Similar to a high school athlete losing fitness in his forties, SEO success today doesn’t guarantee success tomorrow. SEO practices are consistently evolving, propelled by algorithm updates such as Google’s Panda and Penguin 2.1. Before we tackle the best practices for effective SEO, it’s critical to understand how search engines work.
While it might seem obvious, you must remember that search engines aren’t human. They crawl the internet to see what exists in the digital world. Unlike humans, search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo are text-driven entities that rely primarily on text. After a spider crawls your site to determine its content, pages are indexed for users to find. Search engines process vast amounts of information to present users with relevant content, so websites with clear topics and valuable content are more likely to achieve high page rank.
The primary difference among the major search engines is how they determine the relevance of content. Otherwise, the crawling and indexing processes are generally the same.
What Are the Most Effective Strategies for SEO?
Regardless of your industry, SEO strategies in 2014 are the same for all businesses. By keeping these tips in mind, you’ll be more successful in helping your company gain online exposure, traffic, and business. The most effective strategies for SEO include, but are not limited to:
- Creating valuable content. Regardless of the algorithm changes that search engines implement, valuable content is always going to be the focal point of every algorithm update. While it’s important to select the right keywords and optimize your business posts, value trumps all. Google has made it clear that it has no interest in websites stuffing the web with irrelevant content.If you are consistently giving your target audience what it’s looking for, then Google will reward you with higher rankings. Our web content writing services are designed to deliver high quality no matter what. If you’re at a loss for words, we’ll give your target audience something to talk about.
- Going social. Google’s insistence on growing Google+ should be a clear indicator to any observer that the search engine is serious about the growing social media landscape. Whether it’s Google+, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or all of the above, it’s vital to ensure that your brand is on social media. Aside from simply having an account, ensure that your business pages are regularly updates and link to your official website. Since 77 percent of B2C and 43 percent of B2B companies have earned business through social media, this is also an opportunity for your brand to increase online conversion rates. On its own, social media is a powerful tool proven to grow business, but why not use it to strengthen your SEO efforts as well?
- Considering keywords. Since search engines rely on text to rank websites, it’s vital to pick the perfect keywords for your business. Once chosen, incorporate the keywords into your title tags and URLs. When used in content, keyword density should be in the realm of 3 to 7 percent. Posts frontloaded with keywords are also more likely to be picked up by search engines.From keywords in anchor text to keywords in meta-tags, and keyword proximity to related search terms, there are many considerations to keep in mind when incorporating keywords. At Lasso Up, we understand the technicalities that complicate keyword usage. Instead of trying to navigate the content landscape on your own, consider investing in a web content writing service to help your business grow.
- Linking. When you receive a positive business recommendation from a friend, you’re more likely to check that organization out, right? Think of online links as a digital recommendation. Every inbound link to your business or business blog boosts its credibility. After all, why would people link to your site unless it offers valuable and meaningful content? Internal links refer to those that you provide to consumers through your site. Linking to relevant content, for instance, improves website navigation and helps consumers find information that they’re looking for. Similarly, external links from high-traffic blogs and social media bolster your SEO standings with the search engines. Essentially, people only share links that offer something of value.
- Building on your existing content. While you should invest in content marketing today, it’s important to harness the power of the existing content you already have on the web. Even if it isn’t already ranking, tweaking older content can yield powerful results for businesses. For example, consider reformatting old content into a new platform. A business blog from two years ago might resonate today as an eBook or infographic. Feel free to share old content on social media. Chances are that your new clients haven’t seen your older posts, so re-sharing previously published content helps expose it to new eyeballs. Furthermore, re-sharing existing content helps your business increase the number of inbound links it’s receiving. By capitalizing on your existing content assets, you’ll experience greater marketing ROI on those pieces.
- Promoting your content. It isn’t enough to post content online and hope that the search engines will discover it on their own. Instead, promote it through social media, blogger sites, and customer-focused websites. Promoting your content not only builds links, but exposes your business to a new audience. Remember, search engines are more likely to pick up on active websites, so the more you promote your content, the more attention you’ll receive.
- Hiring a professional SEO service. With so many updates, techniques, and strategies to successful SEO, it’s important to understand that most businesses can’t afford to perform SEO in-house. Instead, you’ll benefit from hiring a professional internet marketing service that can tie social media, content marketing, and SEO together for a powerful marketing strategy. At Lasso Up, we understand the frustration that businesses like yours face when it comes to SEO. Maximizing the power of search engine rankings is critical to improving marketing ROI, attracting new customers, and growing your bottom line. Our marketing experts are experienced in helping businesses in every industry achieve the SEO success they deserve. Contact us today to learn more about SEO strategies for success.
