Last time we discussed Parts 1 & 2 of this SEO strategy which were “Defining Your Objectives” and developing your “Keyword Strategy”. If you missed that post you can find it here. This time we will be addressing the next steps in creating a solid SEO strategy for your website whether doing this in house or hiring some help.
This way you will be well versed in planning a strategy and be able to keep up when those you may outsource ask you questions or if your team has troubles implementing any of the tasks.
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SEO Strategy Part 3: Onsite SEO & Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
While thinking about the content of your website you always want to consider what Google will think of it on their end. They use an algorithm, currently called Panda, to weed out the bad eggs or sites that are just trying to get traffic and not provide any actual useful content for the keyword. There are definitely ways to avoid getting negative marks in Google though.
- You want to make sure you are naturally optimizing for keywords. Whenever you write content you don’t want it to be blatant that you are trying to rank for a specific keyword. Try not to repeat yourself in the content and use lots of variations of the keyword you’re hoping to rank for (long tails, synonyms, etc.). You can even use keywords that are similar but not the same.
- When doing your competition research you want to take note of the things they’re doing so you can match and exceed that. If you top competitors are posting blog posts with 800 words and using 4-5 keywords you will want to post blog posts with 1000 words and 6-7 variations of the keyword. This will make sure you rank above them for the same categories.
- The lower the word count of the content you create the lower your rank will be. You want to write a good amount of content on the page so it truly adds value to the person clicking in. Remember, they came to that page to get information on a specific topic. It’s always good to aim for at least 500 words or more to make sure you have length and quality.
While you are not going to be able to make it to the first position for every keyword you rank for you want to make sure you are utilizing your 2nd or 3rd place ranking as well as you could be. If you type into Google “Ice Cream Shop Orlando” and the first three results are “Magic Ice Cream”, “Ice Cream Heaven” and “Voted #1 Best Ice Cream Shop in Orlando 3 Years Running” which would you click on?
Probably the third listing because I want the best ice cream. In that scenario, you want to be the third listing. Always write headlines that will entice searchers to click on your page first, even if it isn’t the first one they see.
You can cause big conversions on your website with the smallest of tweaks. At the bare minimum and the simplest things you can do are:
- Make your Call To Actions (CTAs) very obvious and BIG
- Want people to sign up to your list? Make the list form the first thing they see. Want them to call you? Make your phone number huge.
- Make sure these forms are easy for people to use. If you want them to call make sure it pops up as call now in mobile. If you want them to sign up only require them to put in the smallest amount of information necessary.
SEO Strategy Part 4: Link Building Strategy
When you start a link building strategy you are putting content out into the web that links back to your website. The more quality sites that are publishing content that refers to your website the better because Google will then look to you as an authority for those topics. Again, Google has an algorithm in place to make sure you aren’t just posting a ton of bogus content that includes your links (it’s called Penguin currently).
Link building, apart from making your onsite SEO spot on, could be the most important part of the entire strategy. This is where you can truly begin to build traction.
To do this the right way you’ll want to start with the less powerful links and move your way up to the hardest competition. It’s the different between using a long tail branded anchor to getting listed as an authority in the Time Magazine. When you are posting links you’ll want to make sure you are using medium-high competition keywords in the content as this will get you the most bang for your buck.
Start with press releases and social media profiles that link back to your website. Make sure you’re linking back to the appropriate page within your website that will have the greatest effect with the keywords you are using. Use the most natural anchor text as you can and create tons of natural links on high authority sites.
These steps will build your rankings quickly and get you in the game.
Can I Really Do This All Myself?
In a word, yes. But, it does take a lot of time to get all of this running and train a team of in-house people to be dedicated to it. It does take a couple full time positions to get this all done the right way in house. If that doesn’t seem very feasible to you at this time it’s always a great idea to turn to the professionals.
We at Full Scale SEO are trained in the best versions of these strategies and do this stuff every day. We already have the staff to get it completed for you in a fraction of the time it would take you in house. Are you ready to take your business and website to the next level with a top notch SEO campaign? Call us today at 727-350-7635.
