The way you conduct your online marketing and SEO strategy will make the difference of standing out from other online businesses. With Google constantly changing things up, it sometimes is hard to figure out the best strategy to stick with.
Back in 2013 we saw a trend that made up 3 pillars for SEO which consisted of a combination of content, links and social media in order to dominate the search engines with your online presence.
Check out the details on these 3 pillars below and start applying them to your SEO marketing campaign:
Content (Pillar #1): Make The Most of What’s On Your Pages: The first pillar of an effective SEO strategy is your onsite content and structure. Keyword research: The concept is simple: you can only optimize your site once you know how your target market searches for the products/services you have to offer. Keyword structure: One simple way to do this is by taking a look at your website structure and mapping keywords to the major sections. Content optimization: Content optimization is not about stuffing keywords into every available opportunity or even meeting a specific formula of “keywords must appear X times per 500 words”. Instead, just remember to include your primary keyword is included in your article title and meta tags. User experience (UX): One easy way to figure out if your user experience needs to be improved is to look at your bounce rate on Google Analytics. A bounce is a visitor that leaves your site without visiting more than a single page. If a high percentage of people are bouncing from your site, you may be ranking for irrelevant terms or your site design may be too complicated. Ask yourself what people are trying to accomplish, and look at ways you can make that easier. Site design:If you’re trying to build an authority site but are working on a highly out of date design, consider upgrading to a simple website on WordPress. Regularly updated blog: Since Google’s Freshness Update, there’s a ranking premium for sites that are regularly getting new content. The easiest way to do this is through the addition of a blog. Another benefit of regularly blogging is that it quickly builds the amount of content that you can rank for in the search engines.
Inbound Links (Pillar #2): The Infrastructure of Connections: Links give Google one very important signal: another site or reader found material on your webpage valuable and relevant enough for them to link to it. More likes also builds trust and authority, causing your pages to rank higher, driving more traffic. Sites that you’re linking from need to be reputable and relevant to your industry. Guest blogging: There’s an increased focus today on guest blogging as site owners look for organic ways to build links. When you’re guest blogging, look for reputable blogs that are relevant to your industry and subject matter. Press release distribution: Press releases are another way to build links to your site and help build brand recognition for your business. Repackaging existing content: Look at your existing content and see how it can be repackaged across platforms and mediums. Leverage real world connections into links: Do you belong to any professional associations, speakers organizations, or civic groups? Many of the above opportunities will come with the chance to list yourself on their website, along with a bio or company description and a website link. Target high quality directories:Be on the lookout for three kinds of directories where it can be useful to list your site. The first is local directories; being listed can help you rank for location-based keywords. The second is niche or professional directories that are squarely focused on your industry. The third are established directories with sections that focus on your area of expertise.
Social Media (Pillar #3): Making Friends, Engaging, and Sharing Content: Today, social signals are having a direct impact on how sites are ranking in the SERPs. Here’s what you need to think about in making the most of social media. Interact in social media channels: The best way to build some buzz on social media is to get out there and get connected. Remember to think about your social presence as a conversation. Share content that’s high value for your contacts, while also engaging with them. Engagement means sharing other people’s content, thanking people for retweets and shares, and joining people in discussions. Build your brand: Social media is a great medium to help build your brand. A branded social presence can help build word of mouth that gets you customers, mentions, and links. Generate social signals by making content easy to share: Does every page on your site include buttons that make it easy to share your content? How about every post on your blog? Focus on making sure that you’ve included the relevant networks – at a minimum, users should be able to share to Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and Pinterest. Have a platform strategy: The best strategy takes into account the social behaviors of your target customers. Are they video people? Facebook addicts? Spend your time online cultivating a following that generates social activity and connects to your business goals beyond SEO.
Do you feel now that it's 2014 that there are more than 3 main SEO pillars to focus on?
Image Source: Roscoe Ellis on Flickr
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