When you’re building a website or online content it’s good to have a strategy. There are a lot of factors at play in SEO so it’s important to ensure your content is crafted with search engine optimization strategies in mind.
The Best Search Engine Optimization Strategies
Optimization has clear benefits to your website’s position in SERP rankings. It’s much easier to build content with these factors planned rather than redrafting your content to match a keyword chosen after the fact. Here’s what you should be thinking about as you draft your content:
Tracking
Knowing where you stand helps you build a plan for the future of your website. One of the best tools available for tracking the visitors and pages viewed on your site is Google Analytics. And it’s absolutely free.
After installing analytics tracking on your website you’ll be able to measure which pages are working and which ones are performing below expectations. Building an action plan is easy once you can diagnose your website’s deficiencies.
Revisit your stats monthly and constantly assess your data for opportunities.
Keyword Selection
Before you write the first word of your text copy you need to know what your keyword will be. Weaving your keyword into your content, file names and the URL is much easier during construction than forcing the keyword in unnaturally after the fact.
After you choose a topic to write about, do the requisite research and find a keyword that fits your content. Once you pick a winner make sure it’s present everywhere so search engine bots can get to the core of your content.
Make sure every electronic rock that search engine bots turn over has your keyword waiting to be found.
Know Your Competition
What is your competition up to? Are they launching a new product, service or website? Are they implementing a new strategy that’s gathering a larger market share? Knowing this is half the battle.
Keeping tabs on your competition allows you to stay in the game by assessing what they are doing wrong or right. Similarly to tracking through analytics, having data on your business rivals allows you to make crucial decisions.
Gauging the success of your peers campaigns let’s you know what to replicate and when to stay the course. Keep your competition in your sights and learn from their mistakes.
Tools like GShift can help your business track your competition’s online progress very closely.
Web Presence
There are many factors outside of your website that will augment your overall web presence. Having active accounts and user engagement that connects back to your website and vice versa gives you more authority.
Youtube is a prime example of an external account that boosts your web presence. Posting videos and relevant content to your Youtube channel gives businesses one more place to engage with their audience and can direct users with interest back to your main site.
Other avenues to increase your web presence are:
- article submission sites like iBegin or ArticleSnatch
- business listing websites like DMOZ or Yahoo Business
- social bookmarking sites like Reddit, Delicious and Digg
Backlinks
Backlinks have been the backbone of web authority for years and they’ll always be a factor. Although there are more factors that search engine bots look for than ever before, backlinks still rank as a major factor in search results.
Gathering a lot of backlinks from reputable sources is a lot easier if you have your requests prepared beforehand. Draft an email template that allows you to quickly message new backlink opportunities without having to work from scratch every time.
Comment systems are also a great place to sniff around for backlinks. Many websites publish info similar to yours. Check their blog posts and pages for comment options with html options. It’s best to write each comment from scratch as they will seem more natural and are more likely to be published by the site administrator. Add value to the conversation.
Note: Some comments systems are automatic requiring zero certification before going live. Bookmark these sites when you find them. Revisit their site often and comment on each page and post relevant to your business. Be relevant.
Social Media
Being social is a great idea, and is rapidly becoming a major factor in search engine rankings. Backlinks can be created (and bought), but social endorsement is almost always legitimate. This is why search engines are perpetually giving more value to social endorsement.
It wasn’t that long ago that there was only one or two social medias to pick from but now there are countless players in the mix. These days there are 5 social medias that dominate the market.
- Google+
It’s important to figure out how many accounts your business can actively manage and which social medias will serve your business the best.
For Example, graphic design businesses would be well served by Pinterest. With all the images and visuals they create engaging a visual audience is key, while a writing services business that produces no visuals would be better served by Linkedin and Twitter.
Make sure you choose the social medias that work for your business, then be active in the community.
Local or Global?
Before you set out to achieve some SEO goals it’s important to gauge the audience you are targeting. Are you a local business? Will you operate completely online? What are your business borders.
Knowing the answers to these questions lets you build a plan that works for your business. Once you know your audience adjust your efforts accordingly. Serve a small area? Focus on local optimization strategies. Serve the world? Implement a broader keyword and social media strategy.
Download our SEO Rockstar Workbook and move forward with a strategy. Start building winning content today.
If you found this article and our download helpful try out these other free resources:
How to Get a Google Places Review
Canopy Media’s SEO Checklist
