If you’re selling your products and services online, then you’ve probably heard about SEO. It refers to the methods you are implementing to boost organic traffic and target visitors who are most likely to become your customers.
Search engine optimisation is a complex realm and you might feel intimidated if you’re just getting started. But, the great thing about SEO is that you can start simple and build more as you go. Some SEO methods are easy to learn and implement and will make a difference in your stats. From our experience, SEO can become a sort of passion, as you find out more about it and start seeing palpable results.
But, with a plethora of tips, tricks, and tactics out there, you may be wondering which is the best and most effective SEO strategy. After all, since you’re new at this, it may be a good idea to start with the best tactics and maximise your efforts.
In this article, we’re going to tell you all about the best search optimisation strategies and why they are so effective.
You might also be interested in WHAT ARE THE TOP TECHNIQUES FOR SEO?
SEO: from Basics to Pro-Level
Let’s start by going through the steps of creating an effective SEO strategy for your business, blog, or eCommerce store. You will see that each step follows a simple logic and it all contributes to the overall better quality of your website’s content and design. And, yes, these methods will also generate sales and bring you more profit.
If you are already familiar with SEO but are not seeing the results you were hoping for, it would be a good idea to get a professional to audit your website, or run it through diagnostic tools yourself. If you feel that your existing SEO strategy is lacking, maybe you are not up-to-date with the latest tendencies in SEO, or you are missing some details that would make all the difference you need.
Read on to learn the basic outlines of a successful SEO strategy, as well as pro tips that can enrich your existing one.
SEO Strategy Pro Tips
You Want to Publish the Best Content
Since it’s not news anymore that content is a big part of how Google and other search engines rank websites, everybody now has a blog, a how-to section, guest posts, and affiliate domains. There is so much content, that the challenge now is not finding information about a certain topic, but browsing through tons of articles trying to find something that adds value.
Writing good content for SEO is a lot about matching the search intent of your visitors. To better understand how that works, just put yourself in the shoes of an internet user who wants to find certain information on a subject (preferably, the one you are working with). Let’s say you sell children’s bath toys.
- What are the simplest, clearest keywords one would use in the search bar? Perhaps Bl”bath toys for kids;”
- What are the words one would use when doing a voice search? Most probably a long-tail keyword like “What bath toys are right for a toddler?”
- Is the user looking for an image related to the subject, something like “yellow bath toy duck?”
- Is it a local search? Is it a buy intent search, like “cheap bath toys”, “bath toys near me?”
And you thought selling bath toys is simple, right?
The way you choose the subjects you write about, how you organise them into topics, and how they are optimised for SEO will directly influence your content’s visibility.
Of course, it’s also paramount to apply the basic principles of SEO in content marketing: do your keyword research, write in a way that is easy to read by both humans and crawlers, and be clear about what the reader is getting from it.
What Can Your Customers Get from You?
To start your content plan well, take your time to determine what exactly you can offer to your potential customers. Yes, you have a product or a service, but this should not be all. As a business owner in your niche, you surely have a lot of insight about the products or services you are selling – the insider’s tip.
Give your readers that insight and expertise, show them that you really know what you’re doing, and make them love your brand and the work behind it.
If you are not familiar with the most pressing problems your customers are facing, then you must work on building a deeper relationship with them. Use social media to find out what your audience wants and needs.
How to Write a Good Content Piece
If you’re past this first step, and you know what to write about, it’s time to handle the stylistic and technical aspects of the writing itself. Structure your piece of content in short, easy to handle paragraphs.
Don’t insult your audience by bombarding it with random keywords. Write for both the fast reader and the thorough reader. That means using headings, subheadings, and quotes!
You Want to Optimise Your Website for SEO
Writing good content and publishing it on a website that is not optimised is like throwing bottled messages in the ocean, hoping that one day the right person will find them. There are plenty of ranking factors Google takes into account when showing search results.
You should take them into account, too.
SEO Ranking Factors
1. Clear Site Structure
Search engines like web pages to be hierarchised under a logical and clear site structure. When you visit a website for the first time, looking for specific information, you want to find it quickly instead of browning page after page. Don’t make your visitors wander around your website, trying to guess where you’ve hidden the info they need.
2. Fast Page Loading Speed
Another on-page SEO factor that users (and Google) care about when visiting a website is its loading time. For an internet user with a search intent in mind, staring at a loading page for more than 2 seconds can be incredibly frustrating. And if their Internet provider is not at fault, it’s you.
3. Mobile-Friendliness
Have you ever visited your own website using a smartphone or a tablet? Are you pleased with how it looked like and how easy it was to navigate?
Having a mobile-friendly website is a must, especially if your business operates exclusively online. But don’t think that if you’re a small brick-and-mortar store, then you can get away with a website that’s not optimised for mobile users. Their user experience has to be satisfying to consider you before your local competitors.
4. Local SEO
Talking about mom and pop shops, it’s crucial to also mention local SEO. Most consumers do online research about the products and services they are interested in before visiting a local store. Make sure that your website appears in all the relevant online listings and that the information is accurate and updated.
5. Link Building
Backlinks are one of the most important ranking factors as it shows Google that your content is relevant and useful. Be careful, though, and aim for high-quality links as quality matters more than quantity. Getting tons of links from irrelevant websites won’t help your SEO strategy at all.
Try to get links from high authority sites in your industry, connect with your peers, and write guest posts for websites your target audience might visit.
Insert Meta Tags on Your Web Pages
While these might seem like ignorable technicalities, the titles and snippets that will appear on the Google results page when your web page is shown can determine a user to click on your link or not.
Optimise your meta titles and meta descriptions, but also be aware of users who are performing an image search, and insert proper alt text for each image you add to your content.
Search engine ranking is all about how good you are at offering users what they are looking for, and how to make your content visible. Search queries can be vague in expressing what a visitor really needs, so don’t make SEO a simple race to rank for the most common keywords.
Matching search intent requires some work and takes a bit of interaction with the customers, peeking an eye at what the competition is doing, and being aware of how Google rates you.
You Want to Distribute Your Content Properly
When you write a blog post or social media update, there’s always an exciting feeling when you wait for the reactions. If you don’t want that feeling to be replaced by disappointment, create a distribution plan that focuses on getting more valuable traffic.
When it comes to getting your content to the right people, at the right time, you should approach your digital marketing actions like an interconnected network. SEO alone can get results, but only a holistic approach can make those results outstanding.
Use Social Media
Whenever you write a blog post or run a new campaign, distribute it on your social media channels. You will get instant feedback, ideas for new content, and valuable traffic since they already know what you’re about, at least the very least of it.
Use Different Types of Media
Video marketing and different, interesting forms of content are more engaging than plain text. Don’t hesitate to get creative and daring when it comes to the format of the content you create.
Videos are fantastic for showing your audience that “insider expertise”. Filming a “behind the scene” or “how it’s made” video really satisfies customers’ need for an authentic, personal relationship with the brands they choose to consume.
If you go with text, create PDFs, e-books, infographic, and other easy to share media. Make sure to include graphic elements that really enrich the text in a way no wording can. Internet users appreciate “easy to chew” forms of content.
Can We Help?
If you are not sure what else you can do to improve your reach, take a look at what your competitors are succeeding with. If you are still not sure why you’re not getting the results you want, it’s time to call the experts.
Australian Internet Advertising is a company that can handle your digital marketing plan from A to Z, or simply be a partner you can consult when an issue seems too tricky to solve.