Search engine optimization can be transformative for your business (emphasis on the can), when executed well. However, unless you take a holistic approach and commit to near-perfection across the board, you will invariably struggle to outshine your competitors.
In this article, we’re going to share 5 top tips that will help you increase your overall chance at SEO success.
Top 5 SEO Best Practices that Everyone Should Follow
1. Research like your life depends on it
To many people, research is a dirty word. Why? Because it takes an awful lot of effort to do it right. And the worst part? Half-arsed research is a total waste of time – which means you’ve got your work cut out for you.
That said, for those who are prepared to go the extra mile and conduct extensive research in all areas, success is not just a dream, but a very obtainable reality.
● Market research: Where does your brand and business fit into the current market? How do your products or services make people’s lives easier?
● Audience research: How much do you really know about your ‘ideal customer’? Remember; proper audience research means going so far beyond age, gender, and location that they no longer seem important. Why? Because you are going to deep-dive into their psyche and understand what truly makes them tick. And with that data, you will paint an accurate ‘buyer persona’ for you to leverage in your content creation efforts.
● Competitor research: And of course, there’s no good charging into battle if you have no idea who or what you are up against. Competitor research will give you an amazing opportunity to identify who your biggest competitors are, what they are currently working on in terms of their own online marketing, and find gaps in their content creation.
Knowledge is power. The more data you gather, the better positioned you will be to strategize a truly impactful campaign that is bound for success. But that’s not all.
2. Understand the power behind proper keyword research
The whole purpose of SEO is for your website to show up at the very top of a Google SERP (search engine results page) for the search terms that are most relevant to the products and services that you offer.
With that in mind, why do so many business owners fail to realize the true power of conducting proper keyword research?
When thinking about which keywords to focus on, you need to consider the following:
● Which keywords get the most searches each month?
● Which keywords are the most competitive?
● Which keywords have lower monthly searches but are most likely to convert?
● What is the ‘search intent’ behind each key phrase?
● Which localized keywords apply best to your business?
● Which short-tail keywords describe you best?
● Which long-tail keywords can help you strengthen your position?
You see, proper keyword research is all about balance. You need to settle on a healthy mixture of short and long-tail keywords with varying levels of competition and search volume.
Trying to rank only for the most competitive keywords is a waste – as is focusing on less competitive keywords that aren’t overly relevant.
Find balance, understand intent, and optimize your website accordingly and your SEO efforts will make a far greater impact.
3. Create content for your customers
Creating content solely for the purpose of pleasing the search engine gods is a mistake. Instead, you need to rethink the way you look at content creation entirely.
Yes, you want to appease Google and create content that meets their requirements, however, your sole focus should be your customer.
One of Google’s most recent algorithm updates was called “The Helpful Content Update”, or “People First Content Update”.
In other words, Google is looking to rank websites that are actively going out of their way to deliver superior value to their users.
As such, whenever you think about producing a new piece of content, you need to focus on: “How is this going to improve lives?”
In that respect, competitor research really does come in handy. Often, when creating content, there’s a lot of overlap – which means there’s a good chance that your competitors may have covered most things already. As such, you need to cover certain topics better and in even greater depth.
● How can you create a better on-page experience?
● Will the use of infographics get the point across easier?
● How about transcribing your blog posts to make them more accessible to people with disabilities?
The greater the effort you put into producing valuable content, the more likely each piece will be to rank well, attract traffic, and thus contribute towards your continued success.
The best part? The more awesome content you produce, the more likely that other marketers will be to share, reference, and link back to it. This will invariably help you grow a strong and natural back-link profile (which is another critical ranking factor for Google).
In the same breath, you should also consider developing a guest-blogging strategy, whereby you write high-value content to be posted on other, industry-relevant websites.
Quality over quantity, as always.
4. Perfect your website
OK, so while there’s no such thing as ‘perfection’, you should aim to get as darn near close to it as you can.
Remember, your website is essentially the face of your business online. What kind of first impression are you making?
Yes, you need to optimize your on-page for SEO, with focus keywords and ‘SEO-friendly’ content in mind; but it goes beyond that.
What Google is also looking for besides the obvious (optimized Titles and Metas, etc.), are websites that provide their users with as positive a user experience as possible. Which means:
● A fast page load speed (people have places to be).
● Clear and concise sales copy with natural keyword placement (keyword stuffing is a no-no).
● High-res imagery that informs and inspires (it’s gotta look the part).
● Intuitive internal linking that effortlessly guides website visitors to the information they need (or never knew they needed).
● A fool-proof site navigation system making it easy for users to find their way to your product/service pages.
● A detailed FAQ can never hurt (pre-empting and addressing your prospective customers’ most frequently asked questions demonstrates your dedication to quality customer care).
And on and on it goes.
As you can see, the more effort that goes into making your website visitors’ lives easier, the more likely Google will be inclined to recommend you – and indeed the more traffic you will invariably receive.
It’s a win-win and when you perfect your overall onsite experience, you’ll also have a far higher chance of converting those clicks into customers.
5. Hire the professionals
And last but by no means least: hire professionals. If you really want the greatest chance at success with your SEO, delegating to industry experts is a clever way to go about it.
Imagine if all the above requirements (and more) could be handled with expert precision on your behalf?
Rather than tear your precious time and attention away from doing what you do best, instead, you can leverage the immense knowledge and potential of an SEO agency with a reputation for success.
Just remember: no two SEO agencies are created equal. If you are going to outsource your online marketing needs, you must do your due diligence before signing on the dotted line and parting with your hard-earned cash.
Much like this company offering SEO services in Las Vegas, you should look for similar credentials before making a final decision:
● Loads of 5-star reviews.
● Dozens of real-life case studies from recognizable brands.
If you go out of your way to find an agency that can prove its authenticity and capabilities in a similar fashion, you’ll be far more likely to succeed. If, however, you shop around on price alone and look for the cheapest SEO agency, you will more than likely regret it.
Settle for nothing less than the very best – and pay them what they’re worth. The ROI will be worth it.
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