That’s what ecommerce SEO does for your online store. It sets up your products to be found easily by shoppers searching online.

But ecommerce sites face unique challenges versus their B2B counterparts. So you might be wondering if and how SEO works on an ecommerce site.

The good news is that SEO is for every website — it addresses the specific needs of an ecommerce site to help increase its visibility in the search results and boost conversions.

In this article, I’ll go over the basics of SEO ecommerce, why it’s important and how to get started. By implementing the ideas in this list, you can help ensure people don’t just find you, but they stick around long enough to shop.

What Is Ecommerce SEO?

Ecommerce search engine optimization is the process of optimizing an online store to improve its visibility and organic rankings in the search engine results pages.

This is in contrast with digital ads, for example, where you pay to play in the search engine results.

With ecommerce SEO, the focus is predominantly adapting the website strategy to the transactional (sales) intent of people’s search engine queries, and to an audience that’s ready to buy.

Ecommerce SEO techniques include a mix of on-page, technical and off-page optimizations.

Keep in mind that each website and business is unique, and that SEO is a complex process that involves hundreds of interdependent variables.

Therefore, SEO best practices do exist for ecommerce sites, and we also customize strategies for each individual ecommerce site.

Why Is Ecommerce SEO Important?

If you’re in the business of ecommerce, you are likely no stranger to paying for digital ads.

But what would happen if you turned your ads off tomorrow? The answer is you’d disappear from the search results, never to be seen again.

That is, unless you invested in SEO.

SEO helps you claim more real estate on the search engine results pages (SERPs). And it helps you drive longer term traffic to your website. (See: What Is a Whole-SERP Strategy?)

Ecommerce SEO Makes You Less Dependent on Ads

Without SEO:

1. Online stores may become virtually invisible on SERPs.
2. Ecommerce sites lose significant traffic to competitors.
3. Potential sales are left on the table and growth stagnates.

Don’t get me wrong, pay-per-click ads are almost a necessity in the ecommerce world. Ecommerce brands are expected to spend about $38 billion on digital ads by the end of 2024.

But imagine if you could build up your organic search traffic as well, so you weren’t *so* reliant on digital ads.

Ecommerce SEO Is More Than Product Descriptions

Also consider the different ways you could engage with your target audience when you’re not just driving them to product pages, but other helpful resources.

Remember: SEO is designed to support every stage in the customer journey.

Just see one article in Nordstrom’s content strategy, below:

Ecommerce SEO Is About the User Experience

Once people get to your ecommerce website, you want the experience to be as smooth as possible.

There are already enough hurdles to jump through to get a person to put an item in their cart, and then actually check out with that item. (Considering that shopping cart abandonment hovers at around 70%.)

A poor user experience can cost you conversions. Consider the ski brand Rossignol, which was able to realize a 94% year-on-year lift in conversions by making its site faster.

SEO works to not only draw traffic in, but guide you in how to structure your website for a better user experience.

How Do You Do Ecommerce SEO? 12 Steps

Ecommerce sites stand to benefit from some of the same tried-and-true SEO strategies that benefit any type of site.

But there are also some special SEO tactics reserved just for ecommerce sites.

While there are countless SEO strategies to apply to ecommerce websites, here are 12 to get right:

1. SEO siloing
2. Core web vitals
3. HTTPS
4. A mobile-friendly site
5. Long-tail keywords
6. Helpful, quality content
7. On-page SEO
8. Structured data
9. Handling duplicate content
10. Handling out-of-stock items
11. Google Merchant
12. Reviews

1. SEO Siloing

If you walked into a library and none of the books were categorized, finding the right information would be a disaster. Similarly, you want your site’s content neatly organized for visitors.

An ecommerce website needs to be organized in a manner that is easy for search engines to crawl and understand, and especially easy for users to find what they are looking for.

A user-centric structure goes beyond looks—it ensures every tap leads somewhere worthwhile.

Internal links guiding shoppers like friendly store clerks and clear calls-to-action make sure they don’t have to guess what to do next.

For more, read: What Is SEO Siloing? And see Google’s help file: Help Google understand your ecommerce website structure.

2. Core Web Vitals

Core web vitals (CWV) are a set of recommendations from Google on how to create a better website experience by optimizing key functions of the website – like a health checkup for websites.

CWV measures things like loading performance, ease of interactivity and visual stability during page load time. All of these impact the shopping experience.

We’re living in the age of instant gratification, and patience isn’t exactly our strongest virtue. A sluggish website can cause visitors to bounce faster than you can say “abandoned cart.”

For more, see: Core Web Vitals for SEO: An Overview.

3. HTTPS

It’s almost unheard of these days for an ecommerce site to not have implemented HTTPS, but it’s worth mentioning that it’s a ranking signal in Google’s algorithm.

For more, read: HTTPS for Users and Ranking.

4. A Mobile-Friendly Site

It’s estimated that about 58% of website traffic comes from mobile devices. And, of course, there’s Google’s mobile-first index to contend with.
The necessity of having mobile-friendly ecommerce platforms cannot be overstated. In short, you can’t ignore this important step.

For more, read: The Mobile-Friendly Site.

5. Long-Tail Keywords

Ecommerce is highly competitive, and in many cases, businesses are competing against giants like Amazon, Walmart, Target, etc.

Targeting long-tail keywords with quality, educational content can help businesses that may not have as many resources to compete against the competition.

Focusing on lower volume search terms may seem counterintuitive, but it’s about quality over quantity. These specific phrases can attract highly relevant traffic.
To weave this strategy into your content plan, think like your customer. If someone is looking for “handcrafted vegan leather women’s boots,” that shopper has passed window-shopping mode; they’re ready for action.

For more, see: How to Beat the Giants in the Search Results in 9 Simple Steps.

6. Quality, Helpful Content

Helping your target audience consider your products and guiding them to a decision is critical in ecommerce.

A lot goes into this, taking into consideration things like E-E-A-T, quality content and helpful content.

Writing unique product descriptions is a big factor here. Each product description must tell a story, while weaving in keywords naturally.

Imagine being able to describe a pair of sneakers so vividly that readers can almost feel them on their feet; that’s the level we’re aiming for.

This isn’t just about avoiding duplicate content, but about making every word count towards convincing potential customers they need this item.

7. On-Page SEO

Optimizing category, subcategory and product pages on your site is a foundational SEO tactic for ecommerce. There is a lot you can do here, including adding helpful, optimized content.

For example, title tags and meta descriptions may seem like small fry compared to other elements on your site but think again.

These snippets are essentially your “shop window display” in the SERPs. A solid title tag could mean the difference between someone scrolling past or stopping by.

For more, see: The Always Up-to-Date SEO Checklist and What Are Meta Tags? Why Are They Important? How Do You Do Them?

8. Structured Data

Structured data helps clarify to search engines what the page is about. This helps with relevance when they are determining a match to a query.

Plus, structured data creates rich results in the SERPs, which can attract more attention to your listing versus the competition.

For more, check out What Is Structured Data and Why Is It Important for SEO? And Google’s help file: Include structured data relevant to ecommerce.

9. Handling Duplicate Content

Ecommerce sites are notorious for duplicate content issues.

Whether it’s using generic product descriptions form the manufacturer, getting filter parameters added to URLs, faceted navigation, multiple categories and product pages, or something else, handling duplicate content should be a routine SEO task.

For more, read Is Duplicate Content Bad for Search Engine Rankings?

10. Handling Out-of-Stock Items

One important function of ecommerce SEO is handling out-of-date and out-of-stock products.

For items temporarily out of stock, keep the pages live but update them with information about restocking dates or alternative product recommendations; this way, you can retain page rankings and engage potential customers.

Permanently discontinued products require a different approach. Rather than leaving these pages to result in 404 errors — which can be detrimental for the user experience — put into place 301 redirects towards related products or categories that offer value to potential customers.

This enhances the shopping journey while safeguarding your site’s SEO performance.

Of course, sometimes 404s happen, so having a creative strategy for your 404 pages is also another way to enhance the shopping experience.

For more, see: How to Design a 404 Error Page That Saves a Sale.

11. Google Merchant Center

It’s not required, but uploading product data to Google Merchant Center may help with organic listings including rich results and Google Images.

See the Google help file: Share your product data with Google.

12. Product Reviews

Product reviews written by people with actual experience or knowledge of the product can help ecommerce websites drive more traffic and conversions.

Reviews show real experiences from real people, which can help convince others to buy.

For more, check out Google’s help file: Write high-quality reviews and be sure you understand Google’s product reviews system for ranking.

And also see our article: Is Sentiment an SEO Trust Signal?

Ecommerce sites face unique challenges, but implementing these SEO strategies will help product-focused businesses get more visibility in the search results, and more conversions on your site.

Need more traffic, visibility and conversions from your ecommerce site? Our SEO experts can help you implement strategies that will earn better results. Schedule a free consultation today.

FAQ: How can ecommerce SEO improve my online store’s visibility and organic ranking?

The success of your online stone starts with effective ecommerce SEO. Implement the following strategies to improve your visibility, traffic and ranking.

Understand customer intent: By recognizing the search intent of your potential customers, you can optimize your e-commerce site to provide the most relevant results based on their queries.

Keyword research: Conduct thorough keyword research to identify the most relevant and high-converting keywords for your e-commerce store. Include these keywords strategically in your product titles, descriptions and meta tags to improve organic ranking.

Optimize product descriptions: Well-written and optimized product descriptions not only provide valuable information to your customers but also help search engines understand the context of your products. This increases your chances of ranking higher.

On-page optimization: Ensure that your e-commerce website is search engine friendly by optimizing meta tags, URLs, heading tags and alt text for images. This helps search engines better understand your content, improving visibility and ranking.

User-friendly website structure: A well-structured website with intuitive navigation makes it easier for search engine crawlers to index your pages. Utilize internal linking to further optimize the flow of link equity throughout your site.

Mobile optimization: With the majority of online shoppers using mobile devices, having a mobile-friendly website is essential. Optimize your e-commerce store for mobile devices to improve user experience, boost visibility and boost organic ranking.

Site speed optimization: Website loading speed directly impacts user experience. Optimize your e-commerce store’s performance to ensure fast loading times and smooth browsing.

High-quality content: Creating informative, relevant, original and engaging content around your products or industry not only establishes you as an authority but also attracts organic traffic. Incorporate relevant keywords naturally into your content to optimize for search engines.

Integrate these ecommerce SEO best practices and see how they can improve visibility, traffic and organic ranking for your online store.

Step-by-Step Procedure:

1. Understand your target audience and their search intent.
2. Conduct keyword research to identify relevant keywords for optimization.
3. Optimize product descriptions with targeted keywords.
4. Implement on-page optimization techniques.
5. Ensure a user-friendly website structure and intuitive navigation.
6. Optimize your e-commerce store for mobile devices.
7. Optimize website speed and performance.
8. Create high-quality and informative content.
9. Incorporate keywords naturally into your content.
10. Monitor your website’s performance using analytics tools.
11. Stay current with algorithm changes and adapt your strategies accordingly.
12. Continuously refine and improve your e-commerce SEO strategies.

The post What Is Ecommerce SEO? appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

If you’ve ever worked with an SEO you’ve probably heard the phrase “optimize your content” one too many times.

In search engine optimization, you not only want to create quality content, but also make sure it’s optimized in the best way possible. This is so it has a better chance of performing in the search results.

In this article, I’ll outline what content optimization is in SEO and how to go about doing it.

I will discuss:

• What is SEO content optimization?
• How to do SEO content optimization
• FAQ: What exactly is SEO content optimization and how can I implement it?

What Is SEO Content Optimization?

Content optimization in SEO is all about making sure the content is streamlined for both search engines and website visitors.

Generating content is the most important part of the content creation process. But there are some things that you have to consider to help your content perform better in the search results and to offer a better experience for your visitors.

In fact, not doing certain optimization practices can impede your ability to rank in the search results. One example that comes to mind is a slow webpage when compared to your competition in the search results.

Now you might not equate a slow webpage with SEO content optimization, but it’s very much a part of ensuring the webpage your content is on performs. And I’ll talk more about that next.

How To Do SEO Content Optimization

You might think that SEO content optimization involves just slapping a few keywords onto a webpage. But it’s actually more involved than that.

See, it’s not just the words on the page that need to be optimized — it’s the entire webpage (which means getting into the technical stuff). Bottom line: You cannot view content optimization as separate from other types of optimization that need to happen on the webpage.

That said, let’s look at some of the things that go into SEO content optimization. While not an exhaustive list, here are some of the many things you can and should do:

Keyword Research

Keywords are the foundation of SEO content. They tell us what our target audience is searching for and how they are searching for it when looking for what you have to offer.

But keyword research goes beyond that. It helps us better understand what our target audience wants so that we can deliver more targeted content to them, and to better compete in the search results.

Once you have done your keyword research, you can begin to create content for those keyword topics. That is the first step in optimizing SEO content.

Choosing a Content Type

Analyze the search engine results pages (SERPs) and see what type of content shows up for each of your keywords. For example, do you only see webpages? Or do you also see things like videos and featured snippets?

Take note of the SERP features that show up. This is the type of content you want to create.

Read more:

• What Is a Whole-SERP SEO Strategy?
• Content Types and Goals: Find the Right Fit for Your Marketing
• 3 Surprising On-Page SEO Techniques You May Not Know About

On-Page Optimization

Now we get to the part of SEO content optimization that most people are familiar with — on-page optimization. This involves optimizing your content from top to bottom with SEO best practices.

Here are just a few of the things to keep in mind as you optimize your SEO content …

Competitor Research

Before you put pen to paper (or in this case, finger to keyboard) you want to be sure you are creating content that will meet or exceed your competition in the SERPs. That requires some competitor research.

Competitor research can reduce wasted efforts and give you better targets for your content. Think about it: If all the top-ranked webpages in the SERPs are 1,000 words, why would you write 2,000?

You can do competitor research the old-fashioned way by going to the SERPs (in incognito mode), typing in your keyword and then analyze the top-ranked webpages. But this takes time.

Easier yet is using SEO tools for the job. (We have one for competitor research and you can learn more about the Bruce Clay SEO WP plugin at any time.)

Read:

• How to Do Competitor Research for SEO
• Want Customized SEO Advice per Keyword? There’s a Plugin for That!

Mobile-Friendly Writing

Given that 63% of traffic to search engines and 54% of traffic to websites comes from mobile devices, it only makes sense that you optimize your content with mobile readers in mind. How do you do that? Think tiny screens.

Mobile content means breaking up long chunks of content into bite-sized pieces. Paragraphs can be two sentences long (or in some cases, even one sentence).

You can use bullets and subheads to keep things organized and to guide the reader along. Think about how much effort it would take to read a long article on a phone, and adjust your formatting to make it easier for your visitors.

Read:

• Page Experience Matters: The Mobile-Friendly Site

Link Targets

Most SEO content optimization will take into consideration the outbound links from the page. Outbound links are the links that you embed that go out to another page either on your website or to another website.

In either case, you want to be strategic about what you are linking to. This is especially important if you are SEO siloing to boost your content performance. And it’s also important to your link profile. You want to make sure you are linking out to quality, relevant websites.

Read:

• What Are Outbound Links?
• SEO SIloing: What, Why, How
• The New Link Building Manifesto: A Complete Guide to Earning Links That Count

Keyword Optimization

In many cases, you end up naturally optimizing your content when you write — using different variations of a keyword and related keywords. But any optimization effort is about being as precise as possible and also beating the competition.

So it cannot hurt to ensure the page has the most relevant keywords showing up a reasonable number of times. There are tools you can use to help with optimizing your keywords with content, like the Bruce Clay SEO WP plugin.

Read:

• How a WordPress SEO Plugin Can Help You Optimize Your Content with Keywords

Meta Data

Meta data (aka meta tags) is another area that is widely known as a standard part of SEO content optimization. You want to get this part right because your meta data is your first impression to both search engines and users.

Why? The meta data is the first bit of content the search engines encounter when crawling a webpage to understand what the page is about. And, the meta data serves as the snippet in the search results, so it’s the first thing a potential visitor sees.

For this, you want to make sure that:

• The meta data is compelling
• It accurately describes what the reader can expect
• It stays within character count guidelines
• It uses the target keywords

Read:

• What Are Meta Tags?

Technical SEO

Really great content will get you pretty far in the search results. But all else equal, if a competitor for your keyword has a faster website or offers a better user experience, your website will likely not stack up in the SERPs.

What do I mean when I say “all else equal”? Search engines like Google use a variety of factors in their ranking algorithms to determine which page is the most relevant to a search. No website is going to be perfect for a query, and Google knows that.

So the search engines essentially rank the webpages by those that are closest to matching the most factors. So let’s say there are 50 ranking factors for a given query — if you have 39 of the most important and your competition has 40, who do you think will rank above whom?

So a key part of SEO content optimization is actually making your website run better. For this, you need the help of a technical SEO person and/or your web team. It’s not something that a content creator can easily tackle without the know-how.

Read:

• SEO Should Beat the Competition, Not the Algorithm
• Technical SEO vs. On-Page SEO: The Differences
• Google’s Page Experience Update: A Complete Guide

Follow these SEO content optimization tactics to help your content perform better in the search results.

For a more comprehensive list on optimization, check out our SEO checklist.

FAQ: What exactly is SEO content optimization and how can I implement it?

SEO content optimization stands as a pivotal strategy for achieving online success. By tailoring your content to align with search engine algorithms, you can exponentially increase your chances of appearing prominently in search results. This article guides you in understanding and implementing SEO content optimization effectively.

At its core, SEO content optimization refers to the strategic process of refining your online content to make it more attractive to search engines like Google. The goal is simple yet powerful: to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) and subsequently draw more organic traffic. This process involves a harmonious blend of keyword research, quality content creation, and technical finesse.

The cornerstone of successful SEO content optimization lies in thorough keyword research. You can strategically incorporate these terms into your content by identifying relevant keywords and phrases that potential visitors might use to find content like yours. However, it’s crucial to strike a balance – keyword stuffing can result in a negative user experience and harm your ranking. Instead, aim for an effortless integration that enhances readability and value in your content.

Content creation remains essential. Search engines prioritize content that provides genuine value to users. Craft articles, blog posts, or other forms of media that not only address your audience’s needs and showcase your expertise. Engaging content encourages longer time spent on your website and reduced bounce rates, signaling to search engines that your content deserves recognition.

Technical optimization is equally vital. Ensure your website is mobile-responsive, as search engines prioritize mobile-friendly sites. Furthermore, optimize your meta titles, descriptions, and headings to reflect your content’s essence accurately. Internal linking, which connects different pages on your website, also aids navigation and boosts SEO performance.

To implement SEO content optimization successfully, embrace a holistic approach. Regularly update your content to reflect current trends and changes in your industry. Monitor your website’s performance using analytical tools to gauge the effectiveness of your optimization efforts. Stay informed about search engine algorithm updates and adapt your strategy accordingly.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Implementing SEO Content Optimization

1. Conduct comprehensive keyword research to identify relevant and high-traffic keywords.
2. Prioritize long-tail keywords that align closely with your content’s focus.
3. Develop high-quality, informative, and engaging content that addresses user needs.
4. Integrate selected keywords naturally into your content, including titles, headings, and body.
5. Ensure your website’s mobile responsiveness for a seamless user experience.
6. Optimize meta titles, descriptions, and headings to represent your content accurately.
7. Implement internal linking to connect relevant pages within your website.
8. Regularly update and refresh your content to reflect current trends and information.
9. Monitor your website’s performance using analytical tools like Google Analytics.
10. Analyze user behavior to identify areas for improvement and optimization.
11. Stay informed about search engine algorithm updates and adjust your strategy accordingly.
12. Leverage social media platforms to promote your optimized content.
13. Build backlinks from reputable sources to enhance your website’s authority.
14. Collaborate with influencers or industry experts to expand your content’s reach.
15. Encourage user engagement through comments, shares, and discussions.
16. Optimize images and multimedia elements for faster loading times.
17. Use schema markup to provide additional context to search engines.
18. Implement a consistent content posting schedule to maintain audience engagement.
19. Continuously track and measure the impact of your SEO content optimization efforts.
20. Adapt your strategy based on performance insights and evolving SEO best practices.

Following these steps will help you navigate the complex world of SEO content optimization and help drive organic traffic while creating a strong presence online. Staying current with industry trends and best practices is key for long-term SEO success.

The post What is Content Optimization? appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

Every Monday, SEO is a brand-new industry. It’s complex and can be difficult to keep up with the constant changes.

In the right hands, SEO is a powerful tool that makes your brand first among equals.

In the wrong hands, doing SEO incorrectly hurts your brand and can ultimately cause your business to fail. The difference between the two is expertise.

So in order to implement a successful SEO program, it would be wise to work with an experienced agency or consultant.

An expert SEO agency knows how to implement good strategies to improve your online visibility, establish your company as a trusted authority in your niche, attract more organic traffic to your website, and increase your revenue.

Not all SEO agencies are created equal — some are good, some are bad. If you know more about SEO than your agency does, don’t expect to see meaningful results. And if you’re not getting the best results from your SEO campaign, it’s time to look elsewhere.

There are many factors you should consider before deciding on hiring outside help. Here, we will look at the top 10 expert skills you should expect from an SEO agency:

1. 1. 1. Keyword research
      2. Competitor analysis
      3. On-page optimization
      4. Off-page optimization
      5. Technical SEO
      6. Content marketing
      7. Local SEO
      8. Analytics and reporting
      9. SEO tools
      10. SEO training

   FAQ: What are the top contributions that an SEO agency can make to your SEO program?

1. Keyword Research

Keyword research is a critical component of every successful SEO campaign. It’s what helps you understand your target audience and their search behaviors.

A good SEO agency will utilize keyword research to provide you with an edge in understanding and outranking your competitors. They will also conduct content gap analyses to identify gaps and enhance an overall competitive content strategy.

The top three search results for a query get the majority of clicks. An agency will help you align your content creation and optimization with the keywords and queries your audience is looking for to give you a better chance of showing up in those positions.

For more, read:

• What are keywords? Why are keywords important to SEO?

2. Competitor Analysis

The goal of SEO is to beat the competition, not the algorithm.

SEO agencies know how to conduct a thorough competitor analysis to analyze the SEO strategies of a website’s competition. These insights inform the recommendations they make on how to outperform them.

For more on competitor analysis, read:

• How to do competitor research for SEO

3. On-Page Optimization

On-page optimization improves a website’s relevance and user experience, leading to higher visibility in search engines.

Some tactics include:

• Optimizing the website’s content with keywords.
• Deploying the right formatting.
• Schema markup.
• Making sure a webpage is mobile-friendly, user-friendly, and fast.
• Focusing on the organization of the content throughout the site, including the internal linking strategy.

With expert knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, a great SEO agency can optimize a website’s structure, content, and design to ensure it meets the technical requirements of search engines and user needs.

Our Always Up-to-Date SEO Checklist is a great resource to help you with on-page optimization. I suggest bookmarking the page for frequent reference.

4. Off-Page Optimization

Off-page optimization includes things like social media marketing, influencer promotions, press releases, and earning quality links to the website.

Backlinks are a ranking factor, although it isn’t specifically the number of links that matters. Fewer high-quality backlinks can better improve the credibility and authority of a website than a large volume of lower-quality ones.

In other words: The days of “link building” are over …. ultimately, earning relevant links comes down to creating great content that people want to link to and share.

For more on backlinks, see:

• The New Link Building Manifesto: A Complete Guide to Earning Links That Count

5. Technical SEO

Technical SEO involves optimizing a website’s performance to ensure it meets the technical requirements of search engines and offers a great user experience.

For example, page speed is a confirmed Google ranking signal, and Google wants pages to load in under 2.5 seconds.

Technical failures are a common reason for a drop in rankings and traffic. And the complexity of today’s websites requires an expert to identify and fix any issues that may cause these drops in traffic.

With expertise in website architecture, server configuration, and user experience, the right SEO agency can ensure that your site is technically sound and make it easier for search engines to access it.

For more on technical SEO, see:

• Technical SEO vs. On-Page SEO: The DIfferences
• SEO Guide: Technical SEO Tips

6. Content Marketing

Content marketing is about creating and sharing content in a way that helps you achieve your business and marketing objectives.

Content marketing involves:

• Communicating effectively.
• Making connections.
• Sharing the right content.
• Engaging your audience.
• Being in the right place at the right time.
• Seizing opportunity.
• Inspiring action.
• Nurturing the needs of your customers.
• Showcasing your personality/company culture in a way that fits the brand.

An expert SEO agency understands how experience, expertise, authority, and trust factor into quality content that builds trust with your market. They are skilled at developing content strategies, optimizing content for target keywords, and implementing content promotion techniques that demonstrate authority to search engines and to your target audience.

7. Local SEO

Local SEO is critical for businesses that rely on local customers. In fact, research from BrightLocal shows that 98% of people use the internet to find information about a local business.

Some of the SEO tactics used in local SEO differ from traditional techniques for organic search results (“10 blue links”).

And the complexity of local SEO grows when you have national and multi-site businesses, including franchises.

An experienced agency knows how to utilize local keyword research, on-page optimization, and local link building to ensure that a business’s website appears in local search results for the most valuable queries.

For more on local SEO, read:

• How Do I Rank Higher in Google Local Search?

8. Analytics and Reporting

Analytics and reporting are essential to measure the success of an SEO campaign and identify areas for improvement.

SEO agencies should frequently check in with you to provide detailed reports on the website’s performance, rankings, and traffic. They are experienced in data analytics tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and other SEO tools. And with the launch of Google Analytics 4 (GA4), an agency will have even more powerful tools to track and analyze user behavior on your website.

9. SEO Tools

SEO tools can provide a competitive advantage and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of any agency’s services.

These tools can provide valuable information about keyword research, backlink analysis, and website optimization.

Some SEO agencies (like ours) have their own proprietary SEO tools. Our SEO ToolSet software offers a suite of unique tools for website optimization. It’s been used by over 5,000 clients, including Fortune 500 companies and government agencies.

With access to the right tools, an agency can provide businesses with a unique and effective strategy that outperforms its competitors.

Remember that there is always a difference between data and wisdom. SEO tools can inundate you with data, but what sets agencies apart is the wisdom to understand what the data is telling you.

A skilled SEO agency will give you the right data with information specific to your website, then make actionable recommendations to help you make the right decisions for your business.

For more on SEO tools, see:

• The Top SEO Software That Experts Use Every Day

10. SEO Training

SEO training, like tools, can provide a competitive advantage and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of any agency services.

By learning how SEO works or improving upon the SEO skills you already have, you can have more strategic conversations with your SEO provider.

As the SEO industry continues to grow, the demand for training courses has steadily increased. Google Trends data shows a notable surge in search interest for SEO training services toward the last quarter of 2021.

These trends underscore the vital importance of investing in SEO training, showing its importance for business survival in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

Some SEO companies provide SEO training – we happen to be one of them. We’ve trained tens of thousands of students over 27 years on the foundations of SEO and evolving best practices.

In the past few years, we have reinvented our SEO training from in-person classes to an online membership site with tons of resources for its members in various content formats.

With the constant changes to search engine algorithms, staying up-to-date on SEO best practices and strategies through quality training is essential to remain competitive in today’s online marketplace.

There are a plethora of SEO training offerings out there — you must do your research and choose wisely. Before committing to anything, I suggest reading my article on Search Engine Land to help you evaluate your options.

Looking for an experienced SEO agency with a proven track record of helping websites get to Page 1 in the search results? Look no further than Bruce Clay, Inc.! Reach out to us to schedule a free consultation.

FAQ: What are the top contributions that an SEO agency can make to your SEO program?

Many businesses don’t have the time, resources, or knowledge to implement a successful SEO program. Working with an experienced SEO agency can significantly enhance your campaign. Here are the top skills you should look for when deciding to hire outside help.

Keyword Research

Keyword research is at the core of any successful SEO strategy. SEO agencies possess the knowledge and expertise required to perform thorough searches that identify relevant keywords for your industry, product, or service. They also optimize websites so they rank higher in search engine result pages (SERPs). By understanding your audience and their search behavior, agencies can optimize sites so they appear higher up in SERPs, leading to more organic traffic and conversions.

Competitor Analysis

To be the best in SEO, it means outstripping competitors. SEO agencies specialize in competitor analysis to gain valuable insight into their strategies and assist you with creating an improved SEO plan by studying what others are doing. Using this knowledge, they can identify opportunities to outrank rivals and bring more qualified traffic to your site.

Expert On-Page SEO

Optimizing the relevance and user experience of your website is paramount for its success. An SEO agency utilizes its extensive knowledge of HTML and CSS to optimize the structure, design and content of your website in accordance with search engines’ technical requirements while simultaneously meeting user demands. A specialist agency can boost rankings and targeted traffic by employing strategies such as keyword optimization, formatting schema markups and creating user-friendly navigation.

Off-page SEO

Off-page SEO refers to activities performed outside of your website that contribute to its overall search engine optimization success. A good SEO agency can develop an effective off-page strategy for optimizing your website, including social media marketing, influencer promotion, link acquisition strategies, or creating high-quality links. These experts understand the importance of a good link-building strategy and can create content that earns backlinks for increased authority, credibility and visibility for your brand.

Analytical Insights and Reporting

Reporting and analytics are crucial in evaluating the success of any SEO campaign and identifying any areas for improvement. SEO agencies typically provide regular reports detailing website traffic, rankings and key metrics gathered using data-driven insights provided by tools like Google Analytics and Search Console that will allow you to stay ahead of competitors in an ever-evolving digital landscape. These reports help keep an accurate account of SEO campaign activities while keeping a detailed log of improvements necessary in real-time.

Choosing the right partnership with an SEO agency can be the key to the success of your business. Take the time to get to know them, what they offer and what their track record is like. Leverage their experience in the industry to achieve better results — more traffic, visibility, leads, conversions, sales and customers.

The post 10 Expert Skills of an SEO Agency appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

In this article, I’ll share what I believe to be some of the most important on-page factors that you need to check off your SEO checklist for every single webpage on your site:

1. 1. 1. Experience, expertise, authority, and trust
      2. Quality content
      3. Content freshness
      4. Readability
      5. Page experience
      6. Meta tags
      7. Heading tags
      8. Keyword optimization
      9. Image optimization
      10. Video
      11. Alt Text
      12. Schema
      13. Other structured data
      14. Links
      15. SEO insights

   FAQ: If you could only choose 15 on-page SEO tactics, which would you choose?

1. Experience, Expertise, Authority and Trust

If we’re paying attention to Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines (SQRG), we know that experience, expertise, authority and trust are essential to a quality website.

Here are some things to consider:

Trustworthiness: Google wants to be sure that the webpage is accurate, honest, safe and reliable. That may look different for different types of websites (ecommerce versus informational) and different types of topics (like “your money or your life” topics).

Experience: This has to do with the first-hand experience about the page topic from the content creator. Google recognizes that experience is valuable to nearly any type of topic (think social media posts, forums discussions) but especially important for things like product reviews.

Expertise: Do you have the right level of skill or knowledge to speak intelligently on a topic? This is yet another key element in how Google assesses the quality of a webpage.

Authoritativeness: The authority factor takes into account the brand or the person’s reputation as a go-to resource. Often, this isn’t as serious as it sounds; in the SQRG, Google gives a couple examples such as “a local business profile page on social media may be the authoritative and trusted source for what is on sale now,” or “the official government page for getting a passport.”

This all boils down to the following questions:

Was your content created with the necessary experience and expertise needed for the topic? Is your website and brand an authority on the topic? Can people trust you?

For more, read:

• The Complete Guide to the Basics of E-E-A-T

2. Quality Content

Writing is an art and science, so there isn’t a definitive guide to what quality content is. But here are a few tips to consider. Do you:

1. Answer the query better than your competition?
2. Consider data from the search results like “People Also Ask” and “Searches related to” in addition to addressing common FAQs?
3. Include original research, data, opinions and images?
4. Fact-check and cite quality, relevant resources?
5. Write with a high degree of accuracy when discussing “Your Money or Your Life” topics?

3. Content Freshness

Not all topics need to have fresh content to be quality (think a page on the American Civil War), but some queries deserve freshness and others need to be maintained to be relevant.

And remember that Google says in its SQRG that unmaintained sites are low quality:

… unmaintained/abandoned “old” websites or unmaintained and inaccurate/misleading content is a reason for a low Page Quality rating.

Everyone wants to create new content, but I recommend spending 50% of the time refreshing old content, too.

For more, read:

• Creating New Content vs. Optimizing Old Webpages: Which Is Better for SEO? [Search Engine Land]
• Steps for Updating Your Website Content

4. Readability

Would the target audience easily understand and relate to your content?

The grade level with which you write your content can make a difference. For example, a scientific topic may be written at a higher grade level than a topic about a hobby.

If you examine the search results, you will begin to see that certain queries create results that are written at a similar grade level.

If you have the right SEO tools (like our WordPress SEO plugin), you can easily see what the average grade level is among the top-ranked websites for a query.

For more, read:

• Want Custom SEO Advice per Keyword? There’s a Plugin for That!

5. Page Experience

Google’s “core web vitals” are elements of a webpage that provide a good user experience.

Core web vitals measure things like how fast the page renders, how responsive it is and ensures things like buttons and links don’t unexpectedly shift, causing someone to click on something they didn’t intend to.

Here’s an overview of the three core web vitals:

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measures how fast the largest image or text block renders on a webpage. Google recommends that it happens within the first 2.5 seconds of when the page first starts loading.

First Input Delay (FID) measures interactivity – how quickly a webpage loads and executes so that the user can interact with the page. Google wants pages to have an FID of 100 milliseconds or less.

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) measures visual stability on a webpage, and pages need to maintain a CLS of 0.1. or less.

Each of these core web vitals has specific thresholds that your webpages must meet at least 75% of the time.

Core web vitals are signals in Google’s page experience algorithm update. To stay competitive, website owners need to work on these technical factors.

For more, see:

• Core Web Vitals for SEO: An Overview
• 3 Expert Tips to Improve Core Web Vitals [On-demand Webinar]

6. Meta Tags

Meta tags may seem like a small thing in the grand scheme of SEO, but they serve an important role.

When done right, meta tags help:

• Search engines determine the topic of your webpage
• Drive clicks and organic search traffic
• Avoid duplicate content issues

So what do you need to consider when it comes to these tags?

• Always include an original title tag and meta description tag for every page.
• Make sure the tags are properly configured in the head section of the page (it’s less likely this would be an issue when using a CMS).
• Write compelling copy that informs a search engine user and entices them to click from the search results to your webpage.
• Include the most important keyword(s) in the right order – but do not keyword stuff or make it sound unnatural.
• Consider the length, taking into account best practices and also research that suggests title tags between 40 to 60 characters have the highest CTR.
• Know that Google can and will rewrite titles and meta descriptions to make them more relevant, according to Google. This can be frustrating but remember that is only a rendering issue (what the user sees). The actual tag remains the same. Here is a possible solution to that if you want more control.

For more, read:

• What Are Meta Tags? Why Are They Important to SEO? How Do You Create Them?

7. Heading Tags

The heading tags make up the “table of contents” for a webpage.

Heading tags help search engines and website visitors easily distinguish between a main section and the subsections on the page, and how those sections relate to one another.

Heading tags are categorized as H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, etc. H1 represents the title of the topic, and subsequent headings represent subsections.

Here are some tips:

• The sequence of heading tags (H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6) should be used in a hierarchy (think of it as an outline of a research paper).
• An H1 heading tag always correlates to the main topic of the page.
• I don’t recommend having more than one H1 tag on a page in most cases (definitely not on informational webpages, but maybe OK on main navigational pages in some cases).
• Subsequent sections after the H1 default to an H2 tag.
• You can have more than one H2 tag.
• If an H2 section has subsections underneath that, they would start with H3 tag, and so on.
• You can create subsections all the way to H6.

For more, see:

• What Are Heading Tags and Why Are They Important to SEO?

8. Keyword Optimization

Keyword optimization is one of those touchy subjects in SEO.

People either believe you should intentionally optimize a webpage or do nothing and let the content speak for itself.

I am a firm believer that the content is naturally optimized when you write it well, but that you can always tweak it with keywords to make improvements to relevancy.

Consider this scenario: A person searches on Google for a topic that you have written about on your website. Next, Google determines which webpages to serve in the search results.

Let’s also say that all else was equal between your webpage and your next competitor (meaning you both did all the right things well from an SEO perspective, and you both had quality content).

But you made sure the exact queries/keywords that the person used to search showed up on your page – and all the relevant related words as well – and your competition didn’t.

Do you think you might have a better chance of ranking on top than the competition?

I think so.

For more, read:

• How a WordPress SEO Plugin Can Help You Optimize Your Content with Keywords

9. Image Optimization

Google wants to rank pages that have not only great text, but also great images. This represents more opportunities for more traffic.

Through the images on your webpage, people can find your site in a Google Images search, the traditional Google Search results, or Google Discover.

I recommend you read “How to Improve Google Image Search Ranking” for more details on 17 ways you can use images in your SEO, including:

1. Track your image-based traffic
2. Create high-quality, original content
3. Use relevant images
4. Have a proper file format
5. Optimize your images
6. Aways create alt text
7. Make use of the image title
8. Create an image caption
9. Use a descriptive file name
10. Implement structured data
11. Consider image placement on the page
12. Analyze the content around the image
13. Be careful with embedded text
14. Create page metadata
15. Ensure fast load time
16. Make sure images are accessible
17. Create an image sitemap

10. Video

A large percentage of Google searches produce YouTube videos in the search results.

Searches for information that fall under the categories of how-to, tutorials, and reviews often trigger YouTube video results in Google.

In addition, YouTube is a search engine itself, and represents another way for people to find your content and your business.

So including video in your SEO program in most cases means you will create and optimize videos in YouTube.

Here’s a few things to know:

• If you are targeting queries/keywords that often produce video results, make sure you have video for those queries as well.
• Employ various YouTube SEO tactics to rank well in YouTube and the Google Search results.

But you should also put video content on key webpages of your own site, and this can be an embedded video that you created somewhere else, for example, from YouTube.

This is because videos on your webpages can help:

• Further explain a concept to people who would rather watch than read
• Keep people engaged on a page longer
• Influence buying decisions

For more, read:

• A CMO’s Guide to YouTube SEO in Less Than 5 Minutes
• How to Optimize Images, Videos and Other Media Content for SEO

11. Alt Text

Alt text is a best practice, but it’s often overlooked and misunderstood. Google highlights the importance of alt text for the vision impaired, but it goes further than that.

The American with Disabilities Act says your site should be compliant for the visually impaired. And if you don’t have an accessible site, you could find yourself in court.

In 2021, a judge found Domino’s Pizza violated ADA, Title III, by having a website that was not usable by the plaintiff – a blind man.

Other organizations are pushing for web accessibility, too. The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is working to develop guidelines and resources to help make the Web accessible to people with disabilities.

Does alt text influence rankings? This has been a debatable point. But regardless of what side you are on, being a good web citizen means making your site accessible – at least doing the bare minimum.

12. Schema

Structured data markup using Schema.org guidelines clarifies to the search engine what a page is about, and also enhances listings in the search results, which can lead to more clicks.

This can be a bit technical, so many website publishers opt out. However, for the less techy bunch, Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper can be of assistance.

For more, read:

• How to Use Schema Markup to Improve Your Website Visibility in Search

13. Other Structured Data

This category of on-page optimization is all about how you format the information on a page.

Content formatting can enhance the user experience and help search engines better understand the content. This includes things like:

• Table of contents at the top (especially with anchor links)
• TL;DR (“too long, didn’t read”) summary near the top of your article
• Headings that contain a key term or question, followed by the answer in body text
• Breadcrumb navigation
• HTML tables
• Bulleted lists
• Ordered lists

14. Links

When it comes to page links, you want to consider the following:

Make sure they are fully qualified. An absolute link is a link that contains the whole URL of the file you are linking to. A relative link is only part of a full URL. There are arguments for and against both. While absolute links may take more work upfront, they are easier to maintain in the long run.

Make sure they are optimized. Make sure URLs on the page are descriptive and contain keywords.

Make sure you are virtual siloing. SEO siloing is a way to organize your website content through links based on the way people search for your site’s topics and can make your content more relevant for a search. For more, check out: SEO Siloing: What, Why, How.

Make sure you mind your outbound links. Your outbound links impact user experience and SEO. On the user experience side, the sites you link to can provide value to your website visitors. On the SEO front, if you link to quality sites in your field, then search engines may deem your site higher quality by association (and the opposite can be true when linking to low-quality or spammy sites). For more, see: What Are Outbound Links? Why Are They Important? And How Do They Work?

15. SEO Insights

OK, so this one is technically not an on-page “factor.”

But without the right SEO tools to help you uncover how to optimize your pages to meet or exceed what the competition is doing, you’re largely shooting in the dark.

One tool I must recommend is our Single Page Analyzer from the SEOToolSet®. This tool allows you to analyze a webpage (your competitor’s or your own) to uncover key SEO data.

People use the tool to:

• Better the meta tags on a page
• Adjust the reading level of the content
• Improve keyword density
• Find optimization opportunities
• Further research the competition

For more, read:

• Free SEO Tool Alert! On-Page Content Analyzer

So there you have it: My list of 15 of the most impactful SEO factors when optimizing webpages. Do these right and you have a better chance of ranking on page one of the search results out of millions of results.

Our SEO experts can help you implement these on-page SEO factors to improve your website performance and win more traffic. Reach out to us for a free consultation.

FAQ: If you could only choose 15 on-page SEO tactics, which would you choose?

1. Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust (E-E-A-T): Align your content with your expertise and showcase authority in your industry. Building trust with users and search engines is paramount for ranking success.
2. Quality Content: Create valuable, engaging, and original content that addresses users’ needs and queries better than your competitors. Incorporate relevant data and research to support your claims.
3. Content Freshness: While not all topics require constant updates, regularly refreshing your content shows search engines that your website is up-to-date and relevant.
4. Readability: Write in a clear and concise manner, catering to your target audience’s reading level. A user-friendly, easily digestible format enhances the user experience.
5. Page Experience: Prioritize user experience by focusing on Core Web Vitals, ensuring your pages load fast, and avoiding unexpected layout shifts.
6. Meta Tags: Craft compelling and accurate meta titles and descriptions that entice users to click through to your website from search results.
7. Heading Tags: Organize your content using proper heading tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to create a logical structure that search engines can understand.
8. Keyword Optimization: Integrate relevant keywords naturally throughout your content to improve relevancy for search queries.
9. Image Optimization: Optimize images with descriptive alt text and proper file names to improve accessibility and enhance the user experience.
10. Video: Utilize video content to engage users, provide valuable information, and potentially rank in both traditional search results and YouTube searches.
11. Schema: Implement structured data markup using Schema.org guidelines to provide context to search engines and enhance your listings in search results.
12. Other Structured Data: Use content formatting techniques like tables, TL;DR summaries, and breadcrumb navigation to improve user experience and content understanding.
13. Links: Optimize internal and external links for relevancy and descriptive anchor text. Virtual siloing can improve content organization and boost relevance for specific searches.
14. Alt Text: Provide informative alt text for images, not only for visually impaired users but also to enhance search engine understanding of your content.
15. SEO Insights: Use reliable SEO tools to gain valuable insights into your webpage’s performance and identify optimization opportunities for better search rankings.

Mastering these 15 on-page SEO tactics will empower you to create a strong foundation for your website’s search engine visibility. By combining technical expertise with user-focused content, you can significantly improve your chances of ranking higher in search results and attracting valuable organic traffic.

The post 15 of the Most Important On-Page SEO Tactics appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

• First, do you have the time?
• Can you diagnose website problems?
• Are you committed to learning?
• Do you have any budget for help?
• FAQ: Can I do search engine optimization on my own and achieve results? 

First, Do You Have the Time?

It is likely the case that if you have a website, you have a business to run. Whether you are a solopreneur or a business with a team that wants to tackle SEO, you are busy.

SEO is not a one-time thing. Of course, there are one-time things that you will do at the outset of the project, but SEO is constant throughout the lifecycle of your site.

Consider some of the things you will need to do at the outset of an SEO initiative:

• Installing and configuring analytics
• Making sure the site is mobile-friendly
• Diagnosing site speed and addressing issues
• Making sure the site is secure
• Keyword research
• Competitive analysis
• Whole-SERP strategy

And here is what you should do at minimum on a monthly basis with tasks broken up throughout the weeks:

• Create and publish authoritative, expert content.
• Monitor link profile and address anything that needs to be fixed.
• Run site crawls, review reports and fix website issues.
• Monitor analytics and data, including rankings and traffic, implement new strategies as needed.
• Optimize existing content, including page optimization, page combining, redirecting irrelevant pages, etc.
• Conduct competitive analysis, implement new strategies as needed.

Of course, it is not always this cut and dry. You will need to have the discernment on what tasks will give you the most ROI in the quickest amount of time.

Here are some resources as you get started on your journey:

• SEO: What, Why, How
• Myth: SEO Is a One-Time or Sometimes Thing
• What Are Keywords?
• How to Do Competitor Research for SEO
• How to Make a Mobile-Friendly Site
• How Fast Should My Webpage Be and Why Should I Care?
• HTTPS for Users and Ranking
• What Is a Whole-SERP SEO Strategy?
• The Always Up-to-Date SEO Checklist
• What Makes a Webpage Quality?

Can You Diagnose Website Problems?

When rankings and traffic tank, will you know how to diagnose the problem? You will run into problems with traffic at some point.

This means you will have to pivot and turn your attention to finding and fixing the issue. Was it a Google change? Is there new competition? Did something happen offline that would impact your traffic? Did you redesign your website or do something else to it?

To be blunt: This diagnosis often takes a lot of wisdom and experience. It is not likely something you will be able to figure out easily when you are just starting out.

If and when you have figured out and fixed the problem, you will then need to catch up on your day-to-day SEO deliverables. Unfortunately, the fast-paced nature of organic search means the picture can change on a dime – even if you divert resources for a month.

Here are some resources as you get started:

• 5 Things to Know When Your Site Loses Rankings
• An Up-to-Date History of Google Algorithm Updates

Are You Committed to Learning?

On top of everything else, you will need to commit to SEO learning.

You will need to understand when Google changes things and how it may impact your website. You will want to learn the latest strategies in SEO and how to perfect the best practices. All of this takes time, as in hours each month set aside for education.

In any given month you might:

• Read search engine news publications
• Take a webinar or two
• Go through modules in a training course
• Discuss issues you’re having in forums or Q&A sessions with SEOs or Google
• Attend a conference or event (virtually or in person)
• Reference pages in an SEO book

Then, you can apply the things you’ve learned to your daily / weekly / monthly tasks.

You cannot let yourself get stale here. Good SEO strategies come from continuous learning – you learn when you do SEO, and you learn when you listen to others.

These resources will help you on your journey:

• What Is SEO Training?
• 5 Questions to Evaluate Any SEO Training Course
• SEOtraining.com (Our SEO training website)
• SearchEngineLand.com (SEO news and tips)
• SearchEngineJournal.com (SEO news and tips)
• Google Search Central office hours (Google help)
• Search Engine Optimization All-in-One for Dummies, Fourth Edition (Our 700-plus page SEO book)

Do You Have Any Budget for Help?

When you are DIY’er, things can get hard. There will be problems that you cannot fix on your own. You will seek advice.

If you are doing SEO on your own, you may not want to spend more money on outside expertise. But if you have a little budget set aside, you can get the type of help you need to get you over the humps.

For example, you could invest in two important things on your SEO journey:

• The SEO audit, will uncover where your website is hurting SEO and a list of things to fix. This is a great thing to have at the outset of an SEO initiative.
• A block of hours you can use as you wish to help with tough questions or special projects outside your expertise; especially helpful for when you get stuck.

Having just a little bit of help to start and then when things get rough along the way can help you be more successful with your DIY SEO program.

I recommend checking out these resources:

• What Is an SEO Audit?
• SEO Audits and Tools: The Good, The Better, and The Best
• You Have an SEO Emergency – Who Do You Call?
• What Percentage of Your Budget Should Go Toward SEO?
• The REAL Cost of SEO

So, is DIY SEO worth it?

It depends on if you will prioritize the time for SEO, how committed you are to keeping up with it, and if you can set aside some budget for outside help as needed.

If you feel like any of those will be too hard, then I recommend either not doing SEO or hiring outside expertise when you are able to.

Don’t have the time for SEO? Unsure where to start? Our SEO experts can help. Reach out to us for a free consultation.

FAQ: Can I do search engine optimization on my own and achieve results?

Individuals can take on SEO themselves and achieve positive outcomes, but there are a few critical factors they must get “right” to succeed.

The Power of DIY SEO

Search engine optimization is not an arcane art reserved only for specialized agencies. With the proper knowledge and dedication, individuals can handle SEO themselves and achieve favorable results. SEO is a never-ending journey that requires constant effort, commitment, and the willingness to adapt to ever-evolving search algorithms.

Knowledge and Ongoing Education

Before beginning your DIY SEO journey, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with the basic principles of SEO. This includes keyword research, on-page optimization, and linking strategies. To stay abreast of current trends and stay abreast of changing priorities, it is also wise to familiarize yourself with SEO resources such as webinars or forums dedicated to this discipline. Continuous learning is critical to keeping your SEO strategies effective and relevant.

Evaluating Your Resources

While taking on SEO yourself can save costs, assessing whether you have the necessary time and resources to invest in the process is essential. SEO requires regular monitoring, analysis, and adjustments, which can be time-consuming. Consider whether you have the bandwidth to tackle these tasks effectively.

Crafting a Targeted SEO Plan

A well-crafted SEO plan is crucial for achieving positive results. Conduct thorough keyword research to identify relevant and high-traffic keywords for your website. Develop a content strategy that aligns with your target audience’s needs and incorporates your chosen keywords naturally into your content.

Measuring and Adapting

The success of your DIY SEO efforts relies on consistent measurement and adaptation. Monitor your website’s rankings, organic traffic, and conversion rates regularly. Web analytics tools can help identify areas for improvement and gain insight into user behaviors. Based on this data, make informed decisions and adjust SEO strategies as necessary.

Doing search engine optimization on your own is entirely possible and can lead to positive outcomes for your website. By acquiring the necessary knowledge, creating a targeted plan, and continuously adapting your strategies, you can achieve meaningful results through DIY SEO.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Achieving Success with DIY SEO

1. Educate Yourself on SEO Fundamentals
2. Familiarize Yourself with Reputable SEO Resources
3. Engage in SEO Webinars and Forums
4. Assess Your Time and Resources
5. Develop a Targeted SEO Plan
6. Conduct Thorough Keyword Research
7. Create an Audience-Centric Content Strategy
8. Naturally Incorporate Keywords into Your Content
9. Monitor Rankings, Traffic, and Conversions Regularly
10. Use Web Analytics Tools for Insights
11. Identify Areas for Improvement
12. Make Informed Decisions and Adjust Strategies
13. Continue Learning and Adapting
14. Stay Up-to-Date with Search Algorithm Changes
15. Optimize for Mobile and User Experience
16. Regularly Conduct SEO Audits
17. Address Technical SEO Issues
18. Build High-Quality Backlinks
19. Engage in Content Promotion and Outreach
20. Measure and Evaluate Results Periodically

Web analytics tools can help identify areas for improvement and gain insight into user behaviors. Based on this data, make informed decisions and adjust SEO strategies as necessary.

The post DIY SEO: 4 Questions to Ask Before You Start appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..