{"id":196306,"date":"2023-07-26T10:21:20","date_gmt":"2023-07-26T17:21:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/?p=196306"},"modified":"2023-07-26T17:58:45","modified_gmt":"2023-07-27T00:58:45","slug":"ways-win-at-search","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/ways-win-at-search\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways To Win at Search (Roundup)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re thinking it\u2019s time to get serious about your SEO, here are five sure-fire ways to win at search this year \u2013 and beyond:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Know your audience<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. Use the right tools for informed SEO<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. Find out what the best are doing \u2026. and do it better<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
  4. Take SEO training<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Maintain a good reputation<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  6. FAQ: How can I win at search engine optimization (SEO) in 2023 and beyond?<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    <\/a>1. Know Your Audience<\/h2>\n

    SEO is about knowing what your audience wants, then making sure you have what they need at the moment they are searching. That\u2019s the simplified version, anyway.<\/p>\n

    So it\u2019s important to do the work to understand your audience, and how SEO can support their customer journey. Check out these tips for more \u2026<\/p>\n

    3 Steps to Define Your Target Audience for Your SEO Program<\/h3>\n

    In SEO, defining your audience means understanding what they search for. If you don\u2019t know what your target audience would be searching for online then you won\u2019t be able to create content that resonates with them. This can negatively impact conversions.<\/p>\n

    So, what to do?<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Demographics: Study your target audience\u2019s demographics. How do those characteristics play into what you have to offer? You can build profiles for both consumers and businesses, depending on if you\u2019re B2C or B2B.<\/li>\n
    2. Keywords: Keywords, aka search queries, are simply the words and phrases that your target audience might use to find out more about what you have to offer, or the topics you\u2019re a subject matter expert on. Keyword research fuels ideas for relevant content for your website.<\/li>\n
    3. Qualitative research: Interviewing your target audience is a great way to get inside their minds when it comes to what they want \u2013 or even their experience with your website.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      For more, check out: 3 Steps to Define Your Target Audience for Your SEO Program<\/a><\/p>\n

      How SEO Supports the Customer Journey<\/h3>\n

      SEO is a marketing activity, and like other marketing activities, it supports the customer journey from awareness to action.<\/p>\n

      In fact, research shows that people first turn to search engines for discovery and comparison shopping \u2013 and that the organic search channel is responsible for driving a majority of revenue over other digital channels for many businesses.<\/p>\n

      Here are a few ways that SEO supports this customer journey:<\/p>\n

      Awareness phase:<\/strong> As prospects turn to the search engines to discover what you have to offer, you need to show up in the search results. SEO exists to help you do just that.<\/p>\n

      Consideration phase:<\/strong> Showing up to the party is one thing, but persuading your prospects to engage with you is another. There is plenty of competition in the search results, and SEO tactics like a compelling search listing to garner click-throughs and great content on your site keep moving your prospects forward.<\/p>\n

      Decision-making phase:<\/strong> While SEO\u2019s ultimate goal is to drive traffic, our website exists to convert visitors. Decision-making tools and customer reviews can go a long way to helping with this. And a good SEO team will suggest ways you can convert organic traffic better.<\/p>\n

      For more, check out: How SEO Supports the Customer Journey<\/a><\/p>\n

      <\/a>2. Use the Right Tools for Informed SEO<\/h2>\n

      You can’t do SEO well without the right data. Building an expert tool stack is one of the first steps to winning at search.<\/p>\n

      Here are some tips to help \u2026<\/p>\n

      7 Google SEO Tools Every Website Publisher Should Use<\/h3>\n

      These seven tools are a must-have in your SEO tool kit:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Google Analytics 4<\/li>\n
      2. Google Search Console<\/li>\n
      3. Mobile-Friendly Test<\/li>\n
      4. PageSpeed Insights<\/li>\n
      5. Page Experience Tools<\/li>\n
      6. Google Trends<\/li>\n
      7. Search Quality Rater Guidelines<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        For more, check out: 7 Google SEO Tools Every Website Publisher Should Use<\/a><\/p>\n

        By the way, if you are considering AI content tools as a solution \u2013 don\u2019t. They are at best tools, good for outlining or quoting statistics, but it is not a content creation solution.<\/p>\n

        But it is a worthy tool. Read more about this in my article: AI-Generated Content Is a Tool, Not a Solution<\/a>.<\/p>\n

        The Top SEO Software That Experts Use Every Day<\/h3>\n

        There\u2019s a tool for almost every SEO activity out there (and there are a lot of activities to do). We compiled a list of the tools we use on a daily basis for SEO activities like:<\/p>\n