Nearly 70% of all activity online starts with search engines like Bing and Google. Most people (75%) never look at the second page of results, though.
If you’re not reaching the first page of a search, you’re not reaching customers. You could struggle to generate awareness, website traffic, and leads.
With search engine optimization (SEO), you can boost your online rankings. Here are the nine SEO strategies you need for success in 2021. With these tips, you can boost your rankings and reach more customers.
Give your business (and rankings) a boost! Get started with these nine simple strategies today.
01. Research Your Audience
Google’s search engine algorithm considers the user’s search intent before displaying results. If you want your website to appear for a search, you need to match that intent. The search intent is what the consumer expects to find during a search.
For example, intent is sometimes:
- Navigational
- Local
- Transactional
- Informational
- Commercial
Maybe people want to learn more about your products and services. Perhaps they’re looking for directions to your store. Either way, your SEO content strategy needs to appeal to that intent.
In order to appeal to the user’s search intent, start by generating audience research.
Learn as much as you can about your target audience. If you’re reaching a broad audience, create buyer personas based on:
- Age
- Gender
- Household income
- Location
- Marital status
- Education
- Language
- Buying behaviors
- Interests
- Pain points
Then, you can start personalizing your content for each group. Personalization can make it easier for you to connect with your audience.
02. Gather Keywords
Keyword research is an essential component of your SEO marketing strategy. Otherwise, you won’t appear for relevant searches. You can use your keyword research to inform your SEO content strategy.
You can use SEO tools to gather keyword research, including:
- SEMRush
- Ahrefs
- Answer the Public
- Google Trends
- Keyword Planner
Look for long-tail keywords that are made of four or more words. Check for search queries that are posed as questions, too.
As you work on these SEO strategies, you’ll need to optimize your content with target keywords in mind.
Choose a single target keyword for each post. Include your target keyword in the:
- URL
- Page title
- Opening and closing paragraphs
- Meta description
- An H1 header
- Image file name
- Image alt next
- Body text
Then, use secondary keywords to avoid keyword stuffing. Stuffing your content with the same keyword could get your content penalized by Google.
03. Create Compelling Content
As you start using these SEO strategies, take a moment to consider your SEO content strategy, too. You’ll need to create informative, unique, high-quality content throughout the year. Creating multiple posts will help you appear for a range of keywords.
When creating your content, focus on quality over quantity. Try to demonstrate EAT within your content, too.
EAT stands for expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. Establishing EAT will boost your credibility. Building your credibility could help you become a thought leader in the industry.
It could also help you generate more leads and sales through your SEO marketing strategy.
Try creating different forms of content, including:
- Blog posts/articles
- Videos (customer testimonials, company culture, vlogs, how-to, etc.)
- Infographics
- Webinars
- Polls
- Quizzes
- eBooks
Add a call to action at the end of your posts to generate more leads.
04. Update Your Site
As part of your SEO marketing strategy, you’ll also need to update your website. Google prioritizes websites that are fast and mobile-optimized. It also looks for websites that appeal to the Core Web Vitals.
Run your website through Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test and PageSpeed Insights. If there are any issues, update your site right away.
Try to improve the user experience (UX) on your site, too.
Otherwise, improve the readability of your content by:
- Organizing longer posts using headings and subheadings
- Writing using short paragraphs and sentences
- Avoiding jargon
- Using bullets and lists
Run your posts through HemmingwayApp.com for more tips for improving readability.
Improving readability will encourage people to remain on the page. Your clickthrough rates and dwell times can improve. Improving these metrics can boost your SEO rankings.
05. Start Link-Building
Link-building is an important component of your SEO content strategy. In fact, Google says backlinks are one of its top ranking factors. The more backlinks a page has, the more traffic it can generate.
Backlinks are links that send readers from one website to your site.
You’ll also need internal and external links. Internal links are links within your content that send readers to other pages on your site. External links send readers to other websites.
You can link to references, studies, and data to boost your credibility.
To build backlinks, try guest blogging. Focus on creating high-quality content people will want to link to as well. You can use this free backlink checker to evaluate your current strategy.
06. Go Local
Local SEO can help you reach nearby consumers.
First, make sure to update your Google My Business (GMB) listing. Ask your happy customers to post their reviews on your listing, too.
Then, create location-based content on your website. Use your keyword research to appear for relevant search queries.
07. Promote Your Posts
Share your posts on social media to expand your reach. Consider working with an influencer to reach more potential customers, too.
Google will notice you’re generating more traffic to your content. You could boost your SEO rankings as a result.
08. Track the Trends
New Google trends pop up throughout the year. Make sure you’re tracking the latest trends and updating your SEO marketing strategy.
For example, video content is becoming more popular. Try appearing for voice searches and featured snippets, too.
09. Analyze and Optimize
Once you start using these SEO strategies, make sure to analyze your website data. Determine which posts are helping you generate more traffic. Look at the posts that are gaining backlinks, too.
Then, optimize your SEO marketing strategy to keep generating results.
Boost Your Rankings: 9 Essential SEO Strategies for Success in 2021
Using SEO to reach more customers doesn’t have to feel like a hassle. Instead, get started with these nine SEO strategies. Developing your SEO marketing strategy can set your business up for growth and success.
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