SEO Strategy and You
If you’re a small business owner, you know the importance of getting your name out there. More and more, the traditional forms of marketing are having more of an impact on your wallet than they are on your business. As digital marketing continues to become the norm, you’ve no doubt become familiar with the term search engine optimization (SEO). However, implementing it might be an entirely different story. You might be using the tried and true SEO techniques yet not seeing the results you want. The solution may be less complicated than you think, though.
The digital landscape is a noisy place. According to Internet Live Stats, there are more than 1.7 billion sites online (probably more by the time you read this). SEO strategy can be built for short-term results, but long-term, sustainable solutions take time. If you have an SEO strategy, it’s only a matter of time before you cut through the noise and stand out among your competitors whenever people search online.
Just remember, good things take time, and this goes for digital marketing, too. Building a solid optimization strategy is always worth it in the end.
How Does SEO Work?
The first step in understanding why SEO takes time is knowing how this popular digital marketing strategy works. Search engine optimization is the process of getting free, organic traffic to your website. There are many layers to a good SEO strategy: keyword use in content writing, code optimization, website responsiveness, and more.
A proper approach to SEO cannot be rushed. As with most things, rushing often leads to mistakes and even rule violations. Your digital marketing strategy needs to follow best practices so that your website isn’t flagged and removed from searches.
Rule violations, often called “black hat” techniques, are sneaky ways boost SEO, like dropping in keywords where they shouldn’t be. These might give you results sooner, but eventually you’ll get caught and flagged. These can also cause damage to your reputation, and your target audience may lose trust in you. Effective optimization doesn’t need shortcuts.
How to Develop a Solid Optimization Strategy
SEO sounds so uncomplicated at first, doesn’t it? It’s just showing up in search results when people search for products or services, right? How hard could that be?
As it turns out, it’s a bit more complicated than many people think. A lot goes into an effective optimization strategy. When you’re developing your strategy and building your website, there are four main components to keep in mind. These “pillars of SEO” will provide a solid foundation for digital marketing:
Content
Your content is front and center. It tells a story to your visitors. It educates them about what you have to offer and why they should come to you. Your content needs to engage visitors while effectively implementing important keywords related to your business.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO can seem a bit overwhelming at first. It includes a lot of what’s going on in the background of your website: page load times, sitemaps, responsiveness to different devices, optimized content structure, and more. You may be familiar with some, but it’s also worth hiring a professional when this sounds overwhelming.
On-site SEO
Optimization goes beyond content. It includes page titles, meta descriptions, and URLs. Your site should also be user friendly and provide a good user experience (UX). These are all essential components for optimizing a website. It’s even more important for local businesses trying to reach local customers.
Off-site SEO
Part of SEO is authority. You have to build trust online for high rankings when people search online. Link-building refers to having other websites link to yours and having traffic come to your site from there. The more trusted these sites are, the better, so use reputable websites.
How Do You Feel About SEO?
A solid SEO strategy is crucial when you’re developing effective digital marketing. It takes time, but the results are worth the effort. If you want short AND long-term results, it’s a good idea to build your SEO strategy with PPC marketing and utilizing services like Google Ads (AdWords). This will give you results a bit faster while your SEO strategy is implemented. As it kicks in and your organic traffic increases, you can invest a little less in PPC or dial it up to maximize results.
So, how are you feeling about SEO and your digital marketing? Have any thoughts about new techniques? If you’re new to this, it can all be overwhelming. Don’t worry. When you need to cut through the noise, Chaos Theory can help you stand out.