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If you want to rank on top of major search engines like Google, you'll need more than just luck. You will need a road map used by those who've already succeeded in search engine optimization so that potential customers can easily find your website.
Every year, Google significantly changes the way its algorithms or search engines work. There are standard changes throughout the year and several tweaks. All of which can make old tactics used in SEO obsolete.
The challenge for business owners is to keep up with the changes and ensure their website is properly optimized for each new algorithm. And it can be a full-time job if you don't have the right team in place.
That's where we come in. We are a full-service digital marketing agency based in Los Angeles that specializes in SEO. We can help you boost your website's search engine ranking and get more traffic.
Here's how we can help you build a rank-boosting and traffic-generating SEO strategy:
Keyword Research
Keywords are one of the most important tactics of SEO—here you can identify your market search terms, competitions analysis, your keywords intent and how you'll be found in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
“Intent” is important because it tells us what that searcher is really looking for and the right type of content to rank for that query. We map intent based on 5 “journey stages” that map for a keyword funnel”:
- Attention. Very high level searches, topically related, but not purchase intent related.
- Awareness. In the market for a solution, but have no idea who you are or what you sell.
- Consider. Already aware of the options and looking to convert (read comparisons, pros and con, reviews and recommendations of others).
- Conversion/Purchase. Keywords that your current customer based is looking for—this is generally support based or usage queries (i.e. how to use “product” or service).
- Advocacy. Believe in your brand, services, and recommend you to anyone.
Please note that certain keywords can be very challenging to rank because of the difficulty score and competition—so it is important that your ideal keyword has these main three ingredients, 1.volume search, 2.intent/relevant and 3.low competition.
It's this knowledge that makes successful webmasters or bloggers rank high in SERPs. So, how can we help you with your keyword research?
We first need to generate your main niche or a single "seed keyword." For example, chemistry lessons, janitorial services, or smartphone security. Then, we think of all the sub-topics related to that niche.
And this will be the base for obtaining a keyword list in your niche. We use tools like Semrush, Google Keyword Planner, and KW Finder to find the right keywords for your website.
These tools show us how much traffic a keyword gets, how difficult it is to rank for that keyword, and what the competition looks like. Then, we take all of this information and create a list of keywords that we think you can rank for.
The stats you should aim for each keyword are:
- A high monthly search volume
- A low keyword difficulty score
- Low competition in the SERPs
- High cost per click (CPC)
- High click-through rate (CTR)
You'll also want to consider adding your city or state to your keywords (e.g., "janitorial services Los Angeles"). It will help you rank in local search results. You can also target urgency keywords (e.g., "same-day janitorial services"), which tend to have a high CPC and CTR.
Competition Analysis
The other websites that rank in the Google search results for your target keywords are your competition. When many high-authority sites rank for a specific keyword, there's a higher chance that the keyword is more difficult to rank for.
Websites with a strong online presence and high PageRank are pretty difficult to compete against because they have thousands of killer content and valuable backlinks.
Competition is generally measured by Domain Authority and PageRank. These factors show how much link juice a website has. Once your website becomes established, it'll start to get more link juice, and your Domain Authority will increase.
Competition analysis is vital for any SEO strategy. By understanding your competition, you can create a plan to rank higher than them. Here's how we can help.
We'll analyze your competition using tools like Ahrefs. Also, we'll check your competitor's keywords, content, and exact match domains.
On-page SEO
On-page SEO is about optimizing your page so that Google can easily understand what it's about and what keywords you want to rank for. Also, it's about ensuring you have the correct elements on-page so that you'll keep both Google and your readers happy.
An easy-to-read, strategic page lays a solid foundation for heading into the rankings. Here's how we can help. We'll optimize your URL by:
- including targeted keywords
- keeping it short
- showing extra relevance in a URL's hierarchy
- placing posts or pages into their relevant folders
- separating URLs with underscores and hyphens
Also, we'll add essential on-page elements like:
- Title tags
- Header tags
- Meta descriptions
- Alt text for images
- Anchor text
- Internal links
- Rich snippets/Schema markup
- Social sharing buttons
Link building
The more valuable, high-quality links your page gets, the more likely it is to rank higher. Link building is essential because they're the currency of the web or search engines
Getting valuable links will show Google that you're a resource worth linking to, which gives your website more authority and trustworthiness. So, how can you go about this?
Well, there are many ways. But we can help you start by guest posting, which is about writing a blog post for other websites in your industry for free. Who'd turn you down when you're offering free content, right?
When done correctly, guest posting can be a fantastic way to get quality links that can help improve your website's ranking. Another way is to get links on sales or resource pages. For example, if you want to sell online courses, we can list them on directories that review and recommend online courses.
Social media marketing is also a great way to get valuable links and traffic to your website. When you post something on social media and people click on the link to read your article, that's called a social media referral.
Content Optimization
Google is working hard to deliver the best user experience, and part of that is understanding what users are actually looking for when they type in a query. That's why keywords are important, but they're not the only ranking factor. The quality and context of your content also matter. So how do you make sure your content is optimized for SEO?
It's important to watch your keyword density because too many keywords on a page can actually hurt your ranking. The ideal keyword density should be between 1.5% to 3%. Also, doing lots of back linking at once can look spammy to Google. Keep your back linking marketing efforts at a constant and slow pace.
We can help you with content marketing by creating content that feels and looks as natural and fluent as possible. Our expert writers know how to work with keywords while still delivering quality, exciting content. We'll ensure your page content is free of grammar and spelling errors, and we'll also work with you to make sure your content is relevant to your target audience.
Technical SEO
Essentially, Google needs to read your website and index it without issues. Your rankings will suffer if your site isn't optimized for crawlers. That's where technical SEO comes in—by optimizing your website for Googlebot, you're giving yourself the best chance to rank.
There are a few key areas you need to focus on:
- Page Speed: A fast website is a good user experience, and Google rewards that. Make sure you're using a good web host, compressing your images, and minifying your code.
- Crawling and Indexing: Google needs to be able to read your website. That means you need to have a sitemap and use the correct tags when tagging your pages.
- Structured Data: It helps Google understand the content on your website, which can help you rank for relevant keywords.
- Mobile-friendliness: More and more people use mobile devices to search the web. Make sure your website is responsive and loads quickly on mobile devices.
- Security: Google likes secure websites, so make sure you're using SSL.
- These are all technical aspects of SEO, but they're essential if you want to rank well in the search engines.
Local Search Engine Optimization
If you want to target your local customers, you need to do local SEO. It's a process of optimizing your website for Google searches that are done within a specific geographical area. For example, if you're a store in Los Angeles, you want to show up when people search for "Los Angeles stores" or "shopping in Los Angeles."
You can do this by get your business listed on Google My Business as part of your local SEO strategy.
If you're looking to increase your business' reputation, it's important to ensure that your Google Business Profile is complete. Doing so will make your business more visible to customers, and they'll be 2.7 times more likely to consider you reputable.
Another thing, it's important to encourage readers to leave reviews about your business. You can offer incentives or discounts in exchange for reviews. Google uses these reviews to determine your ranking in the search results.
What's more, we can help you build citations. A citation is a mention of your business on another website. It can be your business name, address, phone number, or website URL. We do this through forum signatures, profile pages, guest posts, and directories.
Conclusion
SEO is a long-term investment that can pay off big in the form of increased website traffic and higher search engine rankings. However, it's not enough to create great content and hope for the best. You need to have a solid SEO strategy in place if you want your site to rank high and drive leads and sales.
We specialize in developing custom SEO marketing strategies that help businesses achieve their desired results at our digital marketing firm. If you're interested in learning more about our local digital marketing services, contact us today. We would be happy to chat with you about your specific needs and goals for your business growth!