SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization; it’s the technique of optimizing your webpage so it’ll appear higher in Google’s search rankings.
When you search on Google, you get two different kinds of search results: Google Ads and Organic Search Results.
Google Ads is a paid service run by Google where you bid to have the highest position in Ads search results based on the keyword you feel pertains the most to your website.
However, if you pay attention to your SEO, you can position your page’s ranking, so it appears high on the organic search results based on keywords from your webpage. This process is free and a great way to drive traffic to your page.
Organic search results result from Google’s search engine crawling the web for the user’s keyword input.
There are a few simple tricks that you can employ to help your page make its way up the google search rankings.
This article will explain how to set up your pages in Unbounce to improve your SEO rankings.
Adding Page Metadata (Titles, Descriptions, Social Sharing Images, Keywords, etc.)
Metadata, or meta tags, include snippets of text and information about your page. The information in this metadata can impact how search engines index your pages. This includes page titles, descriptions, keywords, and social sharing images.
Make sure to fill out these fields when building your landing page. The instructions below will explain how within Smart Builder, or the Classic Builder.
Smart Builder
- Navigate to your landing page in Smart Builder.
- Click the Page Settings
tab within the Smart Builder header. A new tab will appear on the left. - Within the Page Metadata tab, update the following sections:
See Updating Page Settings & Metadata in Smart Builder to learn more.
Classic Builder
- Navigate to your landing page in the Classic Builder.
- From the right-hand side menu, select the Page Properties tab.
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Scroll down to the Title & Meta Data section:
Update the fields with information about your landing page. To learn more, see Managing your Page Properties in the Classic Builder - The Title & Metadata Section.
Choosing the Right Keywords
Search engines love unique and relevant content. It’s a great practice to do some research into keywords that pertain most to your landing page’s business.
The keywords you choose will also determine likely the traffic to your page - driven from SEO - is likely to convert, so choose keywords wisely.
It’s a great practice to do some research into keywords that pertain most to your landing page’s business. Include those keywords in your page content. Try to also include these target keywords into your landing page's URL, page title, and headings.
See our blog to learn more about the importance of keywords: How to Rank (and Convert) with Landing Page SEO.
Adding Alt Text to Images
Adding alternate (alt) text to all your images is good practice in general, but also, search engines read image texts, which impact how your page is ranked when users input a search query.
Alt text also improves digital accessibility to those who may access your page via screen readers.
If an image breaks on your page, or if users do not have access to loading that image, the alt text will appear instead, giving your visitors some context to the image on your page.
To add a title and description to your landing page images, follow these instructions:
Smart Builder
- In Smart Builder, click the image that you want to update with alt text.
- Click the pen
icon to launch the Edit Image settings. - Scroll down to locate the Alt Text field.
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Type in a description relating to the image on your landing page:
Be sure to Save and Publish your landing page to finalize these changes.
Classic Builder
- In the Classic Builder, click the image that you want to update with alt text.
- On the right side of the editor, scroll down the Properties tab until you find the Image Properties section.
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Fill out the pertinent information in the Alt Text and Title field:
- Repeat these steps for all images on your landing page.
Be sure to Save and Publish your landing page to finalize these changes.
How Do I Submit My Webpage to Google for Indexing?
Google’s bots are constantly crawling the internet for new links and pages. However, if you’d like to ensure your page gets added to the index, you can submit your page to Google by using the URL inspection tool.
Note:
It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for Google to index your website.
SEO Impact for Landing Pages on a Subdomain, vs. The Subfolder of a Root Domain
A subdomain is the porting of your domain before a root domain, vs. the subfolder is the filepath following the root domain. For example:
my.landingpage.com/home-page.
The subdomain is my, and home-page is the subfolder.
Here is something key to keep in mind when deciding whether to use subdomains or subfolders:
If your goal is to improve SEO rankings, and to drive organic traffic to your landing page, it would be better to use a subfolder when setting up your landing pages.
- Subfolders are part of the main site and share domain authority.
- Ensure the internal linking structure (how pages are linked on your site and site navigation) are replicated on the page, keywords and page hierarchy follow best practices, and that the page has a substantial amount of content.
If your goal is to boost more conversions (form sign-ups, purchases, etc.) for a PPC ad, or email campaign, a subdomain would be a better option.
- Subdomains are considered as seperate sites in different search engines.
- Since the aim is to increases conversions, be sure to follow landing page best practices, such as having a clear CTA, removing additional navigation and external links, keeping the page content to a minimum, adding social proofs, and ensuring that the landing pages matches your ads.
While you can definitely build an SEO strategy around subdomains, you may need more landing pages and enclosed content than just a landing page or two - this would require a fair bit of strategizing from your marketing team as well.
Additional Resources
How to Rank (and Convert) with Landing Page SEO