A good SEO strategy
is the difference between your business easily being found online and
getting lost in the noise of thousands of other businesses trying to
stand out. With Google’s ever-changing algorithm, it can be difficult to
know what’s effective here and now.
In 2013, success in SEO hinges on businesses putting together a
robust combination strategy that brings together an integrated web of
great content, credible links, and social signals. Each of these pieces
supports the other, providing tremendous value to readers, building your
authority and brand value, and distributing your content across new
channels. Here are the highlights of what to think about in terms of
each of the three pillars of great SEO.
Content (Pillar #1): Make The Most of What’s On Your Pages
The first pillar of an effective SEO strategy is your onsite content
and structure. From the way you organize your site to how you optimize
your content, there are five key aspects that will ensure that your
content is doing its job. A strong on-site SEO plan includes keyword
research, content optimization, user experience, site design, and the
presence of a blog with great content that’s updated frequently. Let’s
take a closer look at each one.
Keyword research: The foundation of your SEO strategy is
keyword research. The concept is simple: you can only optimize your site
once you know how your target market searches for the products/services
you have to offer.
Google’s Keyword Tool
is designed to help advertisers in the Adwords Program target effective
keywords for their paid advertisements. But it’s a free, robust tool
that can be used by website owners that want to better understand the
range of keywords people are using to get to their site. Try these three
strategies to get started:
- Brainstorm a list of phrases related to your business, brand,
products, industry, location, and customers. Once you’ve developed that
list, enter each of these words into the Google Keyword Tool to see what
related terms are recommended by Google. Google’s suggestions will
greatly expand your keyword list. Pay attention to long-tail keywords
(e.g. “apartments in West Hollywood near beach” vs. “Hollywood”).
They’re easier to rank for and just as important as your major keywords.
- Enter your site URL into the website box in the Google Keyword
Tool. It will scan your site, and come back with a list of recommended
terms that you are currently ranking for or could target. Many of these
suggested terms are will be great keywords for your site.
- Create a list of competitor sites and enter each of those URLs into
the Keyword Tool. Your competitors may be ranking well for specific
terms that you hadn’t thought about. While you never want to directly
copy a competitors’ keyword strategy, it can often inform your approach
and round out options you hadn’t thought of yet.
Keyword structure: Once you’ve developed a list of keywords,
take the time to organize them. One simple way to do this is by taking a
look at your website structure and mapping keywords to the major
sections. For example, if you’re an SEO firm serving customers in New
York and New Jersey, you might have pages with different options for
travel rates for in-person meetings and other details by location. That
way, when individuals are searching for “SEO Firm Manhattan” they’re
likely to find your site. Knowing what sections of your site are
targeting specific keywords and gearing your content optimization toward
those goals will move your SEO efforts forward more quickly.
Content optimization: Once you’ve researched your keywords,
you’ll need to optimize your content for those terms. Content
optimization is not about stuffing keywords into every available
opportunity or even meeting a specific formula of “keywords must appear X
times per 500 words”. Instead, just remember to include your primary
keyword is included in your article title and meta tags. Remember that
each page (or unique URL) represents an individual piece of content that
can be optimized for different, specific phrases and conversion goals.
User experience (UX): User experience is simply a way of
encapsulating the question: when people visit your site, are they able
to quickly and efficiently do what they want? For example, if they’re
trying to make a purchase or find specific information, is it easy to
locate the menu or complete the task? If the answer is no, it may be
hurting your search rankings.
One easy way to figure out if your user experience needs to be
improved is to look at your bounce rate on Google Analytics. A bounce is
a visitor that leaves your site without visiting more than a single
page. If a high percentage of people are bouncing from your site, you
may be ranking for irrelevant terms or your site design may be too
complicated. Ask yourself what people are trying to accomplish, and look
at ways you can make that easier.
Initial things to look at are making sure your navigation is easy to
use, that your site design is as clean and uncluttered as possible, and
that big actions are highlighted in clear and effective ways. Consider
hiring a professional UX designer to help you evaluate your site if
you’re having trouble breaking through on this point. It’s possible to
design your site in such a way that you not only achieve optimal SEO,
but also optimal conversion rates.
Site design: Is your site design clean and professional?
There’s an assumption, by both search engines and visitors, that a site
that looks spammy
is spammy. If you’re trying to build an
authority site but are working on a highly out of date design, consider
upgrading to a simple website on
WordPress. WordPress is an
easy to use content management system
with many excellent designs (called templates) available for free.
Premium templates range anywhere from $20 to a few hundred dollars, and
allow you to specifically customize your site. Some of the best
templates can compete with world-class designs.
Regularly updated blog: Since
Google’s Freshness Update, there’s a ranking premium for sites that are
regularly getting new content.
The easiest way to do this is through the addition of a blog. By
regularly adding articles that are valuable for your readers – from
timely pieces that comment on trends and news to evergreen pieces like
how-to’s or product reviews – you’ll build your authority and improve
your search rankings.
Another benefit of regularly blogging is that it quickly builds the
amount of content that you can rank for in the search engines. A
well-developed strategy
can help you target many of your keywords through ongoing blog
development. Think of each blog post as another raffle ticket you throw
in the hat for being listed in search engine results pages.
Inbound Links (Pillar #2): The Infrastructure of Connections
Links give Google one very important signal: another site or reader
found material on your webpage valuable and relevant enough for them to
link to it. The more links you get, the more valuable your content is
deemed to be by search engines. More likes also builds trust and
authority, causing your pages to rank higher, driving more traffic.
In the past,
link building was a numbers game.
Links came from simple tactics that included listing your site in a
bunch of directories, linking to your site from comments on blogs, and
other transactions that focused more on having someone dedicate the time
to “link building” than actually focusing on creating value for
readers.
Today, link building is still critically important, but there’s more
pressure to build high quality links. Sites that you’re linking from
need to be reputable and relevant to your industry. Here are some
strategies to build links that also build your brand and authority in
your niche.
Guest blogging: There’s an increased focus today on guest
blogging as site owners look for organic ways to build links. Guest
blogging is simple: you find and pitch an appropriate blog with an offer
to write a post geared toward their audience. When you’re guest
blogging, look for reputable blogs that are relevant to your industry
and subject matter.
Here’s an article that describes a step-by-step process for guest blogging.
Press release distribution: Press releases are another way to build links to your site and help
build brand recognition for your business.
There are two keys for effective press release distribution. The first
is to find a newsworthy story to write about in your release, or to find
a relevant hook in the broader news landscape. For example, if you are a
coach for administrative assistants looking for new opportunities and
its Administrative Professionals Day, your press release is more likely
to be widely picked up.
This syndication effect will help you build inbound links. It may
also lead to valuable news coverage with publications running your story
or reporters asking you to act as a source. The second piece of
leveraging press releases is to use an effective press release
distribution service. It doesn’t have to cost you hundreds of dollars.
In fact, many are free. But make sure that whatever you choose is active
and reputable. A popular choice is
PRWeb.
Repackaging existing content: Building links to your site
doesn’t require an army of writers constantly developing new content
(although it certainly doesn’t hurt!). Instead, look at your existing
content and see how it can be repackaged across platforms and mediums.
Do you have a great, data-driven blog post? That could be the foundation
of a fantastic and highly viral infographic. A case study or white
paper could be paired with some simple imagery and turned into video
content for YouTube and Vimeo. A newsletter distributed by email could
be turned into guest posts or social media content.
Leverage real world connections into links: Are you
sponsoring local events in your community, such as little league groups
or a networking event? Perhaps you’re speaking at a conference or doing
pro-bono consulting for a non-profit? Do you belong to any professional
associations, speakers organizations, or civic groups? Many of the above
opportunities will come with the chance to list yourself on their
website, along with a bio or company description and a website link. Sit
down and do an audit of these options – especially ones you may already
be a part of and not using effectively. Circle back and have your site
listed where possible, and be on the lookout for these opportunities in
the future.
Target high quality directories: Indiscriminately listing
your site in every directory that you can find has little value. It’s
fair to say that it can even backfire; it’s an
old link building trick
and one that Google frowns upon. Yet there are a number of directories
out there that are valuable to your SEO strategy. Be on the lookout for
three kinds of directories where it can be useful to list your site. The
first is local directories; being listed can help you rank for
location-based keywords. The second is niche or professional directories
that are squarely focused on your industry. The third are established
directories with sections that focus on your area of expertise. Use a
tool like
Yext.com to find out if you’re already listed in some key directories.
Social Media (Pillar #3): Making Friends, Engaging, and Sharing Content
There was a time when analysts wondered if social media would make SEO obsolete. In reality, social media has augmented and
transformed the way that we think about SEO, without making the discipline itself go away. Today,
social signals
are having a direct impact on how sites are ranking in the SERPs.
Here’s what you need to think about in making the most of social media.
Interact in social media channels: The best way to build
some buzz on social media is to get out there and get connected.
Remember to think about your social presence as a conversation. Share
content that’s high value for your contacts, while also engaging with
them. Engagement means sharing other people’s content, thanking people
for retweets and shares, and joining people in discussions. This doesn’t
have to take a lot of time, but ideally you should spend a few minutes a
day focused on engagement.
Build your brand: Social media is a great medium to help
build your brand. A branded social presence can help build word of mouth
that gets you customers, mentions, and links. Think about branding your
social presence in three key ways. Make sure that your profile names
and descriptions are branded and link to your site. Ideally your
username and URL for both sites should be linked to your business name.
Ensure that the look and feel of your site carries through to your
profile layouts and design. Finally, share professional content in your
brand’s voice consistently. This doesn’t mean that you should never
share personal details, but it does mean to evaluate all potential
content through the lens of “is this appropriate for my customers and
colleagues?”
Generate social signals by making content easy to share: Does
every page on your site include buttons that make it easy to share your
content? How about every post on your blog? Take the time to install a
program such as
ShareThis to
allow readers to instantly share anything they enjoy. Focus on making
sure that you’ve included the relevant networks – at a minimum, users
should be able to share to Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and Pinterest.
Have a platform strategy: “Be everywhere” is one approach to
social media, but it’s rarely the most effective. Particularly if
you’re trying to get traffic to your site and people to read and share
your content. Instead, decide what platforms
are going to be the most effective for you.
The best strategy takes into account the social behaviors of your
target customers. Are they video people? Facebook addicts? Spend your
time online cultivating a following that generates social activity and
connects to your business goals beyond SEO.
Think Google+: From a purely SEO perspective, it’s important to
have a presence on Google+.
Here’s why: Google has been explicit that social signals play a role in
its algorithm. Twitter and Facebook matter some, but many of the search
results from both networks are restricted. Therefore, the network
that’s carries the most weight is Google +. Ensure that you have a
profile that’s connected to your site, and spend time building your
audience there. Share content, and make sure that a Google+ button is
available for people to like and share your content.
Conclusion
The world of SEO is definitely complex, and in 2013 a simplistic
legacy approach is no longer enough. Effective SEO requires managing
different elements, ranging from your content and keywords to your
social media and link building activities. But with a focus on these
three pillars, you can create a foundation and structure that will
support a high ranking site for a long time to come.
Source :
http://www.geocities.ws/ddb
