If you’re looking to increase the organic traffic to your website or online store, you’ll need an effective SEO strategy. But what’s the secret behind a successful SEO strategy? If your goal is to enhance your search engine rankings and increase online conversions, there are four key aspects of an SEO strategy you need to focus on: website content, site architecture optimization, external links, and on-page traffic. Implementing an SEO plan involves a step-by-step approach:
SEO involves managing website content and striving for exposure and rankings. As long as your content is sufficiently optimized, you can boost your SEO rankings and attract more potential customers. Thus, SEO and content marketing are complementary strategies. The first step is identifying the right keywords:
Imagine if you don’t know which keywords to use, you’ll never be able to reach your target audience. Start by describing your products or services with words or phrases that customers might enter into Google. You can also use Google’s free Keyword Planner to provide you with a list of keywords along with their search volumes and competition levels, or offer keyword suggestions based on your list. Our SEO experts can also offer free keyword research assistance—feel free to contact them anytime.
SEO Strategy Step 2: Keyword Research)
This step is relatively straightforward in the process of planning a successful SEO strategy. Simply enter the keywords you’ve researched into Google and analyze the search results. You’ll likely notice some patterns—for instance, most first-page results might be how-to guides or list-style posts. Sometimes, you might find that the majority of top results consist of video content or shopping links. Record the types of results you find for each keyword, as this information will form the basis for the next phase of your SEO strategy.
A successful content strategy is crucial for effective SEO optimization. If you want to make your site more competitive, you need unique and engaging content. There are two main directions you can take when planning your content: you could continue along the lines of existing topics by adding more useful information, or you could create entirely different or novel content to stand out in search results. When content stands out, it’s more likely to get clicks and shares—the core of content marketing.
For example, if your target keyword is “2022 education trends in Hong Kong,” a Google search will provide numerous articles on this topic. You could certainly create another similar post, but you risk getting lost among many similar articles.
Alternatively, consider articles like “New STEAM education trends in Hong Kong” or “How schools should promote STEAM” to cover the same theme but stand out by offering a different content angle that attracts more reader attention.
Once you have your content plan, it’s time to prepare the rest of your SEO strategy.
Any successful SEO strategy will include backlinking activities. The more links you have coming into your site, the greater your chances of ranking above your competitors in search results.
To discover your competitors’ backlink profiles, you can use various tools like the Semrush Backlinks Analytics toolkit, which can do everything from showing you which domains link to your competitor’s site to indicating which parts of your competitors’ sites get the most backlinks, suggesting topics you might cover on your own site.
You should also analyze how your competitors handle on-page SEO. Examining their use of meta tags, content structure, and internal linking can help you craft a comprehensive set of SEO tactics.
Now that we’ve covered the technical aspects of planning a successful SEO strategy, it’s time to dive into the details and ask yourself: who will be responsible for implementing, managing, and monitoring your website’s SEO activities in a cost-effective manner?
Ask yourself whether you have the time to manage your SEO activities. Do you have team members who can constantly check, analyze, and improve your site’s ranking on Google, achieve backlinks, and ensure the types of content you publish are correct and sufficient? Do you possess the SEO expertise to detect and eliminate any errors or issues that might impede your site’s loading speed?
If not, you might consider working with a reputable SEO agency that can take control and provide you with comprehensive SEO services, so you don’t have to worry about anything.