Search engine optimization (SEO) plays an integral part of business success. SEO allows websites to rank higher in search results, increasing visibility and increasing organic traffic – and this guide provides all the knowledge you need on improving your own SEO strategy.
Keyword Research
SEO (search engine optimization) is the practice of increasing organic search traffic to your website through keywords. When executed effectively, SEO can yield numerous benefits for businesses such as increased traffic, new leads, higher conversion rates, brand awareness, community trust and more. A holistic organic marketing strategy should include keyword research as its cornerstone component.
Keyword research serves as the cornerstone of all content marketing activities, providing the basis for all other activities by outlining what search terms your target audience is likely to use when searching for your products and services. Done properly, keyword research allows you to identify questions, problems and solutions prospective customers are seeking online and adapt your website content accordingly.
Success in keyword research lies in finding keywords with both appropriate volume and relevancy to your business and products or services. Head keywords (like “cupcake” or “iPhone”) often have too much competition and are less focused than long-tail keywords such as “how to fix a clogged drain” or “best hairdressers”.
when creating a list of target keywords, it is vitally important to take into account user intent when crafting target phrases. When customers type queries into Google, Google automatically searches for the most pertinent and informative web page to answer that user’s intention – particularly for long-tail terms.
To determine user intent, type your keyword directly into a search engine and take note of what results come up. What answers or websites appear on the first page? Doing this can provide insight into how competitors are responding to search terms related to user intent as well as which results potential customers are getting from those searches.
To gain insight into how your competitors are targeting each keyword, use SERPWoo to analyze top search results. This can provide insight into how competitors are positioning themselves for each keyword and what their strategies may be.
On-Page Optimization
On-page optimization refers to any strategy designed to increase search engine rankings for certain pages on your website and attract more customers through organic results for certain search terms. It includes content related activities as well as technical considerations which could potentially influence its performance on-page.
When conducting on-page optimization, the first step should be identifying which keywords your business wishes to target and conducting keyword research. Once this step has been completed, conduct competitor analysis to understand which terms they’re using in their content to achieve higher visibility and begin creating keyword-rich pages on your own sites – but take caution not to overuse certain words, which is known as keyword stuffing and can lead to Google penalizing your site.
On-page optimization involves more than content; it involves structuring your site to make it easy for search engines to index. This may involve making sure page titles match keywords they target, matching meta tags with topic pages, and creating internal links that help search engines discover related material.
Other on-page optimization strategies could include making sure that URLs are search engine friendly, avoiding flash or other technologies which cannot be crawled by search engines, and creating pages which logically relate to each other. It is also wise to limit the number of images or videos used per page as this could speed up loading times.
On-page optimization may take time and dedication, but it is a vital element of any digital marketing strategy. By adhering to best practices for on-page SEO, your website can be optimized for search engines as well as being resilient against algorithm updates. To make the process more manageable and expedite the optimization process more effectively, consider using an online tool like SE Ranking to check and optimize pages on your website.
Link Building
Link building and local optimization are integral components of SEO that involve getting other websites to link back to your pages, serving as votes in search engines that help determine which page should rank highest on a given topic. Therefore, high-quality backlinks have become one of the key ranking factors on Google.
But not all links are created equal; for instance, one from The Wall Street Journal would carry more weight than one from a small business blog. Therefore, it’s essential that your links come from various sources – directories, social media websites and niche-specific sites alike.
While many businesses still rely on spammy tactics like keyword stuffing and paid links, the best way to acquire quality links is through creating excellent content that attracts links. This may involve writing an ebook or blog post that answers a frequently asked question in your industry and reaching out to blogs in your niche with requests to link back.
Competitor research is another essential aspect of link building. This involves taking a closer look at your competitors’ backlinks and figuring out which are most effective, using tools like Ahrefs or Moz. Once you know which links they possess, try replicating them – for instance if a competitor lists all 10 products related to your niche, reach out to those sites and request that they link back.
Reconnect with influencers in your niche by commenting on their blogs or tweets, or directly reaching out to them and asking them to link back to your content. Although this process might take more time than expected, it will increase search engine rankings significantly.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is an integral component of an SEO strategy, encompassing writing articles, blogs, infographics, videos, whitepapers and other written materials targeted towards search intent and brand promotion. Content marketing can drive traffic, build trust with audiences and showcase expertise in your field – however it can easily get bogged down with keywords, producing irrelevant material such as how-to clean glass shower doors. A more suitable approach would be focusing on search intent instead and writing for broader topics such as “home improvement”.