“Search engine optimization” or SEO might sound a little intimidating if you are not familiar with it, but it certainly doesn't have to be. Essentially, SEO is the action of getting unpaid traffic from search engines. It is convincing the search engine that your site is the best one to display for a particular search.
There are two aspects to SEO: onsite and offsite. To be clear, you cannot just pick one and expect great results, you need both for marketing optimization.
Onsite SEO
Onsite SEO is having the content and intent of your site understood by search engines. It consists of making your website pages, titles, structure and content optimized for your target keywords. This makes search engines more likely to place your site on the top of the search engine list which, in turn, generates more hits on your site.
Keywords play an important role in SEO. They aid in letting search engines know what your content is about. Try using relevant keywords in your copy.
Linking other pages in your article also aids in optimal use of SEO. Try thinking about what type of articles are pertinent to the content of your post. Then, research articles that you think the reader will find useful and relevant.
Schema data is another important tool. It tells the search engines what your data means, not just what it says. Use names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, logos, products and prices in your article to utilize schema data.
The more information Google knows about you that is correct, the better off your business is. Schema.org, explains that schema data is able to provide search engines with more distinctions in what content means. An example is whether an article is talking about Rose from the movie Titanic or a rose bush.
Offsite SEO
Offsite SEO is a little more complicated than onsite SEO. That does not mean that it is not achievable, however. Offsite SEO includes link building and social media.
Link building is the process of getting other sites to link your website in theirs. Google has complex algorithms, but backlinks are still an important tool for SEO. In order for you to have other sites include links to yours, you must build relationships with popular influencers, business partners or others that will be able and willing to link your site.
Naturally, your content must be compelling and have value to it so that individuals and companies will want to link your site and trust you for future content on their site. This will keep them coming back to you for more links time after time.
The complex part of link building is that the quality of your links is more important than the quantity. It’s better to have a link to your site from The Wall Street Journal than to have 10 links to your site from average bloggers. This is where compelling and valuable content comes into play. Your content must be worthy of The Wall Street Journal in order to have it linked there.
Social media marketing is an important factor in offsite SEO as well. Using Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn or other platforms to share your content will create a better chance that someone else will share your content. This is another way big and reputable companies will find your content. Social media mentions and configurations of social media profiles can also boost SEO.
But how do we implement SEO? Let's explore some tips and tools:
5 ways to implement SEO
Research keywords that will maximize audience reach to your site. Using certain online tools can help you greatly with your keyword research
Link other sites in your content. Whether it be articles and videos to data and statistics, this helps build long-lasting, quality relationships with other companies. In turn, this will help you have your site linked in other articles.
Use social media to gain attention from audiences. Try linking an article on your social media posts to get hits on that article.
High-quality content is extremely important in implementing SEO. No one wants to share dull, unimportant or low-quality articles on their own site. Be sure that your content has meat to it, is easy to understand and provides valuable information to the reader.
Include blog posts in links on articles on your site or links on social media, such as Facebook posts or tweets.
According to Hubspot, SEO drives 30% of traffic and 20% of revenue. That being said, it is essential to incorporate SEO to optimize your ranking on search engines so that people can easily find you.
