Understanding basic SEO strategy and how to use it
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What’s the point in writing blogs if no one is reading them and they’re not boosting your site’s performance? You may be writing interesting blogs with useful information, but without the right strategy, it may be a moot point. That’s where SEO strategy comes into play.
The keyword- The first step is selecting a keyword. Once you’ve selected a topic for your blog, you’ll want to do some keyword research. Think about what your blog topic is and how a user would search for that topic. For example, if your topic is “Tree Removal” think about what a user would search for to learn about that topic. Keywords such as “Tree Removal” tend to get thousands of hits per month making it a tough keyword to rank for. You’re not trying to target “Tree Removal” across the nation, so using a narrower search such as “Washington DC Tree Removal” allows you to target a more specific area of users. Since it’s a less popular keyword, it will also be easier to rank for.
The content- Experts recommend that SEO blogs be a minimum of 300 keywords; the longer you can naturally make your content while continuing to be relevant, the better. You’ll want to break the content up into sections using headers that describe each section while also utilizing the keyword. A good way to do this would be to have a header such as “How Our Washington DC Tree Removal Experts Get the Job Done”. This allows you to place the keyword in a space that sounds natural but also tells the search engine that it’s the main topic of your blog.
The media elements- Use media elements to add some life to your blog. Users like to see photos and/or videos that relate to your blog. Just make sure you tag them appropriately to ensure the website is accessible to those with disabilities.
The hyperlinks- One of the most important features of your SEO blog should be hyperlinks. Hyperlinking your keyword to the relevant page on your site gives your SEO an extra boost. Linking to outside sources is also an important element of boosting your SEO. Linking to an outside source that is considered an “authoritative source” can boost your blog’s credibility with search engines. For example, if you’re talking about your knowledge on a certain topic and are able to reference that knowledge on a government website, it can boost your blog’s and your website’s credibility.
Check your on-page SEO in real-time- When you’re creating SEO content, it’s extremely helpful to have goalposts in mind. Using a WordPress plugin, such as Yoast SEO, provides an easy way to do SEO analysis.
It’s important to figure out if your SEO strategy is successful or if you need to switch it up. Try using platforms such as Google Analytics, Moz, SEMRush, etc., to hone in on your rankings and track your progress over time. Using these platforms can also help you determine if the keywords you’re optimizing for are quality, high-traffic topics, and truly worth your efforts. Once you see your keyword rankings for specific keywords going up, consider adding in new keywords to broaden your reach.
Whether you need a new website or are interested in a full digital retainer, we can help.