10 Search Engine Optimizations Steps for Best SEO Marketing

Last updated on February 18th, 2024 at 06:38 pm

10 search engine optimization steps for best SEO marketing are SEO best practices’ ultimate guide to gaining site traffic through organic search results. Search engine optimization aka SEO is the optimization of web pages for higher ranking in search engine results pages. The higher your page ranks on the first page of Google the greater the chance of getting a click to your website. This is because users click most on pages in higher Google rankings.  Hence the higher your site ranks the better will be the click-through rate on the search results pages. 

You create search-engine-optimized content to attract relevant search-engine traffic. The page title and meta descriptions should describe the content well to attract clicks from the target audience in organic search results. Search engines use search intent in the sorting of organic traffic in search engine result pages in order of relevant keywords to user search intent.

SEO marketing is the art of website optimization for the most popular search terms, to attract relevant traffic for the conversion of prospects to customers. An SEO marketing campaign will include the following:

• Google Analytics KPIs and Goals Setup
• Keyword research, competitor analysis, and content strategy creation
• Quality content creation using the content strategy
• SEO Audit Services to evaluate the SEO campaign
• Fix any SEO Audit recommendations in organic search engine optimization services for content, on-page SEO and technical SEO issues
• Local search optimization of Bing and Google My Business listing etc.
• Build backlinks to gain domain authority
• Engage in any off-page SEO marketing campaign

Mindset Digital Marketing Strategist builds SEO strategy to improve your organic search rankings. It will perform an SEO audit with the implementation of suggestions in organic search engine optimization services. SEO analytics is used to measure success and improve on organic search marketing campaign strategy

Keyword Research

Keyword research is the first step in SEO because it is used to discover relevant information about search intent. The research will uncover the main keyword or seed keyword with related terms for a specific topic. The list of keywords is then used to create a page that will satisfy users’ search query intent.  

Keyword research is like mining for gold, it requires patience, precision, and the right tools. The easiest ways for effective keyword research include:

• Identify your target audience and understand their language, preferences, and pain points. Create keywords for each stage (awareness, consideration, decision) of the buyer’s journey
• Understand user intent behind the keywords (informational, navigational, transactional) and create content that aligns with the user’s search intent.
• Perform a competitor’s content analysis, note their keyword targeting, and explore gaps or opportunities to differentiate yourself.
• Explore longer keywords called long-tail keywords with 3 or more phrases for specific targeting. They usually have less competition and are easier to rank.
• Leverage keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, Semrush, Ahrefs, and Google Autocomplete to find the right keywords related to your topic
• Use location-specific terms to find potential local customers
• Regularly update your keyword strategy based on industry trends and shifts in customer behavior to remain relevant.
• Measure and analyze your keyword performance using analytics tools and adjust your keyword strategy accordingly

On-page SEO

On-page SEO is the practice of optimizing on-page features to gain search engine ranking and boost organic traffic.  The optimization will help search engines understand if the content is relevant to a search query.

Checklists of on-page features to optimize

• Create a user-friendly website structure and navigation with a hierarchy of pages and breadcrumbs for easier navigation.
• Optimize the page title tag and meta description tag with relevant keywords describing the page content.
• Use your main keyword in header tags (H1, H1, H3, …)
• Optimize image alt text attributes with descriptive text and compress images without loss of quality for best user experience
• Use a descriptive URL with the main keyword to describe your page content
• Resolve broken link issues and explore internal linking to guide users and search engines through your content.
• Implement a site search feature for large sites to help users find specific information quickly
• Spelling and grammar checks for error-free content
• Adverts should not appear above the fold
• Comments that do not add to the conversion in blogs should not be allowed
• Use of social media connect or share icons to build trust and engagement
• Establish trust through photos, testimonials, reviews, and website updates
• Important pages like About, Contact, Privacy, Disclaimer, and Terms of Use should be given consideration

Technical SEO

Technical SEO is a website and server optimization that helps spiders crawl and index web content. Technical SEO has nothing to do with your web content. The inability of search engines to crawl and index your site will adversely affect its ranking.

Checklist for Technical SEO

• Create an XML sitemap and submit it to search engines to help them crawl and index your site more efficiently
• Optimize the robots.txt file to control which pages and directories search engines should crawl
• Use canonical tags to avoid duplicate content issues and consolidate link equity to preferred page versions.
• Customize 404 error pages with help information and links to guide users back to relevant content
• Use HTTP implementation with SSL which is crucial for trust and security and specify the preferred domain e.g. with www or without www 
• Use schema markup to provide search engines with additional information and improve rich snippets in search results
• Use static pages preferably except in cases where your site must use dynamic pages
• Register your website with Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools
• Ensure you follow Google best practices for a search friendly site

High-Quality Content

The next step after creating a keyword strategy is to use it to create high-quality conteny. This is content that is highly optimized for relevant keywords and can rank high in search engine bot crawl. There are 2 forms of content writing, copywriting is the short persuasive texts used in Google Ads, and content writing is the longer form of content used in blogs and web pages.

Creating SEO-friendly content involves a mix of good writing and keyword optimization. It is good practice to refresh old content that is not ranking on our site using semantic-core keywords for the topic. SEO is about providing value to your audience. A high-quality content satisfies user intent and follows SEO best practices to increase your site’s visibility and attract a targeted audience.

Content is the backbone of SEO. It plays a crucial role in various aspects of SEO influencing how search engines rank your site and how users interact with it. High-quality content on your website should be original content written for your website. In cases where content is copied, it should reference the original with a canonical tag to avoid duplicate content issues.

Off-page SEO

Off-page SEO is actions taken outside your website that can impact on your SERP rankings. The effect of some off-page optimizations may not be immediately visible or measurable. Building external links to your pages is the greatest of off-page SEO techniques and many associate off-page SEO with link building. 

External links are inbound links to a website. It is like a vote of confidence in the content on your website. It is used to build authority for your web pages. The more authority your page gets the higher it will climb in organic search results. Internal links are equally important because they help to distribute link juice on your site. A link-building exercise is best executed after optimizing your web content.

All links are not equal, “do follow” contextual links from authority websites are more valuable. The quality of links is more valuable than the number, also the number of referring domains is more significant than having lots of links from a single domain.

Some link-building strategies include:

• Create high-quality content that provides value and can attract natural back-links
• Monitor competitor back-links, create better content for similar linking opportunities, and reach out to sources
• Share your content on social media platforms to increase visibility, it may attract external links
• Build relationships with bloggers and influencers in your niche that can lead to link acquisition.
• Write guest blog posts for reputable websites in your niche with a link back
• Find broken links on other websites in your niche and reach out to the website owner suggesting your content as a replacement
• Sign up for HARO (help a reporter out) to provide expert opinion in your field. If quoted you get a back-link to your website
• Get listed in relevant local directories

Page Speed

Core web vitals are a set of metrics Google considers important for web performance. The focus is on page speed performance, interactivity, and visual stability.

• Largest contextual paint (LCP) measures how long it takes for the largest content element on a page to load. (best within 2.5 seconds)
• The first input display (FID) measures the time it takes for a page to become interactive. (best within 100 milliseconds)
• Cumulative layout shift (CLS) quantifies the amount of unexpected layout shifts of visual page content. (best within 0.1 secs)

Improving site speed is an important factor for good user experience in search engine optimization. The SEO tips for improving page speed performance include:

• Use compressed and appropriately sized images. 
• Employ lazy loading for images and iframes.
• Enable browser caching to improve load times for returning visitors.
• Use a content delivery network (CDN) to reduce server response times. 
• Optimize CSS and JavaScript files by minification and combination to reduce size and requests
• Loading JavaScript asynchronously to allow other elements of the page to load without waiting for scripts to finish. 
• Prioritize above-the-fold content to render quickly so that users can see and interact with the page quickly
• Minimize redirects to reduce additional HTTP requests
• Reduce server response time by upgrading your hosting, reducing database queries, and caching techniques.
• Optimize CSS delivery and reduce render-blocking CSS 

Mobile Optimization

A good reason for mobile SEO is over half of web traffic comes from mobile devices. Also, Google and other search engines rank a mobile-friendly website higher in search results. This means that if your website is not mobile-optimized, you are less likely to show up in search results, which can cost you traffic and customers. 

Strategies for ensuring website mobile optimization include:

• Adopt a responsive design, this will make your website adjust to different screen sizes like mobile phones, tablets, and desktops
• Optimize your website for speed by following the steps in the page speed section of this blog post
• Avoid pop-up ads on your website’s mobile version, they can be disruptive or annoying
• Use a mobile-friendly theme or template if you are using a content management system
•  Use large fonts and buttons to make your website easier to use on mobile devices.
• Test your website on a variety of mobile devices to make sure it looks good
• Use scalable vector images that can be resized without losing quality
• Use a mobile-friendly analytics platform like Google Analytics to track how users interact with your website and identify any areas where you can improve their mobile experience

Local SEO

Local SEO is the optimization of search for local businesses via citations and local directories. Citations are described as NAP-focused. NAP means name, address, and phone. Citations are mentions of your business in local business directories. Local SEO is best for businesses that operate within a locality as against national or international level.

The benefits and marketing strategies for businesses aiming to attract local customers through local SEO include:

• Increased visibility in local search results, making it more visible to people in your area
• Perform local keyword optimization to attract users looking for products or services in your locality
• Local searches have a high conversion rate as users are ready to make a purchase or visit a local store
• Optimize your Google My Business profile for local searches
• Build backlinks from local businesses to build authority in local searches
• Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on platforms like Google or Yelp
• Develop content that is relevant to your local audience
• Be active on social media platforms and engage with your local community. 
• Regularly monitor your website analytics to track the performance of your local SEO effort

SEO Analytics

SEO analytics is the process of tracking and analyzing website performance in search engine results pages (SERPs). It is an important SEO strategy, as it provides valuable insights into what is working well and what needs to be improved.

The important benefits of SEO analytics include:

• SEO analytics tools, like Google Analytics, provide valuable insights into user behavior on your site that can help make informed decisions to enhance user experience
• SEO analytics can help you to identify the keywords that are driving the most traffic to your website. This information can then be used to optimize your content and improve your ranking.
• Identify technical issues on your website that may be hindering your rankings. This may include broken links, slow page load times, or mobile issues, all of which can impact your search rankings. 

Tracking progress over time allows you to see how your SEO efforts are impacting your website traffic and rankings. This information is essential for making informed decisions about your SEO strategy. There are several key performance indicators (KPIs) that businesses and marketers track to assess the effectiveness of their SEO efforts.

The most important KPIs to track include:

• Search rankings:  Higher keyword rankings in SERPs generally lead to more organic traffic. 
• Organic Traffic: Increasing organic traffic indicates that your SEO efforts are driving more visitors to your site. 
• Click-Through Rate (CTR):  A higher CTR often indicates that your title and meta description are compelling and relevant. 
• Conversion Rate: Tracking the conversion rate helps evaluate how well your website is performing in terms of meeting its objectives. 

• Backlinks: Backlinks are external links to a page or domain, used to evaluate authority and impact on search ranking.

Constant SEO Updates and Improvement

Google is constantly changing its algorithm to avoid being manipulated. As a result of competition to appear on top in SERPs businesses will continue to need SEO to stay ahead of their competitors. What is relevant today may become obsolete tomorrow. A good start to remaining relevant in the face of SEO updates is to regularly review your content marketing strategy and website content for best results in SERPs. 

SEO is constantly evolving, search engines update their algorithms, competitors change their strategies, and shifts in user behavior are inevitable. Regular continuous SEO efforts will help you to adapt to these changes, ensuring an improvement in your online presence.

Keeping up with SEO trends and updates will require:

• Follow SEO industry blogs like Search Engine Journal, Moz, Semrush, etc for the latest news and trends
• Attend SEO webinars and conferences to gain insights from industry experts
•  Join forums and groups where SEO professionals ask questions and share insights
• Follow SEO influencers sharing valuable insights on platforms like Twitter and Linkedin
• Experiment with different strategies, analyze the results and learn from your own experiences.

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