Search engine optimization is a foundational pillar of any good digital marketing strategy, and no matter the size of your company or the industry you are in, there is no denying you need SEO in yours. Why is search engine optimization so essential for business websites and blogs? It is simply because optimizing your site pages and content for the users and the search engines will ensure you rank higher in the search results, and reach the right people at the right time. In a competitive industry, this can mean the difference between long-term growth and trailing behind your competitors.
That said, it is important to note that effective SEO goes far beyond keyword research and implementation. You probably know by now that implementing relevant keywords into your website and every piece of content is important for your ranking on Google, but there are numerous other factors you should account for in your SEO strategy.
Let’s look at what those factors are and what you need to focus on to take your SEO strategy to the next level.
The Importance Of Search Intent
Let’s start by stating one very important fact – Google always aims to provide the most relevant search results to every user. What this means is that you not only need to use the right keywords and optimize your pages on the backend side of things, it also means that you need to optimize your landing pages, blogs, and other content for search intent.
But what is search, or user intent? Simply put, search intent indicates what the user is trying to achieve. You have navigational, informational, and transactional intent, for example, and Google will aim to deliver content that best fits search parameters.
Navigational intent means that the person is looking to find a company’s contact info, while informational means that they are looking for credible information and to educate themselves. Transactional intent, on the other hand, means that the user is ready to buy.
Make sure to optimize different landing pages and blog posts for the right user intent in order to make them as relevant as possible.
Put User Experience At The Forefront
Aside from matching your content with the search intent of your customers, you also need to optimize your digital presence for the best user experience possible. After all, nobody wants to peruse a website that takes forever to load or is difficult to navigate – and Google knows that. If your website is not optimized for top performance, you can expect it to disappear from the first results page, and it might even become impossible to find.
So, what can you do to improve the site’s performance? For one, you can look for a better hosting plan with decentralized servers to ensure the site loads quickly wherever the customer may be. You can then enable browser caching to make the site load faster for returning visitors.
Make sure to optimize the site for mobile devices as well, as Google is heavily prioritizing mobile-friendly websites nowadays. Don’t forget to compress your images and don’t use videos on your homepage if you know that they will slow down the site.
Optimizing For Local Brand Visibility
When it comes to ranking as high as possible, we all know that using the right keywords can make all the difference. However, you also want to capitalize on the opportunities in your local market by optimizing your website for local search. This tactic is especially important and effective in competitive regions where local visibility is paramount, such as Australia.
For example, a local web design agency in Sydney will focus heavily on optimizing their clients’ websites and content for the local search results, but the team will also work on optimizing the clients’ Google My Business page and other online elements to make the site as visible as possible. From there, the company can work on expanding its presence in other markets and rank even higher in different locations, which creates a comprehensive SEO approach that generates leads.
Make sure to use this approach in your strategy and start optimizing your online presence with relevant local keywords.
Aim To Appear In The Featured Snippets
You probably know by now that Google has a featured snippets functionality that showcases the most relevant search results for your query in a brief but informative paragraph above all the other results. You want your content to rank here.
Content that ends up in the featured snippets on Google is much more likely to drive visitors to the webpage and inspire them to peruse the website, as it showcases the trustworthiness and authority of the website. With that in mind, start optimizing your content for the featured snippets by writing short and impactful paragraphs, answering relevant questions, and using query-based keywords.
Tend To Meticulous Link Building
Lastly, every successful SEO strategy will make sure to produce high-value, do-follow links on other websites that lead back to your landing pages, contact page, or your other articles. It’s important to build a backlink portfolio by reaching out to other websites to set up guest posting opportunities, or to try to contribute to the site in any way.
The editor will then grant you a link that leads back to your site, which will help improve your ranking on Google. Be careful, though, because earning links on dubious websites can just as easily push you down the search results and ruin your online reputation. But on the other hand, having a business website with no backlinks looks bad to Google and other top search engines as well. Every website inevitably gets at least some spammy backlinks, so don't worry too much if it happens naturally. You can always disavow certain low-quality backlinks in Google Search Console if needed.
Smart SEO Like A Pro
SEO should be your top priority going forward, but you need to invest in the right SEO tactics to generate the results you need. With these tips in mind, go ahead and build a winning SEO strategy that will elevate your brand from the competition in the organic search results.
