1. A site without SEO = a site without organic traffic
If a website is not SEO optimized, it is unlikely to be ranked in the top positions of search engines for keywords specific to the field of activity in which it operates. In order for a website to move up in the organic results and get traffic, it needs SEO optimisation and promotion. First of all, when we talk about online business, through SEO we can first find out what problems the website is facing and why not attracting users. The next aspect is how not attracting users. The next aspect is.
2. Both types of SEO actions (on page and off page) are important
You can’t get results by doing only on or off site actions. Together, the two types of activities determine the success of an online business. By OnPage SEO we are talking about all the optimization actions that take place on the website (content added / optimized, internal linking, URLs made / optimized etc.), and by OffPage SEO we are talking about all the SEO promotion actions that take place outside the website, such as link building campaigns, social media promotion etc.
3. Start SEO now
Given that the period of gaining visibility is quite long, each day of waiting means a longer period without organic traffic (important loss of potential customers). What you need to understand is that SEO is a time-consuming and constant activity. If you have an online business and have not thought about SEO promotion before, it is very likely that your competitors have thought about it and that is why they are in the top search engine results. So, if you want to get ahead of them, it’s very important to get started on SEO as soon as possible.
4. Do your competition analysis
Try to identify what is the on and off site SEO strategy of the top 3 sites ranking for the key phrases you are targeting. The analysis can provide you with valuable information that can be of real help in shaping your own SEO strategy. If, for example, you have a wedding dress business, the most likely keyword you are targeting is wedding dresses. So, what you can do for starters is to analyse the first 3 results in Google for this keyword and find out what your competitors are actually doing – are they promoting themselves on social media, do they have link building campaigns, do they have an optimised website, do they have an optimised meta title and meta description so that they attract the attention of users.
5. SEO strategies are not identical
Taking over a website’s SEO strategy with results is not a guarantee of winning, as a website’s ranking depends on many variables. The SEO strategy must be customised, depending on the site and its specific activity. It is very likely that the same strategy will not work for two websites in the same industry – if, say, you focus on link building campaigns, but you do not have an optimised site and not much content on it, this strategy might not work, even if it did for your competitor.
6. SEO results are not recorded in real time
As mentioned in point 3, the results of SEO actions are not immediately visible. Sometimes it can take several days or weeks before their effects are registered. When talking about SEO promotion, the key word is patience. You have to be patient before you see the first results in your SEO work.
7. Never consider that you are done with SEO actions for your website
SEO is about constant activity on a website. SEO promotion accompanies a website throughout its existence. While it may seem like a month-long action, it’s not really. It is an activity that must be carried out constantly. There are always Google updates and factors that influence your ranking. If you don’t constantly put in the effort to grow and maintain your position, it’s very likely that you’ll have to start again from scratch, which isn’t very pleasant, is it?
8. Constantly adapt your website to SEO parameters
Search engines update frequently, as mentioned. In order for the SEO strategy to generate results, it is necessary to constantly monitor the status of the site so that it complies with the SEO parameters imposed by the search engines. Exactly the same is true for ranking factors. Does Google focus on video content? Give it video content! Does Google focus on social media promotion? Then give it social media promotion. In SEO promotion, it’s crucial to adapt and take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.
9. Listen to Google’s advice
Google representatives provide, in the form of guidelines, valuable information that can improve the performance of a website. It is advisable to regularly follow the public information provided by Google representatives. If we get advice directly from the source, why not take advantage of it? As mentioned before, in SEO, it is important to take advantage of every opportunity.
10. Do not risk a penalty
The SEO process is long-lasting. Do not take actions that lead to a Google penalty. Most of the time, a penalty applied to a site means significant financial losses for the company that manages it. If you have been affected, it is advisable to consult a Google penalty recovery service.
11. Deploy, set up and use your Google Search Console account
Google Webmaster Tools, also known as Google Search Console, is a free tool that helps website owners make sure their website is Google-friendly. Google Search Console will show you a lot of useful information about your website, such as search traffic, potential indexing errors, etc. One of the main aspects of Google Search Console that makes it a top tool in the world of SEO specialists is that it allows webmasters to ensure that their websites and pages are crawled and processed for Google indexing.
12. Implement, set up and use your Google Analytics account
Google Analytics is undoubtedly the most widely used web analytics tool. Use the Google Analytics tool to identify traffic sources, search behaviour and organic traffic. The comparative information will help you make important decisions for your online business. It is very important to understand user behaviour when talking about online business. What can Google Analytics tell you about your user behaviour? Well, this tool reports on the pages they visit most often, the source from which they accessed the site (e.g. social media), the time they spent on the website. In order to evolve as an online business you need to understand your audience first.
Google Search Console and Google Analytics are 2 free SEO tools crucial for monitoring the SEO progress of a business.
13. Try several types of promotion
Doing only one type of promotion can lead to customer churn. It is good to carry out and test all types of campaigns that can be part of a business’ e-marketing strategy. What does this mean? Mainly, we mean diversifying SEO campaigns with PPC campaigns, especially as they go hand in hand.
14. Run Google Ads campaigns to complement your SEO strategy
Google AdWords campaigns are designed to generate quick conversions. Running a sponsored links campaign can provide relevant information about buying behaviour. Such information helps to shape and implement an effective e-marketing action plan.
15. Develop content for visitors, not for search engines
Content has always been a top factor in search engine rankings. When you provide content, it must be effective in capturing your target audience, not sending signals to Google. There’s no point using a keyword a lot of times in a text if the text is not understandable. Poor content will attract users who will quickly leave the website – and, in fact, this is a signal that Google sees. When users quickly leave a website, Google will decide that the information on that website is not of interest and therefore not worth being at the top of its results.
16. Do not copy content from other sites
Be original! Copied content, in SEO terms called duplicate content, will only bring you disadvantages. Create unique content and your website will be appreciated by both visitors and search engines. It is not recommended to use the same content on the same site either, because Google will reject it. It will not benefit you if you just take information from another source and deliver it in the same form. Google and users value unique and interesting content.
17. Make sure you have content that deserves to rank in the top results
An important criterion in ranking a site in search engine results is the content published online. Quality content is the one that always comes first and that, over time, contributes to increasing the site’s online notoriety and visibility. Here we mean both content published on the blog and content published on other websites, in link building campaigns. As mentioned before, Google is satisfied when users are satisfied. If you provide Google users with information that educates and helps them, then Google will reward you.
18. Publish attractive content for visitors
The more attractive the website content, the more time visitors will spend browsing it. This sends signals to search engines that the site provides information of interest and deserves a higher ranking in organic results. What is attractive content? Well, first of all, it doesn’t just mean text. Google has started to put a lot of emphasis on videos and images. So, it is recommended to diversify your content as much as you can.
19. More content means more visits, more visits means more sales
A site that provides more quality content will get a vote of confidence from the visitor, who will be more easily convinced to generate an order. Lack of content causes the visitor to look elsewhere for the information they want (most likely at a competitor), making the time spent on your site extremely short. So make sure you cover as much of the information a potential customer might want. You can even create a Frequently Asked Questions section. If you have an online shop, in that section you should provide potential customers with information about delivery, returns, how they can pay, etc.
20. Implement an on-site blog
The existence of a blog allows you to quickly add content. Implementing a blog is recommended for any type of website, be it a presentation website, product catalogue or online shop. As you may have noticed, we have been talking about content creation and how important it is. A website already presents content in its pages, but it is not enough. A blog section gives you the opportunity to exploit all types of content – text, images, video.
OptimisationPlus approach
OptimizarePlus is a search engine optimization service that uses only White Hat techniques. By using White Hat methods there is no risk of being penalised by the search engine, achieving a long term SEO promotion. If we’ve convinced you to start SEO, but you don’t know where to start, you can contact a free SEO audit, to see what problems your website has.