You or your web guy might ask themselves “How can a I create an effective SEO strategy that has a lasting impact?”; knowing that there are at least 500 Google algorithm updates being made annually? Great question!
Well, it would only safe to say that there’s no one-fit-all answer for this question. We all know that a profitable SEO strategy is one that’s able to bring in conversions and other tangible results to your business. And to achieve this, the first (and possibly most important thing) you need to do is to define the purpose of your business and spell out the objectives you’re hoping to accomplish. This way, you will be able to measure your success more objectively since there’s more to SEO than just keyword ranking.
According to the Google Search Quality Guidelines issued in November 2015, the main role of task search quality evaluators is to determine the purpose of a site and figure out whether it meets its intended purpose. This document gives us an insight on just how much Google is keen on understanding websites and their impact on intended users. As Matt Cutts (Google’s former head of web spam) stated in 2014, Google’s main purpose is to yield great search results for its users.
Building a Successful SEO Strategy
As explained, the first step in building a successful SEO strategy is to identify and define the purpose of your site. Everything else is dependent on this.
Different webmasters create their sites for various reasons. Let’s outline some of them below:
- To contribute information about various topics.
- To express viewpoints and opinions.
- To market products or services.
- For entertainment.
- For sharing files and software.
- For inquiries and feedback on various things.
This list goes to prove that the purpose of a site is what helps to determine its SEO strategy. For this reason, if your website seeks to serve multiple purposes such as marketing products, or services and sharing files, then defining the objective of each section of the site will help steer your business in the right direction.
But, what’s next after defining the purpose? There are plenty of things to consider especially when searching for keyword ranking that generate the right traffic on your site.
Back in March, Andrey Lipattsev who works for Google said that the search engine’s algorithm utilizes RankBrain, content, and links as the primary ranking signals.
However, considering that a lot still remains unknown as regards RankBrain, we’ll just focus more on what we’re sure about- links and content.
Good, Relevant Content
Content is the fundamental reason people visit any website. Indeed, this is the reason it remains king when it comes to SEO. Your site’s objective will determine the nature of your content. It is, therefore, very important for your intended audience to connect with it since it is one of the central factors of ranking.
Most people who perform searches online are making inquiries. They are trying to find solutions for their problems, keeping up with the latest trends across the world, seeking entertainment, and the list continues.
When creating SEO content, therefore, you need to factor in the inquiries that your target audience is making and provide valuable and comprehensive answers to them. A good understanding of this will give you a clue of your intended users and the keywords they use to search for answers. In my opinion, a good keyword should focus on the user and not on traffic. Heavy traffic does not necessarily mean relevance.
The keywords should reflect the general purpose and objective of the site. This will put your SEO strategy in context and guarantee that the traffic you receive on your site is from people that are interested in being on your site and interacting with you.
Below are some best practices to use when researching a keyword.
Selecting the Right Keywords
Your brand should form the basis of your keyword strategy. The keywords should be focused on your brand, product or service generates traffic from those who may have a remote know-how of what you do.
After compiling a list of keywords based on your brand, you can find relevant terms by combing through your competitors’ content as well as your own site. Tools like Google Trends and sites such as Quora will help you understand the kind of content that people are searching for. You can also find prospective customers on the vibrant social sites.
You can then use a research tool to verify traffic and competition for your list of keywords. In summary:
- Identify keywords related to your brand.
- Search through your content as well as that of your competitors for additional keywords.
- Compile a list and check it against a research tool.
Effective Link Building Strategy
Backlinks play an important role in any SEO strategy. Due to their effectiveness, most people have been using them to cheat the system which ends up giving them a bad reputation.
Thankfully, Google is pretty effective at identifying and penalizing anyone trying to use link building spams to get rankings. However, link building should not be ignored as it is an effective way of directing relevant traffic to your site. An effective strategy for building links makes good use of context, not just content. Any link needs to make sense and so you must consider both the content and context for an effective link-building strategy.
For you to achieve significant success with links, the first thing you need to focus on is to offer valuable and useful content on your site. Reach out to relevant sites in your area of specialization and build relevant links. If your site has great content, trust me you will receive links to it. As such, after coming up with useful content, promote it to relevant sites and industries and be consistent while at it. Building effective links takes time. Please note that you should not focus on only the number of backlinks that can earn you more money. Rather, your main focus should be on the quality of the backlinks.
Identify Your Objective and Work to Achieve It
In an increasingly cutthroat online world, sites that focus on building a strong base and creating value for their intended users are the ones that will achieve durable success.
Defining the objective of your site and using that as a basis for creating your search strategy will enable you to not only achieve your goals but also impress your audience and make your backlinks more valuable.
Are you struggling to create a rewarding SEO strategy for your business? Please don’t hesitate to reach us here at 92 West to find out how we can assist you get your business out there and your goals achieved!
