SEO (Search Engine
Optimization) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a
web page in a search engine’s natural search results. The more frequently a site appears in the
search results list, the more visitors it will receive from users. Loren Mack stated in her blog, ‘SEO: Patience& Persistence,’ “content is king.”
The right content allows users to find you first, which increases sales.
Understand Your Users
– After all, they’re the ones using your search engine; without them, you don’t
need to worry about SEO. By researching
current trends on search engines and via social media, it’s possible to see
what competitors are doing and what users expect from company/brand.
Optimize - With
thoughtful content you will spark the interest of more users. It must be engaging and stand out. It must capture the user’s attention and have
value.
Analysis – Data doesn’t
lie. Run reports from all channels to
learn what users are responding to. It’s
worthwhile to pay for analytical tools, such as Google Webmaster. Use findings to improve content or diversify
keywords.
New SEO vs Old SEO
– Being # 1 for a keyword is no longer the top prize. “SEO today is increasingly driven by natural
language search, that is, people doing searches that are more like normal
questions that two or three keywords.
This is happening because people are using tools like Siri and Google
Now to speak to their searches, rather than typing them in. And because people are including more detail
in their typed searches as they seek to find what they’re looking for faster. These keywords are much easier to rank for,
because they’re not as competitive”. Top
ranking are emotionally satisfying, but they’re worthless unless they generate
leads or sales. (Steimie, 2015)
How long for the SEO
to start working?
That all depends.
Metrics such as the time your website has existed, amount of content,
links, ties to social media, architecture, and html impact its success. Social media platforms, such as Twitter make
it easy to broadcast and link your content to increase its prevalence. It may even pickup enough interest that users
become influencers, which results in free marketing. Who doesn’t love free?
The Key to Success – In
the introduction ‘content is king’ was referenced. That is still the key to success. “While many search engine marketing firms are
completely reputable and add tremendous value to marketing programs, I am
convinced that the single best thing you can do to improve your search engine
marketing is to focus on building great content for your buyers. Search engine marketing should not be
mysterious and is certainly not trickery” (Scott, 2013) .
Works Cited
Scott,
D. M. (2013). The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to use social media,
online video, mobile applications, blogs, news releases, & viral marketing
to reach buyers directly. (4 ed.). Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Steimie, J. (2015,
February 7). How Long Does SEO Take To Start Working? Retrieved from
Forbes:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshsteimle/2015/02/07/how-long-does-seo-take-to-start-working/
