MAJOR ELEMENTS OF SEO PLANNING
WHAT IS SEO?
To begin, lets define SEO– Search Engine Optimization: the process of improving visibility of a website on organic search engine result pages (SERPs). All major search engines (e.g. Google) have primary search results, where web pages and other content are shown and ranked based on what the search engine considers to be most relevant. There are 3 main elements of SEO: quality of traffic, quantity of traffic, and organic results. Learning how to write content and put it on a site in a way in which search engines can better understand what they’re seeing to provide the searcher with relevant information is what optimization is. Ultimately, SEO is the ability to make user-friendly sites that also include quality content easily understandable by search engines.
SEO STRATEGY
As any SEO consultant will explain, an SEO strategy should be incorporated long before a site goes live. It should be at the very beginning of the planning process. An SEO strategy should be outlined before making any other decisions. However, SEO companies are often hired to improve sites that already exist. There are many SEO services available to improve SEO, but it is easier to build a strong strategy from the start. This includes knowing your keywords, writing high quality content, and using keywords in the URL and page titles.
MARKET SEGMENTATION
A critical factor when determining an SEO strategy is understanding the nature of the market you are competing in. Depending on how competitive the market is will also explain how competitive the SEO environment is. This is important information because depending on the strength of competition, it may be easier to focus SEO efforts on less popular SEO keywords.
IMPORTANCE OF INBOUND LINKS
Search engines use algorithms that rely heavily on measuring links to rank competitive terms. Having third-party-sites link their websites to yours is a critical technique of SEO. While developing an SEO plan, it is important to brainstorm ideas of how to get linked to other quality websites. It is also important to focus on the quality of links, rather than the quantity.
CONTENT MATTERS
A key component of an SEO campaign is the quality and volume of content. It is important to differentiate your site from competitors in order to receive external links. This can be done by improving content marketing by providing quality content or by having some type of tool that many will want to use. Matching your content with target keywords will provide the best results.
KNOW YOUR COMPETITION
Another aspect to consider while building a plan is researching competitors. SEO strategy is often influenced by competitors’ strategies, so having a good understanding of what they are doing is an important aspect of building a successful SEO strategy. Discovering competitors’ strengths and weaknesses will help you focus on opportunities to get ahead. It is also not unheard of to include some competitors in your content. When using this tactic, you must objectively explain the differences, highlighting why your product or service is superior. This is a great way to increase the number of internal links to the site, while allowing visitors to make decisions based on your content.