8 out of 10 people go to a search engine immediately upon accessing the Internet. Organic search engine traffic is based on relevancy and does not cost the advertiser every time someone clicks through to their Website. These facts are what make natural search engine optimization (SEO) the most widely used method of attracting qualified visitors to a Website.
With research confirming that the vast majority of searches end within the first two pages of results, prominent placement on the Internet’s major search engines through effective search engine optimization is of critical importance. As a result, competition is fierce for attaining and retaining position at the top of the search engine’s results pages. Since staring my Internet marketing career at one of the first search engine optimization firms in Phoenix, Arizona 12 years ago, I have developed the following system for getting to the top, and staying at the top, of the organic search engine results.
Initial Discovery – The first thing to do is determine where the Website currently stands by seeking answers to questions like: How much traffic does it currently get from search engines? Organic traffic vs. paid search traffic? What keywords are driving traffic to the site? What keywords are people searching for using the Website’s internal search engine? What keywords are people searching on the Internet that are relevant to the Website’s products and services? Where does the Website currently rank organically for these keywords in relation to its top competitors? Getting this information will help to understand what opportunities exist and also establishes a benchmark to measure future success of the SEO campaign.
Content Creation & Enhancement – Once a starting point and a course of action have been determined, it will be imperative to make sure that the content on the Website is organized and constructed in such a way that emphasizes the keywords and phrases that will drive the most qualified traffic and deliver the best results. If the content already exists, then some enhancements need to be made to ensure proper keyword density. If the content doesn’t already exist, it can be created in a variety of ways either within the site itself, through video, with a blog and/or a discussion forum.
On-Page SEO Implementation – After the content has been enhanced and created, it is time to optimize the site to ensure maximum SEO favorability. This includes issues such as rewriting URL’s, page titles, Header tags (H1 tags), meta tags, ALT tags, renaming images, internal linking and solving any other design issues that have a negative impact on search engine optimization.
Off-Page SEO Strategy – Off-page search engine optimization refers to getting other sites to link to a Website’s content. The first thing to do is to submit the Website to all relevant paid and free search directories. These directories will provide relevant links back to the site and some will even drive additional traffic. Performing a linking analysis will allow you to see who is currently linking back to the site and how they are linking. If at all possible, work with current link providers to ensure that the link they are providing is formatted so that it is of maximum value to the Website’s SEO goals. Also look at competitors’ Websites and see who is linking to them. Perhaps those sites would be willing to link to your site as well. Finally, create profiles for your company in social networking sites, comment on industry blogs and participate in relevant discussion groups while linking back to the Website at every turn.
Analyze, Revise & Repeat – The Internet, and SEO especially, is a very dynamic and fast moving environment. As such, it is impossible to ever say that you are done with search engine optimization. The process requires periodic (at least monthly) analysis to determine what is working and what is not. This allows the opportunity to make tweaks and changes that will continuously improve the Website’s search engine metrics. It will also help to determine what other avenues and online media resources might be beneficial and how best to approach them (PPC, banner ads, email marketing etc).
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