Search engines are constantly improving the quality of the results they deliver to users who are looking for answers, products or services. For businesses and consumers, improved search results are a beautiful thing.
However, in order for businesses and marketers to generate consistent streams of organic search traffic, they need to stay on top of the continually evolving digital landscape. We understand it can sometimes be a challenge to keep updated on the world of search engines, so for our latest digital marketing video, we outlined the 7 Steps to Certain SEO Success:
1. Keyword Research
Like a building, marketing strategies need solid foundations to stand tall. The foundation of great SEO is relevant keywords. If you're able to lay the proper groundwork for longterm SEO success, every subsequent step of the process will be that much easier – including future-proofing and updating your strategy.
2. Competitive Analysis
It's clear: competition is a good thing. These days, every business has competitors – embracing them and using them to your advantage is a much better option than pretending they don't exist. If your competitors rank higher than you for highly relevant search terms, figure out what they're doing and beat them at their own game. Dealing with fierce competition is part of today's business environment and is one of the keys to success.
3. Website Optimization
Many people overlook website and on-page SEO optimization because they fail to understand it. Think about optimization in terms of communication. Search engines use a special language to communicate with websites; when we say "optimization" what we're actually doing is allowing your site to speak the same language as search engines while they try to assess its quality. Sure, it's an oversimplified representation of the technical process, but it helps highlight the importance of proper website optimization.
4. Address Domain Authority
Domain authority is both a measure of your SEO's success and a way to maintain it. As you add relevant and interesting content, you'll generate more links to, and shares of, pages on your site. In turn, this will increase your domain authority, which then boosts your ability to rank well in search engines. In short, a high domain authority is what your entire SEO strategy should strive to achieve.
5. Content Strategy
As much as we say the digital world changes fast, there is one constant: content. And that's always been the case – yes, even before content marketing become one of the biggest buzzwords in the industry. Creating high-quality content that your audience is looking for – and then promoting and sharing it on all relevant channels – is still the most reliable way to build an SEO strategy.
6. Social Media Strategy
It's no secret that social signals are now one of the metrics search engines use to rank sites and content. If you aren't using social media as the primary promotion tool for your content, making the switch will be amplify your content's reach and boost your site's ability to rank for the keywords you're targeting.
7. Measure, Report, Improve
The goal of SEO is to position your site and its content at the top of search engine results pages. To improve your site's ability to generate organic search traffic, you need understand where your site falls on the SERPs. This means, as it does for all things marketing, that measurement is the first and most important step to ensuring that you're always improving upon your efforts.
If you would like more information on search engines or professional help developing an SEO strategy, get in touch with your local WSI Digital Marketing Consultant today.
