An effective SEO strategy is a complex subject. It involves so many elements such as website content, website coding and structure, website graphics and website marketing. The objective of SEO is to hone all of these elements into a perfect package that will achieve the best possible search engine ranking (SER). In order to formulate an effective SEO strategy, one needs to understand the four underlying principles. Let’s have a look at each one:
- Technical SEO – this is how well (or easily) your website can be indexed within a search engine.
- Content – an assessment of how well your content answers a visitor’s questions
- On-site SEO – both content and HTML coding
- Off-site SEO – creating relevance and authority with quality links
Technical SEO
Although an incredibly important area, technical SEO issues are generally taken care of by your content management system (CMS). If your CMS is WordPress for instance, then you’ll be ok. For additional assistance, programs like Deep Crawl and Screaming Frog can highlight any issues.
Content
We know that Google prefers substantial, industry relevant, and compelling copy. In addition, your content should provide focused answers to common queries. From here, it should then provide a way for your customer to convert their search to action. Also, remember to keep changing or refreshing your content. For instance, fresh relevant and regular blog posts attract interest from customers and show Google you’re active and engaged. In addition, a good content strategy will increase your ranking and hits organically.
On-site SEO
On-site SEO means optimising your website as a whole and each page. This is a wide subject area but mainly concerns the following:
- Keyword Research – understanding your customer’s needs and, as a result, utilising the most effective keywords throughout your content
- Page Titles & Meta Descriptions – these are considered mini-ads and are essential to drive clicks straight from the search engine results.
- Clear Site Navigation and Strong ‘Calls to Action’ – make sure your site is a pleasure to use and always ensure your prospect knows what to do next.
Off-site SEO
Another big subject but this essentially concerns link building. In short, smart link building builds authority within Google and funnels traffic to your site.
With sufficient attention given to these 4 essential areas, you should begin to see results. These include better ranking in search results, more click-throughs to your site and, ultimately, more customers looking to buy.
