It is 2017, and there are not many entrepreneurs left that do not realize the importance of search engine optimization to secure their business’ digital presence. They know that utilizing SEO can increase their chances of driving more traffic to their website, improving their search engine results page (SERPs) rankings, and most importantly, improving conversion rates.
However, even on this date, there are some business owners, and sadly even some digital marketers, who do not understand that search engine optimization is not something basic to master. While one may be aware of search engine optimization (SEO) techniques, it is the strategy that matters. Only a robust approach can bring tangible results. One strategy, quite obviously, won’t work for all. Sometimes it can become a real surprise such as a virgin casino promotional code, helping you to increase your money in an unexpected way.
However, a smart approach to SEO marketing strategy designing can turn a brand into a reliable revenue generator. With five simple steps, you can develop search engine optimization strategies that stick.
- Select the pages you want to optimize
Search engine optimization, contrary to popular belief, is expensive, especially in competitive niches. A cost efficient strategy needs to prioritize which pages to optimize and promote first. It surely depends on your industry and specialization which pages you select. What you must consider is the performance displayed on each page that you choose. It is better to first focus on the page that has shown the best result till now. Going for all the pages at once will yield a little result, and that too, in a very long time. Optimizing lesser but major pages can boost SERP results in a shorter span of time.
- Conduct a competitor analysis
Once you are done selecting the pages that you want to optimize first, you must see what the competitors are doing. A thorough analysis of both their on and off page tactics is required. Note that there are certain factors which you much consider for on and off page analysis. These are:
- For on page:
- Keywords
- Content structure
- Titles
- Headlines
- Subheads
- URLs
- Meta descriptions
- Images
- Tags
- Widgets
- Plug-ins
- Page load speed
- Responsive design
- For off-page:
- Backlinks leading to the targeted page
- Types of backlinks
You must use additional keyword synonyms, long-tail keywords as well as latent semantic indexing keywords to get better results for your page. You can take help from tools like Ahrefs, Moz and Google AdWords keyword planner for keyword research.
- Compare strategies
If your competitor’s pages are doing significantly better than yours, it is important to find what they are doing differently and exactly where you are lacking. Ask questions like ‘what is their keyword density?’, ‘are they using latent semantic indexing?’, ‘how is their content structured?’ ‘how have the framed their meta descriptions?’, ‘how have they used visuals for their page’s benefit?’, ‘are their pages mobile friendly?’ and so on.
Once you find answers to these questions, make a comparative study of your and your competitor’s SEO strategies. You will see exactly, where and how they are doing things differently, that is benefitting their SERP. Use the knowledge to boost your page’s search results too.
- Analyze behavior factors
It is now time to focus on factors like design and usability of the pages you are targeting. More importantly, try to analyze the user behavior on those pages. With the help of Google Analytics, run a behavior analysis test based on average time spent on page, bounce rate, and goals. From this test, you will get a clear idea of how your target audience is interacting with your page and how they are using your call to action or CTA buttons. Use heat maps to see how visitors are filling up forms and clicking links. Make a list of all the things you can fix. Be sure to keep the list as realistic as possible.
- Implement the strategy you have now designed
When you have collated all the required data, and the detailed analysis is complete, it is time to put all that knowledge to work. Optimize one page at a time and wait to see if the optimization is yielding desired results. Most importantly, remember that search engine optimization is ongoing, and often time-consuming process. You may modify your tactics, fine tune your strategy from time to time but you cannot discontinue your efforts as that can compromise not just your page’s ranking but your online reputation severely.
As stated above, a detailed SEO strategy is instrumental in a site’s success in the digital space. It is the strategy that helps to focus on things that matter and to skip those that don’t. It goes without saying search engine optimization without a well thought out purpose-driven strategy will hardly fetch any lasting result. So, to add value to a brand’s digital marketing efforts, stop treating SEO as a dull routine and start being creative.
Author Bio: Maria Anderson is an SEO marketing expert with years of experience. She has written many articles on how to make effective SEO strategies. In this article, she explains top five steps of creating winning search engine optimization strategies.
