Search engine optimization is the process of improving the visibility of a website or web page in search engines via natural or unpaid organic search results.
The basics of SEO are really just common sense. If you want your website to be successful, you must ensure it is easy to find and use. That means using keywords that people are actually searching for, making sure your website is fast and mobile-friendly, and making sure your content is relevant and engaging.
Why Develop a Strong SEO Strategy
As a business owner, you know that SEO is important. But what exactly is SEO, and why should you care?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility and ranking of a website or web page in search engine results pages (SERPs). In other words, SEO is about ensuring that your website appears in the search results when people are looking for your products or services.
Here are a few steps to follow:
1. Perform Keyword Research
You must first figure out what keywords your target market uses to find solutions to their problems. This requires doing some research. You need to put yourself in the shoes of your potential customer and think about how they would find solutions to their problem.
For example, if you sell organic cat food, your potential customer is probably concerned about her cat's health. Maybe her cat has food allergies and is concerned about the chemicals and byproducts in most cat foods. Start searching for terms related to this and see what sites pop up. Look at the words used in the snippets on these sites to get an idea of the keywords you should target.
2. Post High-Quality Content
The main point is that you should create engaging and useful content for your target market. This includes content that addresses their questions, provides them with insights and information, and educates them to improve their skills. When creating this content, be sure to use relevant keywords throughout without overstuffing your pages with them in an attempt to improve your site's ranking.
If you use the same words too often when writing for your website, search engines may penalize your site by lowering your ranking or removing it from their index altogether. Not to mention, it won't make a great impression on your website visitors. Stick to using natural, unique language to keep things interesting.
3. Incorporate Keywords in Website Page URLs
Your page URLs are important for your SEO, so don't forget about them. Keyword research will come in handy when creating URLs. For example, if a page is about a solar financing product, then the URL for that page should be products/solar financing. Choose the most common and most searched keywords. If you are trying to decide between solar financing and solar leasing, go with the one with the higher search ranking.
Google AdWords Keyword Planner and Google Trends are two free and easy ways to check search ranking. Google AdWords Keyword Planner allows you to enter keywords to get an idea of how popular they have been historically in terms of search volume. Google Trends lets you compare different keywords to see a quick graphical comparison of interest over time.
4. Optimize Page Titles
Ensure your web page titles are engaging and interesting. This will make people want to read the great content below. A good way to do this is to answer the question What's in it for me? for your visitors. This will help you focus on what to highlight. Another tip is to use strong words and make the title sexy (with a little alliteration for fun). When creating these attention-grabbing headlines, make sure your keyword is in the headline (the H1) and the subhead (the H2).
5. Review Every Web Page
After you've created content that your target market needs and wants and have attention-grabbing headlines to engage them, go back and review everything you wrote.
In your review, look for additional places where you can naturally place keywords. Can you switch a sentence around to include a keyword? For example, on a page about marketing automation, Identify the best customers and convert more could be changed to Marketing automation helps you identify the best customers and convert more.
Also, consider whether you can create a keyword phrase by adding a word in front of a keyword. If you have a sentence talking about marketing campaigns and marketing automation is a keyword for your page, you could add automated to marketing campaigns. Do several review passes. You may be surprised at what opportunities you miss the first and even the second time.
6. Promote User Experience
Good user experience is important for strong SEO rankings because Google wants to provide its users with the best possible experience. This means that websites that are easy to use and navigate and provide the information users seek are more likely to rank higher in Google search results. So it's important to work with your web developers to ensure your website is user-friendly and easy to navigate.
7. Hire an Expert
Search engine optimization is improving the visibility and ranking of a website or web page in search engine results pages (SERPs). SEO can be done on-page (on the website itself) or off-page (on other websites). You can improve your website's ranking in search engines by taking some simple steps. You don't need to be an expert in SEO to do this - just use your common sense and follow the tips above.
Conclusion
A strong SEO strategy is essential for any business that wants to succeed online. By taking the time to research your target keywords, create quality content, and build links, you can improve your search engine rankings and attract more visitors to your site. While SEO takes time and effort, the rewards are worth it. A solid SEO strategy can improve your visibility, attract more customers, and boost your bottom line.
LionRank helps clients optimize sites with the best SEO practices with affordable SEO services. Our marketing app is simple, affordable, effective, and easy for beginners to navigate easily. On top of that, we also offer social media monitoring, local marketing, and reputation management. We can help you access the right SEO tools and web development techniques to ensure your site is mobile-friendly and stays on top of the latest trends. Get in touch with us today to learn more about our SEO services!