7 Steps to an Easy SEO Strategy
In this blog post, I encourage you to set an easy SEO strategy for your website and your business. Previous blog posts discussed SEO tips to boost website rankings in search engines. With the steps below, you will be set to optimize your site consistently.
Are you up for the challenge to create your SEO strategy?
The following are 7 easy steps to get it done.
1. Start by Setting a Goal
The first step of any good strategy is to set a goal of what you want to accomplish. You will need the goal to include 5 things. By taking the time to create a S.M.A.R.T. goal, you will be able to know if you’re succeeding. You also can’t gauge more accurately what it will take to reach your goal.
A S.M.A.R.T. Goal needs to be
Specific | Measurable | Achievable | Realistic | Time Based
A SMART Goal worksheet is provided as a free download below.
In the worksheet you will decide how much search engine traffic you want from your content by the end of the month or the quarter. If you have no data yet, start by taking a guess at how much content you need to publish to reach that goal and how much (and where) you need to promote it to get the traffic you desire.
2. Determine the Topics and Publishing Schedule
Next, it’s time to make a list of topics that you want to write about and determine with a publishing schedule. This doesn’t have to be set in stone, but you’re much more likely to get it done if it’s scheduled on the calendar. Commit and do your best to stick to it. Then it’s time to start writing.
Get a Free Download containing
SMART Goal Worksheet, Brainstorming Worksheet, and Avatar Information
Click to download here
3. Find Your Keywords
Do the research. Find the keyword that you think will give you good results. There’s no way to guarantee if they will work for you until you try. The good news is that you can tweak and change, or simply create more content based on other keywords. Remember, you want to rank for keywords and keyword phrases that indicate that people are looking for what you have to offer. This is a link to the blog post discussing keywords.]
4. Publish Content and Monitor Rankings
Publish the content for the schedule you’ve determined, keeping an eye on rankings and traffic over time. (Did you install the Google analytics link pixel?) Create a spreadsheet of your keywords and document the ranking results from Google Analytics. Use an incognito web browser, check how your website appears in Google search once a week or so. (Using an incognito browser will avoid your search being “personalized”. Clearing the cache will also help.) Use Google Analytics to keep an eye on the traffic you have coming in through search. Become familiar with your numbers.
5. Work on Social Signals and Incoming Links
Each time you publish a new piece of content, spend a planned amount of time to promote and share it on social media. If you have an email list, email them about it on a weekly basis. The more visible your content is, the higher the chance someone will visit the site and naturally share a link to it getting you more visitors.
6. Rinse And Repeat
Keep writing, recording, and analyzing. Keep publishing. Keep sharing both old and new content on social media. You’re in this for the long haul.
7. Track, Test, and Adjust the SEO strategy as Needed
Take time consistently to examine your data.
What part of your SEO strategy is working well?
Is it working as well as you’d like? If not, what could you do differently?
Changes might include publishing less frequently and writing longer blog posts instead or the opposite – frequent short posts. It could be using different social media images that resonate more closely with your readers. Perhaps it’s taking the time to experiment creatively with other types of social media – for example, Pinterest. For example, create five new “pinnable” images each week correctly linked back to a page on the website or product. Experiment and test each idea.
Shift and adjust as necessary. Revisit the previous ideas you’ve tried if needed.
One thing I know for sure is that SEO is a moving target so the SEO strategy you implement will need to be flexible until you find what works well.
Continue to learn about SEO in general and the many options out there. Then tweak your strategy as you learn experimenting with more techniques to find the working solution for your unique offering.
Please share your SEO strategy with me. I would love to know what you’ve discovered is working for you.
To your Success!
Terry
