How do you ensure a successful SEO campaign? In the world of search engine optimization and online marketing, understanding SEO basics is essential. There is no guaranteed success. No special formula that will magically bump your website to the top of the search engine results page (SERP).
Just imagine if there were a surefire technique to instantly boost your page rank, like effortlessly dragging a song to the top of a playlist. Sadly, this is not how the real world works. If you want success, you have to work hard for it. And a successful SEO strategy is no exception.
But here’s the interesting thing:
While you’re here reading this article, figuring out the best way to improve and elevate your SEO strategy to the next level. Some experts in the field believe that search engine optimization is becoming obsolete and will eventually fade away into the sunset.
They couldn’t be further from the truth.
Some believe SEO is fading because online marketers and local SEO services have drastically changed their approach in recent years. Believe it or not, we are getting better at it. So much so that most of our efforts are hardly noticeable.
Or is it?
The truth is the techniques and methods employed by reputable SEO services may not be that obvious to a layperson, but the results speak for themselves. Once you see your website start to climb up in the search engine rankings, you will know that the local SEO company you hired must be doing something right.
Look:
The things that SEO experts and online marketers do may not be so obvious. But there are specific ingredients that they put into their efforts to come up with an effective and reliable SEO strategy that will benefit their clients.
Let me put it this way:
If you were eating a delicious but unfamiliar dish, would you be able to enumerate every ingredient that was included in that particular cuisine? No, that would be nearly impossible. But the food is still good, right?
And that is what we’re here to talk about. To determine which methods we should implement in our SEO strategy so that our campaign gets the best chance of success.
So let’s get to it, shall we?
Mastering SEO Basics for a Winning Strategy
1. Determine your target audience and set objectives on how to grab their attention.
One of the main reasons why we do SEO is to get our websites to rank well in search engines. A website that is positioned high enough on the search engine results page has a better chance of pulling in traffic and nabbing potential sales.
But here’s the rub.
All the effort you put into your SEO campaign to get a better ranking won’t mean much if your website keeps showing in front of audiences who simply don’t care about what you’re saying, or selling for that matter.
How do you make sure that you reach the right audience? First, you identify your target market, then you figure out ways to engage them, and you consider the next point.
2. Perform comprehensive keyword research and employ the appropriate keyword strategy.
Once you’ve established a target audience, you will have a better grasp of what they might be looking for when they’re doing an online search. What type of products and/or services they might need and what you can offer them? SEO basics are crucial in understanding this.
Beyond that,
You can now begin researching potential keywords that your target audience might use when searching. Figuring out the right keywords to base your SEO strategy on may become the linchpin you’ve been looking for to strengthen your campaign.
But be warned:
Frequently searched keywords and phrases are expensive, and they don’t necessarily guarantee your website an increase in traffic or page rank. It’s not enough that you get people to visit your site; you have to keep them there, keep them interested and coming back. That’s how you slowly build your ranking on the SERPs.
What’s the secret?
To reduce spending on keywords while maximizing their impact, concentrate on search terms relevant to your industry or services.
This is where long-tail keywords become relevant.
Although these search terms are not as common as those at the top of the most commonly used keywords and phrases, by using long-tail keywords, you are essentially targeting a specific group of your audience that is serious about buying your products or acquiring your services. This is a common technique used by SEO companies and services when tackling SEO for small businesses and startups. It’s more effective and less costly.
3. SEO with an emphasis on responsiveness and adaptability for mobile devices.
Yup! It’s time to step away from the Stone Age, folks. Whatever industry you are in, you need to realize that the majority of your target audience is using their mobile devices to perform online searches. In the past, desktops and laptop computers were the most common devices used for surfing the Internet.
But this is no longer true today.
Thanks to Steve Jobs, people can now shop online, stream videos, search for the nearest restaurant, and even post a review for that restaurant simply by using their smartphones and tablets. Every day, more consumers are conducting online searches using their mobile devices than people who are stuck in front of a computer monitor trying to post a nasty comment on this article.
Emphasizing mobile optimization is a good SEO strategy if you want to maximize the impact of your campaign.
4. Don’t forget about your SEO content strategy.
You have made a list of good keywords to use on your SEO campaign, and you’ve optimized your website well for mobile devices, but what about your content? Does it offer relevant information to your audience? Does it engage visitors and readers? Does your content have enough juice to pique the interest of your followers?
Regardless of what you might have read or heard from so-called experts, content is still a significant factor when it comes to creating a good SEO strategy. SEO basics emphasize the importance of content. After all, that’s exactly what your target audience is looking for when they visit your website.
A word of caution though:
Content that does not provide relevant information or help your readers in any way is not a good strategy. You can’t just string up sentences, assemble paragraphs, stuff a bunch of keywords in it and expect your efforts to bear fruit. Again, your goal is to get people to click on your website and keep them there.
There’s only one way to keep your target audience glued to your pages and keep them coming back for more, and that’s through high-quality content that is relevant to their query. It’s that simple. There’s no magic or trickery involved. You just provide them with what they want. Nothing more, nothing less.
Think about it.
When you search online, that means you already have a question in mind and you’re trying to search for answers. What is your target audience looking for when they visit your website? Does the content in your pages provide the answers to their queries? Why should they keep going through your content once they find what their searching for?
A good SEO content strategy should address these questions emphatically. When you create your content, you have to consider the needs of your readers first, before you start selling them products or services. The sale will come naturally once they are engaged and satisfied with what you have to offer.
5. Find a reputable SEO service provider to work with.
Any good SEO campaign starts with having a reputable SEO professional you can rely on. You want them to understand your needs as a small business, the type of audience you’re trying to reach, and what your goals are as a company. SEO basics dictate the importance of a reliable professional in your team.
Here’s the scary part.
The market for SEO companies and service providers is quite huge. So huge that it can be quite stressful to find the right group of professionals to partner with. In this respect, it’s important to carefully go through your options. Conduct research, and gather all the necessary information before you make a decision.
So it all boils down to this.
To guarantee the success of your SEO campaign, expand your reach to the maximum audience and maintain a consistent following by simplifying your SEO strategy to its fundamentals. Focus on what is important: your audience and their needs.