use the names “dry food” and “wet food”, because the adjective itself won’t inform Google about anything. Apart from that, properly structured category names in the menu constitute exact match anchor links and support internal linking.

5.    Redirect Modifications and Implementations

In case of redirects, it’s essential to prevent errors that hinder proper scanning and indexing of the website. For example – in PrestaShop 302 redirects are set automatically, so you should change them to 301 ones. However, if your CMS has had correct settings from the beginning, modifications aren’t necessary.

The so-called broken links are another issue, as clicking them generates 404 errors (unless you timely set a 301 redirect to another address). Links to a deleted subpage within the site or to an external platform that doesn’t exist anymore are examples of broken links. It’s necessary to prevent 404 errors resulting from links to subpages with deleted services or products.

With Ahrefs, you can easily check backlinks from valuable sites to subpages that no longer exist on your site to avoid situations where a link leads to a 404 error. Fortunately, restoring that page or redirecting it appropriately will help you rebuild the power of the link. It’s an important SEO quick win you should keep in mind.

6.    Internal Linking Modifications in Two Simple Steps

Another SEO quick win allows you to quickly modify internal linking to observe noticeable improvements in the SERPs. If you want to achieve your goal quickly and efficiently, start with these two actions:

• Add category links in your site footer or implement breadcrumbs – it’s usually just a few clicks in the settings and your internal linking will be improved. If you have more time and want to work on it a bit more, apply links in blog posts and on category or product pages.
• Apply the nofollow attribute on external links – if you link your business partners’ or product manufacturers’ websites (or even your own social media profiles), remember to add a nofollow attribute on each link.

7.    Alt Text Implementation and Optimization

It’s a relatively easy activity and – especially if you haven’t created alternative descriptions at all so far – this SEO quick win can really boost your visibility. So: let Google analyze your graphics too!

8.    Technical Verifications: SSL, Sitemap, Robots.txt

These are basic website elements you may easily forget about if you do SEO on your own. Taking care of them is one of the SEO quick wins that can really boost your results:

• SSL – an SSL certificate is important for both the users and the search engines, as it makes your website more credible. You can find free or very inexpensive certificates on the web to secure payments and user privacy.
• Sitemap – meaning the xml file. It’s a set of all URLs which belong to a given page – a map can help in indexing them. Many CMSes create it automatically, but if you can’t find it at websiteaddress.com/sitemap.xml, you can generate it with the use of the Yoast plug-in. Then, upload the ready sitemap to Google Search Console.
• txt – this is another important file your website should have to improve its condition. If it’s not located at websiteaddress.com/robots.txt, you may have to create it manually. Although it’s a slightly complicated process, it’s worth the effort as an incorrect configuration of the file may even result in your website being indexed out of the search results. The good news is that we have an entry where we explain what the robots.txt file is and how to use it properly.

SEO Quick Wins – The Takeaway

Quick SEO wins aren’t magic tricks, but simple, yet effective steps you can take to boost the results of your SEO process. Keep in mind that the above-mentioned elements aren’t all the modifications that should take place within the site, but only a few activities you can perform to effectively improve your positions.