About 70% of experiences online begin with a search engine. Consumers are looking for businesses, products and services via Google. With search engine optimization (SEO), you can ensure they find your business first.
Running an SEO campaign requires planning to ensure success, though. Here are the SEO campaign elements you need to consider. Adding these elements to your next campaign will help your rankings rise.
Read on to start developing your campaign today!
Gather Research
Before you update your website or begin creating content, gather research.
Google’s search engine algorithm strives to understand the user’s intent before displaying results. The user’s search intent will either be:
• Commercial
• Navigational
• Informational
• Transactional
Determining the user’s search intent will ensure you create content they want and need. Otherwise, the user might visit your website, realize your content isn’t relevant to their search and leave. Your bounce rate will start to increase as more people leave disappointed.
A high bounce rate can have a negative impact on your search engine rankings. It indicates you’re offering visitors a negative user experience (UX), too.
As you learn how SEO works, you’ll likely find information about search intent and long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords are phrases (usually four words or more) that can help you understand the user’s needs.
You can use online tools like Google Trends, Keyword Planner and SEMRush to build a list of target keywords. For each primary keyword, choose four to five secondary keywords. Adding secondary keywords to your content can help you avoid keyword stuffing.
What’s the relationship between SEO and keywords? You’ll use your keyword research to determine what topics to cover. Then, you’ll add the focus keyword to your content strategically to rank for those searches.
Audience and Competitor Research
To learn more about your readers, make sure to gather audience research as well.
Audience research will help you determine who you’re writing for. Then, you can create personalized blog posts. Personalizing your content will help you connect with readers.
Define your audience based on demographics like age, gender, or location. Consider psychographics like buying behaviors, online behaviors and interests. Determine what pain points your readers experience daily, too.
Then, use your content to provide them with helpful solutions to your problems.
Before you start creating blog content, research your competitors as well. Their most popular (or least popular) blog posts can give your own SEO campaign more direction.
Audit Your Website
Review your website to determine if there are issues you need to fix, such as broken links. Broken links or slow-loading pages can hurt the user experience (UX). A negative UX will lead to lower search rankings.
Run your website through Google’s Core Web Vitals, PageSpeed Insights and Mobile-Friendly Test.
Google will review the mobile version of your website first. It will also determine if your site is secure (with an SSL certificate), fast and user-friendly. Following Google’s Core Web Vitals will help you offer a better experience to visitors.
A better experience might encourage visitors to stay longer.
Claim Your Listings
There are four types of SEO you’ll need to consider: on-page, off-page, local and technical.
Local SEO can help you reach consumers in your area. You can start leveraging local SEO by claiming your Google Business listing. This listing can help local consumers find your storefront or website.
Ask your customers to share their feedback on your Google Business Profile listing. Generating reviews can help your overall SEO strategy.
Claim your listings on any other online directories. Make sure the information is consistent between your website and other listings.
Create Content
Use your keyword research to plan your content marketing strategy. Don’t write a post and add the keyword afterward.
Diversify your content to appeal to consumers at different stages in the buyer’s journey. For example, you can create:
• Blogs/articles
• Infographics
• Webinars
• eBooks
• Polls
• Quizzes
• Videos
Optimize your blog content for SEO by adding the target keyword to the:
• Page title
• URL
• Opening and closing
• eBooks
• An H1 header
• Image file name and alt text
• SEO title and meta description
The SEO title and meta description will appear on search engine result pages (SERPs). Make sure it’s compelling to boost your clickthrough rate and rankings.
You don’t have to apply these tips alone, though. Instead, consider benefiting from SEO management services this year. Leveraging help from an experienced team can save you valuable time and money.
Generate Backlinks
Backlinks appear on other websites before directing consumers to your web pages or posts. Each backlink is a vote of confidence in your website. The more backlinks you generate, the more referral traffic you can generate from other sites.
Your organic rankings could rise as a result.
Start generating backlinks by guest blogging on other websites.
Promote Your Posts
Once you begin applying these SEO campaign elements, make sure to promote your posts. Sharing your posts will help you generate more traffic. Generating website traffic could help your organic rankings improve.
You can start sharing your posts on social media or through email marketing.
Add a social sharing plugin to your website as well. Encourage your readers to share your posts with their audiences. Expanding your reach will help you generate brand awareness and website traffic.
Analyze and Adjust
Once you begin using these tips, take the time to monitor the results of your efforts. Determine which keywords are helping you reach the most readers. Make a note of the post format as well.
Then, begin making adjustments to your SEO campaign to continue generating even better results.
Simplify Running an SEO Campaign Today
Running an SEO campaign can feel stressful without a plan. Instead, use these tips to simplify the process. You can also request SEO management services to leverage the experience and expertise of a specialist.