SEO Basics
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Search Engine Optimization is a vital part of being online for most business. For some it is the critical factor as it is the main channel the business uses to gain customers.
If you do not devise a SEO plan then this may mean that a lower number of visitors will reach your website or blog from search engines. If you don’t do it or if you don’t do it properly then the search engines can’t categorize and rank your site for keywords relevant to your business.
It is typical that a person will search for your product or service but does not know that your business exists. You need a search engine to know about you and what you offer. You need a search engine to present your business to the searcher.
This is a wonderful situation for all involved.
- The searcher is satisfied – they have found what they were searching for.
- The search engine is satisfied – it pleased its customer.
- You (the website owner) are satisfied – you have a visitor that was searching for what you have to offer.
Here are some basics. You need to have a search engine optimization plan and these aspects of search engine optimization will help you to flesh out the details. Start without detail and then work to define the specifics.
Consider your customer . . .
- What problems do they have where you could help?
- What content will your potential customer search for to solve their problem?
- What keyword phrases will they use to search for it?
- What content format will delight them (text, images, video, podcast, infographic)?
You need to perform both on-site and off-site SEO. On site is generally easier as you have control of the factors. Off site primarily means link building and this can be difficult. However, any website or blog with a top position in a competitive market is sure to have a well developed link profile.
You need to acquire in-coming links.
- Who do your competitors acquire links from?
- Which collaborators will link to you?
- What business associations will provide links for members?
Consider all the ways you can gain in-coming links and then plan to get them.
Start planning and learning now. The longer you put it off the further ahead your competitors will be, and the harder it becomes to rank higher than them.
For that matter you need to know your competition. One of the misnomers about SEO is that you have to do things perfectly. You don’t need to be perfect. You need to know your competition and you need to be better than them. Therefore, what sites are in the position that you want to be for the keywords that you want to rank for. Figure out what they are doing well and then out-perform them.
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Note also that no two websites are the same. An SEO strategy that worked for someone else may not work for yours because there are so many variables.
If you are steady at creating high quality content then SEO doesn’t have to be expensive. You can get very good results on a small budget if you invest time in creating good content and building strong online relationships.
No matter what you do your SEO results will take time. The results of SEO work done today might not become apparent, and might not be credited by search engines, for weeks, or even months.
The newer your website is, the more patient you will need to be. It takes time to build authority and trust, and until you’ve developed both, you shouldn’t expect to outrank older, more established sites.
Never consider your website to be finished. If you want your site to continue to rank higher, attract more visitors and make more sales, then you should always be adding to it and improving it.
Be watchful and be prepared to adapt to search engine algorithm updates. To attain and retain good rankings you need to adapt your SEO strategy as search engines evolve over time.
If you want to stay up-to-date in the area of search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing then consider subscribing to the SEO Notebook. The subscription form is at the top of the page in the right-side column.
About Gary Horsman