Congrats on considering SEO in your overall digital marketing strategy! In a post-COVID-19 world, SEO optimization has become an even bigger priority for businesses across the board.
Rather than a one-and-done initiative, your strategy should be ever-evolving, constantly tweaked based on algorithm updates and search trends. SEO requires constant investment and attention, whether you’re working with an agency to do the heavy lifting or using in-house specialists. However, there is some background information and processes that you should always keep in place. Read on to discover the four cornerstones of successful SEO management.
Keep an Eye on Competitors
You don’t need psychic powers or expensive software to determine what your competitors are doing to score high rankings. Several online marketing tools can instantly reveal critical insights into their SEO success tactics.
Specific things to look for include:
- What keywords they’re targeting.
- How regularly they publish fresh content.
- What their versions of your top landing pages look like.
- Whether they have title tags and meta descriptions written for important pages.
- How many backlinks they have, and what sites are pointing at them.
- How fast their site loads compared to yours.
Start by looking at direct competitors. If you want to look further afield, also consider the websites of indirect competitors or companies that might not offer the same products and services as you, but cater to a similar audience (for example, a company that sells beach equipment and a surfboard brand are indirect competitors.) If you work with an SEO agency, ask for their help – they’ll have tools available to find out information you can’t.
Ask What Users Need You, Today
Maybe you know your audience, but people’s needs can fluctuate over months or years.
Case in point: In the last few years, there has been a shift towards users wanting to see that the brands they invest in are giving back to the community, and/or taking measurable actions to minimize their carbon footprint.
As a critical component of SEO management, audience research can help you, among other things, build a brand voice that best resonates with your prospects.
Questions to focus on include:
- Did anything change in the way users perceive my product or service?
- Did anything change in my audience’s core profile (e.g., their beliefs, life goals, spending habits, political views, etc.)
- What other sources of content do my audience look to?
- What is their social media usage like?
With this information, you can align your content and SEO strategy with your updated marketing personas and start seeing results.
Keep Your Content Fresh
Next, it’s time to take bold, intentional action and plan for SEO optimizing your entire website.
For smaller websites, this process could be handled in-house and may even be completed in a matter of weeks. The majority of companies, however, might require SEO copywriting services over a longer period of time. In both scenarios, these are the main areas to optimize for your main keywords: meta descriptions, title tags, headings, and body content, on blogs and landing pages.
When refreshing your content, keep an eye on some essential SEO best practices:
- Avoid keyword stuffing.
- Leverage internal linking to encourage website exploration.
- Create unique and thorough content that informs, educates, or entertains.
- Use short and descriptive URLs.
Commit to Regular Reporting
The only way to know if your efforts are delivering results – and how to continue to improve – is by looking at data.
Ideally, you’d want to analyze monthly reports to monitor any changes in:
- Search result rankings.
- Organic traffic.
- Backlinks.
- Conversions.
If you’re not working with an agency, Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and similar tools can help you uncover data within minutes, but make sure your team is well-equipped to interpret the numbers.
Work with a Professional Digital Marketing Company
When done right, SEO management can result in more organic website traffic, better engagement, and increased conversions. In addition to website design and website development, Americaneagle.com is a seasoned digital marketing company with a team of SEO experts who work to ensure your strategy stays up-to-date and maximizes results for your business.
Contact us today to take your SEO Management to the next level!
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