How to Create a Powerful SEO Strategy for Your Business - West Dorset

Everyone wants to see their website rank at the top of Google search results. It is possible, but it is not easy.

You can certainly use paid search campaigns to increase traffic to your website. It is not permanent. An effective SEO plan is what will work long-term. This can greatly increase your online presence as well as incoming traffic.

If you have not yet started to leverage SEO, it is a huge mistake. It’s better to be proactive than reactive. This 5 factor SEO plan will help you increase your online presence and improve your organic search rankings.

Run a Short Website Audit

Before we can begin to plan, it is important that you know the current SEO status of your website. A website audit can provide you with an in-depth analysis of your website that will help you better understand where to start.

RankWatch is a great tool to help you start your audit quickly. It provides a free website analysis which examines your site and generates a detailed SEO report in a matter of minutes. It will help you identify any SEO problems that might be hindering you from reaching the top of the SERPs. These issues can be fixed and you will see a change in your website traffic and organic search rankings.

1. Use Keywords With Care

Keywords form the foundation of SEO. You must conduct thorough keyword research to ensure that you are targeting the correct keywords.

There are two options:

Google Search
Use SEO tools

Google Search

The search bar will display suggestions if you enter a few words about the search query that you are trying to find for your website. These suggestions, also known as Google Autocomplete are based on keywords.

You can also find additional keyword ideas in the “Related Searches” area at the end of the search results page.

You can now list the keywords relevant to your website and start using them in your content.

Although you might want to target high-volume, short-tail keywords, it is best to start with long tail keywords which are comparatively easy. Ranking for multiple variations is easier and can result in a lot of organic traffic.

People who search for long-tail keywords are more likely than others to become customers. This is because they use more specific queries. It’s important to include the more difficult, short-tail keywords. You have a better chance of slowly gaining access to the short-tail variations if you rank higher for long-tail keywords. When you are jotting down keywords, make sure that there is a balance between long and short tail keywords.

Use SEO Tools

You can also use SEO tools to extract keywords. You can find a variety of SEO tools online.

However, I recommend the Rankwatch Keyword Search Tool.

It is as easy as entering the target keyword. The program will then suggest keywords. You will also see their search volume, CPC and difficulty. These are all important considerations when selecting keywords.

It is possible to simplify the process of keyword research simply by choosing the relevant keywords from the suggested keywords for your site. Keywords alone will not make a difference. It is important to focus on your content.

2. Optimise Content to Meet Search Intent

The content is the second most important component of any successful SEO plan. Keywords are just one part of any SEO plan. It is equally important to consider the needs and interests of users when creating content and pages. Although you may have provided the keywords, they will not be able to find useful information.

You might be wondering “How do I optimise content for search intent?” The answer is simple.

Two things are important to remember:

High-quality content is possible
Satisfy your search intent

High-Quality Content Is Possible

Quality content does not necessarily mean that you should write a novel to attract readers’ attention. You must give your readers what they desire.

Your reader might search for “best dentists near me” via Google.

They would be searching for the following information about a good dentist.

Address of the clinic
The fees
Timing
The dental treatments offered
Reviews, etc.

You must include information about the points mentioned above within your content if you want to target this keyword. This would ensure it is high-quality.

Two things will be achieved by creating high-quality content:

First, your website will be viewed more often. CTR (Click Through Ratio) is a ranking factor that most SEO professionals consider.
It will also reduce bounce rates and increase dwell time.

Before you begin writing, ensure that you meet the search intention.

Satisfy Your Search Intent

Search intent can be defined as the why and what behind a query. It allows us to understand the goal or purpose behind a search query.

A person might search for the “price of an iPhone 12“. It is possible to guess which person wants or intends to buy an iPhone 12. Similar to the above, the search “Facebook login” indicates that the person is looking for the login page.

This intent must be kept in mind when writing content. Your content might not be able to meet the intended intent and may not receive long-term attention.

There are basically four types of search intent.

Informational: People want to learn about something.
Navigational: Users need to know the web address.
Transactional: Users are looking to purchase something.
Commercial: Users wish to compare and select from several options.

These search intent groups can be used to group your keywords and create your content specifically to the topic. It will rank higher in the SERPs if it fulfils the search intent and potentially improve your online ranking and presence.

3. Keep Users Happy With an Outstanding UX

Not only is it important for users, but also for search engines.

Visitors will likely visit a competitor if your website isn’t providing a positive experience. It will also be viewed negatively by search engines and may devalue your site’s position in the SERPs. I don’t think anyone would want that.

It is essential to retain users by offering a compelling and exciting user experience.

These are the three key factors that make a great user experience.

Mobile-Friendliness

64% of Americans access the internet using their mobile phones and tablets.

This means that they can access websites from their mobile devices, which has smaller screen sizes. They will leave your website if they cannot access it on their mobile devices.

Google also prefers to rank mobile-friendly websites in its search results.

Therefore, it is essential to make your website responsive.

A responsive theme or design is the most effective way to achieve this. The theme automatically adjusts to different resolutions and screen sizes, providing you the results you want.

Faster Loading Speed on Your Pages

Nobody likes to be slow, especially when surfing the internet. These numbers will prove it.

If the loading speed exceeds 4 seconds, every visitor closes the tab.
46% of visitors don’t return to a website if it takes too long for them to respond.
A second delay on the same website can reduce customer satisfaction by 16%.

Optimising your website for speed is essential.

Faster page loading can be achieved by compressing images and videos and implementing lazy loading.

Simple Layout and Navigation

Your website’s navigation does not allow for click-bait games or a long list of options.

It should allow users to navigate your site easily and reach the pages they desire.

Layout is the same. It is important to place the right elements in the correct places on your site so that users can find them easily.

You can make your site easy to navigate and layout by including a home icon in the header, using a strategic menu or single-page scrolling, as well as a home button in the navigation bar.

You must ensure that your website is ready for visitors.

4. Optimise Your On-Page SEO

On Page SEO it is crucial if you want your website to rank for certain terms on search engines.

It includes several elements such as title tag, meta description and alt text that help search engines understand the content of a website.

Crawlers can easily rank pages for the appropriate search terms by identifying their main topic. Now the question is, “How did you do it?”

Keyword placement is the first step in On-Page optimisation.

These are some of the best places to put keywords on your webpage;

In the blog post’s first 100 words or within the landing page content.
Meta descriptions
The URL, title and headings
The rest of the content

Here are some other things you can do to improve your On-Page SEO.

Use less than 160 characters to create compelling meta descriptions
Use H1, H2, H3, etc. Structure your content using H1, H2, and/or H3.
Use internal links
Use descriptive URLs that are short and concise
You can add descriptive alt text to images
Keep your content length between 800-2000 words

Building links is something you don’t want to think about.

5. Focus On Building Targeted Links

Backlinks can be very effective in increasing your website’s search rankings and online visibility.

Link-building is still relevant today. However, just getting backlinks from every site you find, might not work. You should focus your link-building efforts on achieving the desired results.

It’s the act of reaching out and trying to obtain strategic backlinks from relevant websites. It is generally about getting backlinks to certain URLs or pages on your website in order to improve their search rankings.

These are the steps that will help you get started.

1. Check Out the Backlink Profiles of Your Competitors

An SEO tool will allow you to quickly find all domains that are linking to your competitors. You can then sort them by relevance.

2. These Domains Have Email Addresses

You can use several online email extractors such as Hunter and Snovio to get all the emails paired with a particular domain. You can bulk upload domains to find their contact information.

3. Send Your Link-Building Proposal to Them

There are many ways to earn links – guest posting, giving backlinks, etc. You have the option to make any proposal that you like. It’s your choice to approach domains via email and wait for their responses.

4. Backlinks to Your Website Are Possible

If domains promise to provide backlinks to you, keep your word. You have asked them to write a guest blog post. Now, you need to submit high-quality content with your links. If it was about link exchanges, you can add their link to the blog and follow-up.

This will allow you to build many backlinks to the site.

All Successful Things Require Time

SEO is no different. It can take anywhere from 3-6 months for measurable results to be seen.

You will see results with consistent effort and the following 5 stage SEO plan.

Keep an eye on Google’s algorithm changes to ensure the best results and update your SEO plan accordingly.

Take a look at our most recent blog: What Are the Key Tips to Hiring a Team?

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