Every website owner wants to achieve the holy grail of search engine optimization (SEO): results on the first page of Google. However, with thousands of new sites coming online every day, is it still possible for the average site owner to achieve this?
Yes, but it will take some planning and a commitment to long-term goals to get there. To help you get started, here are three basic components of a successful search engine optimization strategy:
1.) Selection and research of keywords. Think of keywords as the roadmap to search engine optimization success. Without them, you’ll have no idea where you’re going, let alone how to get there. A good way to approach this project is to start at the top and work your way down. First, determine the main purpose of your site (why does it exist in the first place?). Next, find out who your ideal customer is or will be. What is important to her? Why would they be looking for your product or services? Then, brainstorm the largest list of words and phrases you can think of that relate to your site’s main purpose, your ideal customer, your industry, your products or services, and your competitors. Then, use a keyword research tool to determine which words or phrases offer the best mix of bid, ask, and competition out there. Finally, build your site around the terms that make the cut.
2.) Website design. If keywords are the roadmap to SEO success, then a well designed and executed website is the vehicle that will get you there. Working with design professionals who understand the mechanics of search engine optimization is a great place to start. This will ensure that your site is built with your long-term SEO goals in mind. This step is especially important if you are not technologically savvy or aware of the latest trends in this ever-changing field. Additionally, a talented web design professional can integrate your keyword strategy into your overall site design, streamline navigation options, and optimize title, meta, and alt tags throughout your site.
3.) Happy. Once you have the roadmap and the car, you’ll need some fuel to get your search engine optimization engine moving. Fresh content is that fuel. Adding original, keyword-rich content to your site on an ongoing basis is a great way to achieve sustainable SEO results. The more often your site is updated, the more frequently it will be crawled by search engine spiders, and the more incentive you give your human visitors to keep coming back for more. You can take advantage of this concept by distributing some of that content off-site where you can start generating targeted traffic and generating valuable backlinks to your site.
Once the basic components are in place, you can start working on a link building campaign. Together they will get your business off to a great SEO start.