“Put Content and Build Backlinks and you will rank on Page 1.”
There’s a LOT of noise online when it comes to SEO but that quote up there is probably the most common thing you’ll hear.
I’ll be honest, we all know that a good chunk of SEO is about boosting up rankings in the search engine page results. A lot of KPI’s (key performance indicators) revolve around it for a reason.
We all know backlinks (links from other sites that point to your website) play a huge role in moving you up in the rankings but is it really the only thing that matters?
If you are pretty new to the concept of SEO, then your answer is probably YES!
We decided to create this post as a primer for our clients, as we deal with a lot of small businesses that are just starting to market online. SEO is obviously the first thing to read up on and it definitely isn’t the easiest to understand.
SEO IS MORE THAN JUST BACKLINKS
Below are just some of the things that will affect your overall SEO performance. It’s important that you understand these things especially when you are just starting out.
SEO WILL NEED TIME
A lot of pitches from irresponsible SEO companies state that they could get you to rank on the front page, guaranteed by next week. Do yourself a favor and stay away. We can actually do that for you, but you wouldn’t want to know what’s involved with it. Google is catching up and getting smarter each passing minute. The last thing you want to do is get caught and lose your brand’s main website.
Takeaway: Don’t rush results. Start with realistic improvements. Results can be seen within a few weeks but it could take as long as a few months to see substantial results. It’s always a niche by niche or case by case or keyword by keyword basis. Aim for small wins that bring your exposure. As you build more trust and relevance, you will find it easier to compete for harder words.
SEO WILL NEED IDEAS
You can choose to grind away, doing things mindlessly just because people told you to do them. Sure it might produce results short term, but what will you do next? Just keep on doing the same thing?
Takeaway: You need new ideas to find new and better links that your competitors dont have. That’s the only way to get ahead of the game.
SEO WILL NEED DATA & RESEARCH
A lot of people hate this. Crunching numbers, spying on competitors, researching all the stuff that make them rank! If you do not plan for anything, you won’t really get far. At least try to take a look at your competitors on the front page.
Takeaway: If you want to be ahead, you need to know what your competitors are doing right. Where they get traffic, links and so on.
SEO IS MORE THAN JUST ABOUT KEYWORDS
Anchor text. Main keyword. Supporting general keywords. LSI keywords surrounding your keyword.
If it was 2005, you’d rank tomorrow by throwing out all those anchor texts to point to your site. It’s not the same anymore today.
Takeaway: It’s about building your brand online. Over-optimising using the same unnatural looking keywords will only get you in trouble. The key is properly balancing your anchors without forgetting your brand.
SEO WILL NEED CONTENT MARKETING
You’ll hear this everywhere nowadays. You can create link baits, you can create awesome 10,000 word blog posts, you can even spread your content to different channels.
Takeaway: Content Marketing is the buzzword for 2013 but don’t just rely on it. It’s just one of those things that you need to harness to add to your overall SEO work.
SEO WILL NEED STRATEGY
Honestly, there are so many SEO strategies out there that you’d get burned out just by reading, before even trying any of them.
Takeaway: Be sure to check the date and check the “naturalness” of each one before trying them out. A properly thought out strategy will always be better than no strategy at all.
SEO WILL NEED ON-PAGE SEO
Aside from backlinks and other Off-Page SEO factors, you will also need a properly optimised webpage for your target niche. Having a good looking website doesn’t hurt.
Takeaway: By optimising your website properly, you lower the required links you need to compete. By increasing your page speed, you improve conversions. By having a pretty ass website, you’ll probably just get natural links for the heck of it.
SEO WILL NEED YOU TO BE SOCIAL
The world has changed. Social networks changed how we use the internet. Now, it’s also part of your SEO. Although this isn’t the best thing for some businesses (rare) it doesn’t hurt to have extra spots in the search results.
Takeaway: By using these “channels” you get to tap markets previously unreachable. You can build brand loyalty, engage clients and offer support. You’ll also get links, conversions and referrals. All these will factor in how they look at your online brand hence also helping your SEO.
SEO is a combination of
ALL the things you do to market
your brand online.
It’s about letting people trust your brand and more importantly, it’s about the relationships you build along the way.
Google claims that there are over 200 factors that affect your rankings and overall SEO. If you just did a few of these better than your competitors, then wouldn’t that put you in a good position to outrank them?
Pre-Purchase Reading Material #2: On-Page
The next post will talk about important on-page SEO metrics you need to keep an eye on to improve your SEO even further.
Password is hoistseo143
