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6 Steps to Effective Search Engine Optimization

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In my opinion, the only kind of search engine optimization worth pursuing is effective search engine optimization.  Am I right?  Do you have time to mess around with anything else? 

There’s a lot of information and advice out there about SEO—much of it right here!  But, if I could give one piece of advice about effective search engine optimization, I think it would be to think in the long term rather than the short.  Long term thinking about SEO will keep you on the right track and ensure that your efforts aren’t wasted.

Ultimately, the goals of SEO are to increase traffic and convert visits into sales.  Notice I didn’t mention getting to the first page for your keyword.  High search engine ranking will come as a result of a smart long-term SEO strategy.  It isn’t the goal but the natural result of doing it right.  So, before you whip yourself up into a keyword-stuffing frenzy, consider the value of building your credibility over time using truly effective search engine optimization strategies.

1.  Research and analysis
Just as it sounds, this is the foundation of effective search engine optimization.  There are so many great keyword research tools out there that there is no excuse to skip this step.  In fact, you will do so at your own peril.  Your keywords identify you to Internet users and search engines.  Find the ones that apply to your business, check how many people are searching using those terms, create a list using a mix of search terms from highly competitive to highly specific (i.e. long tail).  Only when you have this list can you start creating content that is relevant and useful.

2. Strategy and planning
What are your goals?  What do you want SEO to accomplish for your business, and within what timeframe?  You might want to increase sales to a certain level.  You might want to expand into social media marketing in order to increase exposure within in the online community.  Sit down with your team and come up with concrete goal and objectives and do it now, before you move forward.

Your strategy affects everything from what kinds of content you create and distribute to how often you post fresh content to your site or outside sites.  For effective search engine optimization, it’s important.

3. Content
This is my favorite element of effective search engine optimization, and not just because I do it for fun and profit.  Content is not king for nothing.  It’s the thing that people want from you, and if you don’t give it to them they will find it somewhere else.

 This is where the time and effort is but also the reward, if it’s done right.  Start with your keywords and plan out a content strategy wherein you utilize several different content vehicles that include them.  If you are not sure what SEO content should look and sound like, have a professional SEO copywriter or service help you out.  It’s worth the money.

Useful, helpful, informational content that contains your most relevant keywords at a proper density (try 1-1.5%) is a proven way to lure visitors and convert them into paying customers.

4. Off-page optimization
What is this?  Think of it as going off of your own site to create links with other sites.  You can also look at it like helping your site make friends with other sites.  Networking, schmoozing, etc.  A lonely site doesn’t get as much attention as one that is the life of the party, and in the world of SEO, at least, you want your site to be popular.  So, reach out to other relevant sites through back links (linking to them within your content) and engaging them on social media.  Welcome blog comments and respond to them.  Comment on other people’s blogs.  You know, schmooze.

5. Competitive analysis
Effective search engine optimization includes spying on the competition—go ahead, it’s ok.  They’re doing it to you, you know.

Find out which keywords they’re using, what SEO strategies are working for them and where they are getting high-quality links from.  This will help you sense which way the wind is blowing in your industry and give you a chance to respond quickly to anything that affects you. 

Quick tip:  use social media to stay informed.  It’s a good way to see what everyone is talking about and what your competitors are up to.

6.  Follow up
This gives a lot of people a lot of trouble.  Follow up in SEO is like follow up anywhere else—it’s the essential step that many people just don’t want to bother with, and without which, much of your effort is wasted.  Effective search engine optimization demands follow up and maintenance, mainly in the form of fresh content creation and analysis of results, done on a regular basis.

Don’t you want to know how well you’re doing after putting all that effort into creating an effective search engine optimization strategy?  Of course you do!  If you don’t have time to follow up, i.e. create and distribute new content and analyze results, hire an SEO firm to do it for you.  It’s too important to neglect.

Following these steps will ensure that you are thinking long term with your SEO strategy, and never fall into short term ways of thinking about your online marketing plan.  Effective search engine optimization is not about ranking—it’s about building relationships and credibility first, then ranking.

Horse, then cart—got it?