In the last 10 years, we have all heard of content marketing, social media, and blogs. More recently, platforms like YouTube and Facebook have become major players in content marketing, and marketers have taken notice.
In the quest for digital marketing insights, many marketers and business owners have turned to the internet for answers. One of the most popular (and free) resources for digital marketing is Google Analytics.
With over 2.2 billion searches per day on Google, it’s clear that a lot of people are relying on the search engine to find the content that they need. If you are looking to increase your SEO (search engine optimization) and grow your audience on Google, this is the perfect place to start.
What is SEO and How Does it Work?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a website on Google Search results. Essentially, SEO is the ability to have someone click on your website (link) when they are searching for a product or service that your website promotes. To optimize your website for SEO, you will want to work with a reputable SEO company to perform keyword research, analyze your content, and create a plan for link building.
Why Should You Focus On SEO?
With the explosion of content on the internet, people are finding it more difficult to capture the attention of potential customers. According to HubSpot Blogs Research, almost 80% of respondents say that they’ve witnessed a decline in traditional marketing tactics, like TV commercials and billboards, while 21% reported an increase. That means that digital marketers will need to find ways to stand out from the crowd.
Since SEO is one of the most affordable and accessible ways to increase your website traffic, the demand for SEO services has increased as well.
Create A Plan
Before you begin to optimize your website, it’s important to have a plan. Just like a military general who plans out the movements of his forces before a battle, you should plan out the sequence of steps you will take to optimize your website. In the plan, you will want to include the following:
- The goal(s) of your SEO campaign;
- The objectives you hope to achieve (e.g., increase sales, generate leads, enhance brand awareness);
- The type of content you will use (e.g., white papers, case studies, how-to guides, etc.);
- The target audience for your content (e.g., new customers, current customers, or potential customers);
- The keyword(s) you will use to optimize your content (e.g., “best laptop for graphic design”, “top 10 hair salons in NYC”, etc.);
- The date(s) by which you want to have completed the campaign (e.g., by the end of the month);
- How much you are willing to spend on paid ads (i.e., “what is SEO costs”); and
- Any other details that will help the SEO company provide efficient and effective service (e.g., the types of software they use, any specialized skills they have, etc.).
When you are ready to begin your SEO campaign, contact your chosen SEO company and begin the planning process.
Keyword Research
To determine which keywords to target, you will first want to conduct keyword research. What is keyword research and how does it work? Simply put, keywords are words and phrases that you will use to find and connect with potential customers. Without a clear idea of the keywords that your potential customers are typing into the search bar, it’s difficult to optimize your content for SEO. When a user types a search term into the search bar, their device (e.g., desktop, laptop, tablet, cell phone) will send a request to the server at Google, the internet giant.
When the server receives the request, it will send back a list of words and phrases (keywords) that the user might type based on their search query. From that point, the task of finding and connecting with potential customers becomes much easier. The keywords you choose will depend on your product or service, the geography you are targeting, and the demographics you wish to attract. For example, if your product is software and you are targeting users in the United States, you might want to focus on the following keywords:
- software;
- United States;
- graphics (keyword);
- Windows (brand);
- Apple (brand); and
- Android (brand).
Once you have your list of keywords, it’s time to build your SEO campaign. As discussed above, not all keywords will work for your business. After you have developed your keyword list, you can begin to remove those that do not appear to deliver desired results. For example, if you are seeking to grow your software installations in Asia, you might want to reconsider the following keywords:
- USA (United States);
- Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, etc.); and
- Windows (brand).
Having a clear idea of your target audience’ needs and desires will greatly improve the effectiveness of your SEO campaign. Before you begin to market your product or service, be sure to do your homework and learn as much as you can about your target audience. In this way, you will be able to choose the right keywords and create content that they will find useful and interesting.
Content Creation
Once you have your keyword list, you will next want to create content that includes these keywords and is optimized for SEO. Essentially, you will want to create content that embodies the needs and desires of your target audience. In creating content for SEO, you have two options:
- Create content that satisfies the needs of humans (e.g., product reviews, FAQs, guides, how-to articles, etc.); and
- Create content that satisfies the search engine (e.g., press releases, case studies, webinars, etc.).
Like with keyword research, not all content will be effective for SEO. To create content that will be effective for SEO, you will want to focus on the following guidelines:
- Use natural language
- Make sense
- Be conversational
- Be short
- Be specific
- Be actionable
- Be relevant
- Be creative
- Be unique
- Include relevant keywords
- Use headers
- Break up text into short paragraphs
- Avoid thin content
- Use meta tags
- Make sure your content is accessible
- Test
To determine which options to choose, you will want to consider the type of content you have created. If you are seeking to grow your software installations in Asia, you might want to consider creating how-to articles or a digital marketing guide. Alternatively, if you are looking to reach a younger audience, product reviews might be the way to go.
Link Building
Once you have your content, it’s time to build your backlink profile. A backlink is a website or social media page that points to your website. Essentially, when a user clicks on a website link, they will be directed to your website. To build your backlink profile, you will want to focus on the following strategies: