Developing a successful SEO strategy requires a methodical approach similar to other marketing tactics. Start by creating and implementing a comprehensive plan incorporating the following SEO tactics. Test each of the SEO practices regularly and adjust your strategy as needed for the best results.
Set SEO goals
Before you can create an SEO plan, it’s important to know what you want the plan to accomplish. Therefore, your first step should be to prioritize your business goals and determine the specific goals you want to achieve through your SEO efforts. This could include increasing website traffic, improving search engine rankings, generating more leads or increasing brand awareness.
Consider SEO scalability
Consider whether you have the resources and expertise to handle SEO in-house, or whether you should outsource to a dedicated agency. Businesses that are unable to outsource SEO marketing due to a limited budget can consider self-education through platforms such as Moz and HubSpot Academy. These resources offer a wealth of knowledge to help you develop and improve your SEO skills over time. If you decide to hire an SEO agency for your business, be sure to check out our top 10 SEO services.
Do keyword research
Keywords are the foundation of any effective SEO strategy. They improve search engine rankings by acting as the bridge to connect users’ search queries with relevant website content. In order to find the best keywords for your website, it is important to do a thorough keyword research. SEO tools such as Google Keyword Planner, Semrush and Ahrefs can help find relevant search terms and phrases for your target audience. They can also analyze search volume and the competition for specific keywords or phrases.
Create website content
Develop a content marketing strategy that aligns with your SEO goals. Content marketing involves creating web pages, blog posts and other types of content to attract visitors to your website. Once you’ve gathered your targeted keywords, be sure to focus on optimizing individual web pages by including them in headlines, meta tags, and throughout your content. If you used WordPress to create your website, be sure to download the Yoast SEO plugin to help with on-page optimization and content analysis.
Technical SEO
While content creation can be the fun part of SEO optimization, technical SEO optimization is the boring but necessary part. Technical optimization for SEO includes improving site speed, implementing correct URL structures, optimizing page titles and meta descriptions, and using schema markup. Once you believe your site is optimized, you can use Google Search Console or Moz Pro to identify and help fix any remaining technical SEO issues.
Optimize for mobile SEO
Since more than half of all website traffic comes from mobile devices, it is imperative that your website is not only mobile-friendly, but also optimized for mobile SEO. So how do you optimize your website for mobile? First, make sure you build it with a responsive design. This means it adapts to any screen size. Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in its search ranking. It is also important to keep the load size fast. Slower load times lead to high bounce rates that negatively affect your search rankings. To optimize for fast speed times, be sure to compress images, use browser cache, and minimize the use of render-blocking JavaScript and CSS. Finally, make sure your SEO-friendly content can be easily consumed on mobile devices by breaking up large chunks of text, using subheadings, and incorporating visuals.
Link Building
Backlinks are one-way hyperlinks or “backlinks” from another website to your website. Each backlink acts as a vote of confidence from other sites and increases your site’s authority. Search engines, such as Google, often see these backlinks as indicators of a web page’s quality. A higher perceived quality by Google therefore often means a better position in the search results. Among various SEO practices, “backlinking” is considered to be challenging, with almost half of the companies identifying it as the most difficult aspect. Effective backlink building strategies include guest blogging, producing content that encourages sharing, and interacting with industry influencers. Tools like Moz’s Link Explorer and Ahrefs can help track and analyze your backlink profile.
Analyze competitors’ SEO
Analyzing your competitors’ SEO strategies is an integral part of optimizing your web presence. By understanding what your competitors are doing in terms of SEO, you can gain valuable insight about their tactics and the effectiveness of their approach. With tools like Semrush and Ahrefs, you can analyze your competitors’ keywords, backlinks, estimated total traffic, bounce rate, time on page, top traffic sources and overall SEO performance. You can use the insights from a competitor analysis to help identify gaps your business can fill, overlooked approaches and opportunities for differentiation. You might consider molding your unique offerings to some of their successful strategies. Whether it’s improving your keyword targeting, on-page optimization or link-building strategies, utilizing competitive analysis effectively is a vital part of a well-rounded SEO strategy.