SEO stands for search engine optimization. This is the process of using on-page and off-page tactics to increase the visibility of your website in the search engines. SEO is an organic traffic strategy, which means you do not need to invest in advertising to get results. However, you do need to invest time.
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What does SEO entail?
There are many strategies that have proven effective in SEO and some that do not work (and could even harm your search engine rankings.) Typically, before you embark on SEO, you need to have a good understanding of your customer and what they are searching for when they land on sites like yours and those of your competitors.
An effective SEO strategy includes:
On page strategies:
- Keyword research
- Strategic content creation
- Optimizing your content, URLs and metadata
- Creating internal links that help web crawlers navigate your site
Off page strategies:
- Improving your website’s technical aspects (including speed and security) and user experience (including mobile)
- Building external links that improve your site’s authority
- Following best practices
- Submitting site maps
Social media is another tactic that can improve your site by sending targeted traffic to your website that are already part of your audience leading to more time on site and engagement.
On-page SEO Strategies
SEO Title
When you think about a title for your article, you may be thinking about the main headline. However, you may be less familiar with the “title” and where to find it. Your title is set by the title tag in the header and appears in the tab on your browser. It is also the main header in the search engine results for your page.
Your title can be different than your primary headline which is usually H1. Typically, your title will contain the keyword you most want your page to rank for such as “SEO” or “Boston restaurant.” Each page on your site will have a different title. Your title and H1 can be the same, but usually you will want to ensure that it includes the main keyword phrase followed by a hyphen and your website name.
Make your title tag as enticing to the potential viewer as your main headline because it is usually what they will see in the search results. If you are using WordPress, you may need a plugin such as Yoast or All In One SEO to enter your “meta data” such as the title tag. Other website builders may also offer fields where you can enter a title that is different from the main headline of your page. If you do not specify a title tag, the search engines will generate one based on your header and other content on the page. In some cases this could happen anyway, so make sure your title is relevant to avoid robots generating a title you did not specify.
SEO Meta Description
Although it is not a known SEO factor, your meta description is also important. A meta description is not seen on your page but could appear on search engines. The meta description will appear in the same area as your meta SEO title field when using a WordPress SEO plugin or when filling out the meta description section of your website builder.
Most importantly, your meta description may show up in the search results when people search for keywords that relate to your page. This can help your viewer decide whether your site is relevant to their needs. When your site is relevant, your visitors will stay longer and this can indirectly improve your SEO by reducing your bounce rate and increasing your average time on site.
Sometimes the search engines will ignore your meta description and pull content that is more relevant to the user’s exact search term. However, it is still beneficial to specify a description that you think best relates to your ideal audience. If you do not specify a meta description, search engines may rely on your first paragraph or some other section of your page.
How long does SEO take?
When people look at the size of the Internet (1.7 billion websites!), they often think that its too hard to get where they want to go through search. They then rely exclusively on paid advertising. However, the situation is not helpless for many reasons:
Location-based results: If you are providing services to a particular city, region or country, you are not competing with the whole world. You are only competing with your service area. Search engines are smart enough to understand when people are looking for products and services in their area.
Personalization: Search engines know a lot about the people who use them. You already know that the ads you see online are often based on your previous browsing history, but this also applies to organic search results.
Long-tail keywords: The audience is segmented for everything from music to barbecue grills. Before the Internet advertisers and marketers targeted broadly in order to encompass as many people. Today the concept of micro-niche has become a trending topic and people are becoming more specific about their avatars and how best to serve them. Long-tail keywords attempt to answer specific inquiries rather than broad topic areas.
What is SEM?
SEM stands for search engine marketing. Search engine marketing includes SEO tactics, but where SEO focuses on organic (unpaid) strategies, search engine marketing includes advertising such as buying and optimizing Google, Bing and other search engine advertisements.
What is an SEO Plan?
Before you start optimizing your website for SEO, it is good to have a plan. An important part of SEO is how the pages on your website relate to one another. When you have a plan, you can intentionally direct the majority of your traffic to your most important pages.
You can also plan for search intent and how best to attract your ideal buyers. For example, lots of people search for queries about art, but fewer search for the art supplies that a store might offer. By casting a net too broadly, the store may miss the audience that is looking for supplies and the tools that will help them create their masterpieces. A plan helps you to identify your audience and create the content that is most relevant to that audience at any level of the buying journey from problem awareness to ready to buy.
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Shella Gardezi is a marketing, PR and SEO specialist with experience doubling website traffic and sales and getting features in national publications and on the airwaves.