Components of a Good SEO Strategy
Continuing on our tangent of SEO services yesterday, I wanted to discuss the various components of a good SEO strategy, and how they will help your site achieve top rankings. This is also a good opportunity to look into the mind of an SEO, and find out what goes through our minds as we begin to build a solid SEO campaign.
So, you’ve decided to market your web site to the search engines. You have a viable web site, it’s online, and you’re ready to start converting a steady stream of potential clients into sales. Perhaps you’re considering investing in a Search Engine Optimization campaign. Maybe you would like to perform the optimization techniques yourself. Even if you’re a long ways off from starting to think about jumping into an SEO company and giving them the reigns for your web site, here is a list of the essential components of any search engine optimization campaign. This should help you further understand the complexities that are involved in any such endeavor, and why it isn’t a viable short term strategy.
1. Content Writing
No web site is complete without good content. Search engines want to return the most unique, relevant content for specific keyword searches. That means NO PLAGIARISM, people! The whole point of coming up with great, unique content is that great content is content that people will link to naturally, thereby building your links almost automatically. But, as I said before, no plagiarism is allowed. If you copy and paste content directly from another web site, then your site will get penalized, many times resulting in large drops of your site on the SERPs.
2. On Site Optimization
On site optimization is one of several parts of a good search engine optimization campaign. On site optimization includes: cleaning up the code on your pages, ensuring that pages are interlinked with each other, optimizing your site structure, optimizing link anchor text, ensuring that you have the appropriate H1 tags on your pages, adding site maps, optimizing your Meta Tags, and more. Depending on the complexities of your site, you may end up with a monster of an optimization project on your hand. Keep in mind though, that the above is by no means a comprehensive look at everything involved in on site optimization.
3. Off Site Optimization
Off site optimization consists of searching for quality, authoritative web sites to link back to your own. In essence, a link from another site is that other site vetting you as a worthwhile resource. These links can range from free links to links that you pay for. The primary goal of most search engines is to return web sites that are trusted, valuable resources, and have unique, excellent content that’s relevant to specific keyword searches. If you write excellent content, people are going to link back to it on their own. But, what if the natural link building isn’t enough? What if you want to embark on building links back to your site? There are several methods that you can use to accomplish this.
a. You can copy your competition’s linking strategy. To do this, search Google for your primary key term, and use the links: operator to determine the sites that are linking back to the top sites in the top positions of the SERPs. The sites that show up here are usually sites that Google considers valuable, and if you can get a link back to your client’s site from them, that will help your site rank higher. Repeat this systematically for each site that shows up this way and sooner or later you’ll have the links necessary to propel your client’s site to the top.
b. Create great, unique, compelling content that other people will want to link to. Of course, that’s easier said than done. You’re the one that knows your industry, so perform research. Who are you top industry specific competitors on the SERPs? What kind of content do they have? Why would someone looking to purchase your service/product buy from them? Then, once you have a point of reference to start with, you can copy their content strategy. Notice I said strategy, NOT copying the content itself. Instead, re-write the content in your own words if you absolutely cannot come up with an idea for content on your own.
4. Social Media
Utilizing social media is another leg of the foundation of a good SEO strategy. You need traffic, and you also need to be able to uphold your own reputation management strategy. Sites like Twitter and Plurk allow you to promote your brand and talk about your products/services in a micro-blogging format. Also, it helps to give your company an online presence, thereby increasing consumer confidence and a willingness to do online business with you. Plus, if complaints arise on Twitter, for example, it’s a great way to put the fires out quickly and resolve your clients’ issues.
While the above is not a comprehensive examination of the methods necessary to achieve higher rankings, it should be enough for you to see that SEO is not a short term, get rich quick scheme. SEO is a good, long-term strategy to participate in if you wish to promote your site, gain higher rankings, and increase traffic. It will help you develop a solid foundation of potential clients that may keep your business prospering year after year.