What Really is an SEO Strategy?

SEO is a frequently used term, whether it's in articles, ads, or discussions about how to get your brand noticed. However, it isn't always clear exactly what the term means. You aren't alone if you have trouble grasping what SEO means.  

In this post, you'll get a broad overview of SEO, including what it is, how it helps, and how an SEO strategy looks. You'll learn that it is a valuable and helpful part of your comprehensive marketing plan. Like most tools and techniques, it is most beneficial when you understand its capabilities and how to leverage them to achieve your goals.  

What Is SEO?  

First, let's unpack the acronym. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which as a term does little to demystify the numerous ways to implement it. As explained, SEO is the process of designing your posts, blogs, or website content for search engines to find easily.  

What do you do when you need to find a local business or understand how to accomplish an unfamiliar task? Besides asking a friend, you will likely seek the answer on your favorite search engine. The unpaid entries that appear highest in the search results pages are due to search engine optimization. The businesses have used a combination of techniques like common search terms incorporated as keywords and in-depth descriptions that demonstrate comprehensive knowledge to search engines and credible brand authority to readers.  

The Benefits of Using SEO  

Why is SEO so beneficial? It helps you gain more online attention and increases lead generation. It allows customers to find you by making your posts appear in searches. The higher your results appear in search engine results pages, also called SERPs, the more you demonstrate your credibility online.  

Search engines find sites and rate credibility using bots called crawlers, which navigate websites and determine their relevance to searches. Each search engine analyzes websites for multiple factors like content, navigation, internal links, and metadata. Your keyword ranking means that when someone searches using those words or terms, search engines find them easily because you thoughtfully designed your site to appear prominently in the SERPs. The higher quality of your website, the better your keyword position. Optimization involves designing your site to guide search engine crawlers to crucial information, signaling to them that you're comprehensively explaining a topic. 

SEO is an investment; it takes time to rank for SEO keywords. Optimizing your website helps amplify other marketing by introducing customers to your business based on how they search. That's why blogs and other online materials help with sales enablement. It gives you something relevant to share so potential customers can find you. While SEO involves developing your website for search engines, your primary goal should be to help and inform people. No matter how well you appear in searches, you miss a crucial element if you don't provide value to customers. 

How To Launch an SEO Strategy  

SEO strategies can vary depending on your industry and business. The following checklist can help you narrow down your best strategy:  

• Determine who you want to reach - Who needs your products or services? Is it an individual or a business? A homeowner or a renter? Think about what your ideal customer looks like, their needs, and what motivates them.  
• Decide what you want to promote - What outstanding offering do you have for your ideal customer? Is it your best-in-class customer service? A unique approach to a problem they need help to resolve?  Or do you have a method that lets do-it-yourselfers get the guidance they need? Concentrate on these topics. 
• Create a list of keywords - Now that you have your topics, you need a list of keywords relevant to the searches your target customers will perform that help them find your content. Keywords can be single or multiple words that form a more descriptive phrase. Research the most searched terms or the ones that drive the most traffic using a software program or hire an agency to help you.  
• Develop a content calendar - The world is constantly changing around us, with new information, products, services, and competitors. To stay relevant, you need to post frequently and consistently. A content calendar helps you organize when and where you'll publish your content across all mediums.  

• Write and publish posts (either in-house or outsourced) – One thing to remember is that you must distribute blogs for better performance. You'll want to consider those specific to your chosen topics and those indirectly related. For instance, a tax preparer may want to write a post on individual tax returns. They can write about how to avoid fraudulent tax preparers, safeguard one's identity, or take steps during the year to better prepare to complete tax returns in the spring.   
• Track analytics and adjust - Consistently monitor your results and adjust where necessary. By seeing how certain pages perform, you can adjust their optimization to get them to rank higher while also making them more informative and readable for customers. 

SEO Is a Valuable Strategy   

SEO's value is immense. With the wealth of information at consumers' fingertips and the constant competition for the same customers, you must position your business to rise above the noise and chaos. Consider choosing a digital partner to help you create a strategy for launching successful blogs.