Contents

Types of SEO

There are two types of SEO that I want to talk about today, on-page SEO and off-page SEO. 

On-Page SEO

Content quality – Write quality content that uses keywords (we will talk about those later) and offers value that your readers will want to share. Just think of every share of your content is a yes vote for search engines. 

SEO TITLE

Please include your keyword in your title 

URL STRUCTURE

Make sure they have your keyword and are simple in structure

META DESCRIPTIONS

A good meta description using your keywords will help drive search engines to your content

IMAGE OPTIMIZATION

Remember search engines search photos to. It is a good SEO practice to add descriptive alternative tags to all your images.

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL LINKS

Always link your content to other content on your site and don’t be afraid to add links to other websites if they have additional information to add to your post. 

WEBSITE SPEED AND USER EXPERIENCE

Is your website easy to navigate through, is it logically arranged? How fast is it? Most people will close a website that takes too long to load in their browser.

HEADING TAGS

Using headers (h1,h2,h3 etc.) logically on your website to organize your website and blog post. Please don’t use headers for styling your website.

SITEMAPS:

Do you have your XML sitemap submitted to search engines?

Off-Page SEO

This looks at the trustworthiness of your website. Think about social media here. This is off-page SEO. Another thing to look at is what websites lead back to yours. These are backlinks. One example of a good backlink would be from your member profile of the Chamber of Commerce website. Others would be someone linking to your content as an external link in their post. Also, consider guest writing with companies that have a similar target market. 

Keyword Research

Your strategy for keyword research is pretty straight forward. Identify the keywords that your audience is currently using so you can meet them where they currently are. This involves 5 key steps.

Step 1- Identify your audience: Think of who your target audience is, what problem they need to be solved, and how you can solve it.

Step 2 – Map your website – See how your current content can solve your audience’s problem in addition to mapping out the pages you want to perform well in a search engine.

Step 3 – Brainstorm – Think of all possible keywords that could be used to find your content. Think of service – problem – content and your location when brainstorming your keywords.

Step 4 – Quantify – How many people search using your possible keywords each month?

Step 5 – Evaluate and prioritize – Now look at these keywords and answer these questions: What is the intent of someone using this particular keyword? – Can I compete using this keyword? (keep in mind if a large corporation already ranks high your chance are pretty slim in beating them.) – Is this keyword relevant to the page I would like to be paired with? – How many people using this keyword in Google every month?

In step 6 you will find helpful tools for performing your keyword research. 

Let’s Look at Link Building

Link building will help you to increase your presence online and will show Google you are a credible site because you hangout with other credible websites. Link building is about putting your network of strong relationships together. 

First, take a look at what is already happening with your website. Use tools like Google Search Console and Moz Link Research to see what your backlink network currently looks like. 

Next, brainstorm your relationships and make a list

• Are you in a professional network?
• Who do you do business with?
• Have you worked with any nonprofit organization?

Go through your list and see if Google can see a relationship between your business and them based on links. If the answer is no, these are opportunities for link building.

When you are thinking of these opportunities be sure to think of how you will add value to them. Remember this is also about building strong relationships so adding value to both parties is key.

Some great ideas are:

• Partner lists – If they have a page on their website that shows their professional relationships ask them to add your business. Be sure to reciprocate the gesture. 
• Sponsorship – If you are supporting a charitable event request to be included (with your website link) on their sponsorship page.
• Chamber of Commerce or professional organization – If you are a member of any of these, there is usually a directory of members. Make sure you are listed with your website link.
• Podcasts or web shows – I love to listen to podcasts and I have seen a huge growth over the last few years. With Facebook Live and Instagram TV, more and more people are hosting their own shows. In the area where I live I know of one podcast and one website show that interviews local businesses and business leaders. Take time to pitch yourself to them to be a guest on the show.
• Guest blogging: Perfect for putting yourself out there as the thought leader in your industry. Find businesses that are complementary to yours and pitch your ideas for written content. 

Now, take the challenge and pitch yourself to one of your opportunities this week. 

5 Common SEO Mistakes 

Looking at SEO as a short term strategy:

If I said it once, I’ll say it again. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. Most SEO strategies don’t see fruit for 3 to 6 months. That’s okay because, in the long run, it’s worth it. But most people will abandon their strategy or change SEO management companies within the first month because they didn’t see results not understanding that they won’t. Hang in there, remember it’s the tortoise that won the race, not the hare. 

Not performing your keyword research:

Remember part 2 of this article? I know it’s daunting but it needs to be done and there are some great tools out there to make it much easier By having Google Analytics and Google Search Console set up on your website you will have access to keywords that people are already using to find you. This knowledge can help you plan content that will move you up in rankings. SEO Book and Ubersuggest are great free tools for helping you find the right keywords for you.

Not having a mobile-friendly site:

You would like to think that everyone has a mobile-friendly site by now but that’s just not the case. Are you one of those business owners? Since 50% of website traffic is now on mobile phones it is so important and not just for SEO to have a mobile-ready site. SEO Hermit has an excellent article on the importance of a mobile-friendly website. 

Not having a secure site:

Bottom line, Google is not going to recommend your website if it’s not secure. Getting an SSL certificate from your hosting provider is a must. Not sure if you have one already, here is an easy check. Is your URL displayed in your browser as http: or https:. If it’s https: you are okay if it’s http: it’s time to contact your hosting provider.

Not updating past content:

This might even mean deleting some. Take the time to look at old content. Make updates as needed to posts and if something has changed considerably delete the old post and write a new one with the current information. This is also a great way to come up with new content.

SEO Tools for your Toolbox

Keyword Research Tools

The Google Keyword Planner

Answer the Public

Google Suggest

SEO Checklist for Small Business

Keyword Checklist

• Find keywords using The Google Keyword Planner
• Find more keywords with ATP – Answer the Public
• Use Google suggest to find long-tail keywords

Technical Checklist

• Launch Google Search Console and check these things:
  • Crawl errors – find info in your coverage report.
  • Inspect your URL.
  • Conduct a mobile friendly test.
• Use DrlinkCheck.com and make sure you don’t have broken links.
• Is your site secure – are you http: or https?
• Check your site speed.

Content Checklist

Your content will be the key driving force in your SEO efforts along with everything listed pre­viously – make sure you view this checklist before you hit publish on your next post.

• Does your post solve your client/customer problem?
• Does your introduction make your reader want to read more?
• Look at the readability of your post – read it out loud
• Have you included a Call to Action (CTA)?