Most things in life are simple, but are not easy.
Let’s take health as an example.
We all know that we should eat fresh, whole foods and avoid processed, sugar-laden foods.
That sounds simple, but it isn’t easy when Oreos are delicious and so is ice cream.
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We also know that to stay physically fit we should get out and walk in nature everyday and do a mix of cardio and weight training.
That sounds simple, but it isn’t easy when after a long day it’s more fun to sit on the couch than go out for a walk.
The same is true for getting your site to rank well on Google. Our go-to strategies for improving your SEO are simple, but they are not easy.
#1 Tip to Improve your SEO: Post high-value content consistently
Posting high quality content that provides value to your audience is the most effective SEO tool out there. Content can be articles, podcasts, videos or any combination of the three, the big idea is to provide value by answering the questions your audience is asking.
It is in your best interest to post quality content because it is in Google’s best interest to make it easy for it to be found. Google gets paid from ads on the Search Results Page (SERP), so the better quality results, the more time users spend on the SERP which means Google makes more money. In 2020 Google made 150 Million dollars from ads alone.
This logic works for websites too. The more time users spend on your site (Engagement Rate) the more likely they will become a paying customer. If a user searches for something, lands on your site and then binge reads all of the info you have on the topic, the user will be much more likely to buy a product or service from you.
In a recent episode of Market Your Genius, Nikki Nash chats with Emily Thompson about this exact strategy.
Emily Thompson of Being Boss said that creating long form, quality blog posts and podcast episodes is their most effective marketing tactic – even above social media. Definitely give it a listen, the whole conversation was excellent.
Pro Tip: Here is a post about the best content strategy, content clusters.
#2 Tip for Improving your SEO: Update Old Content
Updating older content on your site is an effective way to improve your SEO.
We recommend that every year you conduct a content audit of your site and identify key posts that need to be updated. These posts are the popular ones, the long form articles that people actually read and not skim.
It is important to update these articles with new, relevant content and graphics. Remember to UPDATE the original post, do not create a new one because the original post is already getting traffic from Google. Also be sure to add a note stating when the post was updated. Here is an example:
We recommend that you also update FAQ pages. FAQ pages are highly effective for SEO and we recommend nearly all of our clients have one on their site.
FAQs typically get a lot of traffic so it is important to add common Questions and Answers to the page on a quarterly basis.
Pro Tip: Figure out which posts have the longest time spent on page and update those first.
#3 Tip for Improving your SEO: Analyze the Metrics
Understanding how Google and Users interact with your site will enable you to make strategic decisions.
Knowing what keywords users type into Google to find your site is extremely important. Are users finding you for more than your business name? Are people finding you for your expertise? What page do users search for the most?
It is also good to know what content people engage with the most so that you can create more of it! Having a deep understanding of how your audience interacts with the site makes everything from sales calls, to writing social copy to planning your content calendar so much easier.
Pro Tip: You don’t have to become an expert in Google Analytics, just review the most important metrics regularly.
SEO is the foundation of effective, long-term marketing. If you commit to consistently doing these three tips, the findability of your site will greatly increase in 2023.
If improving SEO is a goal of yours in 2023, please reach out. We have been helping small businesses get found on Google since 2015.
