![\"Runner](\"\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/runner-crossing-finish-line-800px.jpg\")
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You\u2019re in a race. You have nine other competitors, and you\u2019re all running as fast as you can. But you are in last place. At this point, there\u2019s no way you can catch up.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, up ahead, you see the front runner fall. And then each of your competitors, one by one, begins to stumble.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re far enough behind that you can avoid the pileup. What do you do?<\/em> Do you slow down, stop, or pick up speed and take the lead?<\/p>\n This is the scenario we\u2019re in right now.<\/strong><\/p>\n Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic is a blow to many businesses. But for the companies that can weather the crisis, now is the time to focus on winning the race in the search results.<\/p>\n Once this situation is contained, Google will still exist. Websites will still exist. And as I\u2019ve said before, SEO is only done when Google stops changing things and all your competition goes away.<\/a><\/p>\n But what if your competition goes away \u2014 by putting the brakes on their marketing now or, unfortunately, by shutting down for good?<\/p>\n At this moment, you have a golden opportunity to completely change the course of your company\u2019s success online.<\/p>\n I\u2019m going to share with you three search marketing strategies you should focus on right now to come out a winner:<\/p>\n You want to be sure your website\u2019s infrastructure is running smoothly so that:<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t long ago that Google\u2019s Gary Illyes said this<\/a>:<\/p>\n i really wish SEOs went back to the basics (i.e. MAKE THAT DAMN SITE CRAWLABLE) instead of focusing on silly updates and made up terms by the rank trackers, and that they talked more with the developers of the website once done with the first part of this sentence.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Technical optimization is one of those basics you shouldn\u2019t ignore if you want your site to perform well in the search results.<\/p>\n Website performance:<\/strong> Your server\u2019s speed and your page load time should be fast. If visitors and search engine crawlers can\u2019t quickly access your content, you can lose potential customers as well as rankings and traffic. Use Google\u2019s PageSpeed Insights tool<\/a> for more information about your website.<\/p>\n Robots.txt:<\/strong> The first thing a search engine crawler looks for on your site is a robots.txt file. This file is housed in the root directory of your website. It tells the crawler which parts of the site should and shouldn’t be crawled. This is mostly used to avoid overloading your site with requests. For more, see Google\u2019s help file on robots.txt<\/a>, its robots.txt tester tool<\/a>, and our Robots Exclusion Protocol Reference Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n Schema markup:<\/strong> Schema markup helps communicate the meaning of your content to the search engines. This, in turn, can help make your content more relevant to a search query and enhance the way your search listing is displayed in Google. For more on this, see how to use schema markup to improve your website visibility<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cloaking:<\/strong> Make sure your site isn\u2019t involved in showing one version of a webpage to search engines, while another to a visitor. This is known as \u201ccloaking\u201d and includes things like hidden text or hidden links on a webpage. Google gives more examples of cloaking here<\/a>. Sometimes website owners don\u2019t realize the site is cloaking if it\u2019s been hacked. You can use our free cloaking checker tool<\/a> to find out.<\/p>\n Redirects:<\/strong> When you need to move a current webpage to a different URL, you want to make sure you redirect it properly. A 301 redirect is the way to go. Also worth a mention: Avoid sneaky redirects<\/a> that can negatively impact your site. For help, read how to implement a 301 redirect<\/a>.<\/p>\n Custom 404 page:<\/strong> When a person clicks on a bad link or types in the wrong URL for your site, a custom 404 page can help. By offering a custom message with links to popular content, a site map, or something else, you can improve the user experience and keep people on your site. For more, see how to design a custom 404 error page<\/a>, how to configure a custom 404 page on an Apache server<\/a>, how to configure a custom 404 page in Microsoft IIS<\/a>, and Google\u2019s help topic on creating useful 404 pages<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more on technical optimization, see our introductory guide to technical SEO<\/a>.<\/p>\n Right now, website owners should be reviewing every single page of content on their website for quality.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not uncommon for websites to have old, irrelevant content from over the years. Add to that the fact that many publishers have adopted the \u201cquantity over quality\u201d approach to creating content.<\/p>\n Google is laser-focused on helping quality content rank, and not ranking low-quality content. Remember that Google has said that unmaintained sites are the lowest quality<\/a>.<\/p>\n That\u2019s because it\u2019s hard to trust content that is many years old. This is especially true for \u201cYour Money or Your Life\u201d (YMYL). YMYL topics are those that Google says can impact a person\u2019s future happiness, health, financial stability, or safety.<\/p>\n That said, evergreening your content is the thing to do now.<\/p>\n First, review the site structure.<\/strong> Google needs well-organized website content to determine relevance for search queries. Visitors need it for a better user experience. SEO siloing addresses the needs of both search engines and users. For more, see SEO Done Right Cares about Content Architecture<\/a>.<\/p>\n Next, understand what quality content is.<\/strong> Review Google\u2019s guidance on expertness, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-A-T). Google has cited E-A-T on many occasions when talking about how to improve content, and potentially, rankings. You can view our complete and current guide to E-A-T<\/a> as the first step.<\/p>\n Then, refresh the content.<\/strong> There are many ways you can go about doing this. First, you\u2019ll want to start with SEO tools that show you the top-ranked pages and those driving the most traffic (for example, Google Analytics, our SEOToolSet<\/a>, or SEMrush).<\/p>\n You\u2019ll want to categorize your webpages and prioritize the work:<\/p>\n For each of these categories, you\u2019ll want to consider:<\/p>\n Danny Goodwin over at Search Engine Journal has a good article on assessing a website\u2019s content, and the results that SEJ saw from their content refresh here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Keep in mind that building expertise, authority, and trust takes time, so it\u2019s important to get a head start on this process now.<\/p>\n As a side note: Google gave recommendations on April 1, 2020, for how publishers with COVID-19 information<\/a> can optimize their content now.<\/p>\n Every business is in pain right now due to the pandemic. What partnerships or offerings can you forge now that are going to better position your business or brand online?<\/p>\n Strategies like this can help you:<\/p>\n Pivoting your offer.<\/strong> Many businesses are looking at how they can still add value to others during uncertain times. Practically, this may look like a pared-down version of your services, tools, or courses. Consider offering something free that you normally charge for. It could even be a complete pivot to cater to a new audience. For example, Tesla, Ford, and Absolut Vodka are now creating things<\/a> like respirators, masks, and hand sanitizer to help out.<\/p>\n Getting more visibility.<\/strong> As we are now in a work-from-home economy<\/a>, digital content truly is king. Think about how you can get your business out there by participating in podcasts, webinars, videos, guest posts, ebooks, press interviews, etc. Bonus for timely information related to your expertise and what people are going through right now. These activities will result in building authority, something that Google values when assessing a website. (See our E-A-T guide<\/a> for more on building authority.)<\/p>\n We\u2019re all in this crisis together. Every business is being impacted, some more than others.<\/p>\n Right now is not the time to put the brakes on our marketing. We are in a position to make decisions that will completely change the course of our business.<\/p>\n Make the right choices that keep you going faster so that you can win this race.<\/p>\n For more tips, read Don\u2019t Quarantine Your Marketing<\/a> and my call-to-action for these times, Time for High-Growth Businesses to Drive Faster<\/a>.<\/p>\n We can help move your business into a lead position through search marketing. Contact us today<\/a> for a free quote.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Establishing a solid online presence for any business is crucial, and search marketing strategies are an essential element. We will guide you through this complex world while offering expert insights that will boost online success.<\/p>\n Prior to undertaking more advanced search marketing strategies, it is crucial that one understands the fundamentals of search marketing. This includes search engine optimization (SEO), Pay-per-click advertising (PPC), and the significance of keywords in driving paid and organic traffic.<\/p>\n A successful search marketing campaign begins with thorough keyword research. Utilize tools like Google Keyword Planner to identify high-value keywords relevant to your business niche. Create a comprehensive list to guide your content and advertising efforts.<\/p>\n Content is king in the digital realm. Content that’s engaging, informative, and keyword-optimized will boost search engine rankings by catering directly to the needs of your audience. Regular updates with new material will only serve to increase that advantage further.<\/p>\n Optimize your website’s on-page elements, including meta titles, descriptions, headers, and image alt tags. Ensure your site is mobile-friendly and has a fast loading speed, as these factors greatly impact search rankings.<\/p>\n Build a network of high-quality backlinks from reputable websites. Engage in guest posting, social media outreach, and collaborations to establish your website’s authority in your industry.<\/p>\n For businesses targeting local markets, optimizing your Google My Business profile and encouraging customer reviews are crucial for local search success.<\/p>\n Complement your organic efforts with PPC advertising campaigns. Create compelling ad copy, employ strategic bidding, and utilize retargeting to maximize your ROI.<\/p>\n Regularly track the performance of your search marketing campaigns using tools like Google Analytics. Analyze data to identify areas for improvement and adapt your strategies accordingly.<\/p>\n Stay informed about search engine algorithm changes and industry trends. Adapt your strategies to align with these updates to maintain your online success.<\/p>\n Consider enlisting the expertise of digital marketing professionals who specialize in search marketing. Their insights and experience can prove invaluable in navigating the ever-changing landscape of online marketing.<\/p>\n By implementing these strategies and staying committed to ongoing optimization, you can effectively navigate the dynamic world of search marketing and achieve online success. Remember, success in search marketing is not an overnight endeavor; it’s a continuous journey of refinement and adaptation to evolving trends and algorithms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You\u2019re in a race. You have nine other competitors, and you\u2019re all running as fast as you can. But you are in last place. At this point, there\u2019s no way you can catch up. Suddenly, up ahead, you see the front runner fall. And then each of your competitors, one by one, begins to stumble. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":79321,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1931,407,1930,1760,1232],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
<\/a>1. Conduct a Technical Review of Your Website<\/h2>\n
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What to Focus on Now: Technical Optimization<\/h3>\n
<\/a>2. Do a Content Review on Your Website<\/h2>\n
What to Focus on Now: Content Optimization<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>3. Forge Key Partnerships for Your Business Online<\/h2>\n
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What to Focus on Now: Relationships and Opportunities<\/h3>\n
Stay Relevant, Survive, and Thrive<\/h2>\n
<\/a>FAQ: How can I implement effective search marketing strategies to achieve online success?<\/h3>\n
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