There are already thousands of people searching for products and services just like yours, but how do you cut through all the noise to reach them? There are a ton of marketing specialists out there who will tell you they have the shortcut, they know the latest algorithm updates, and they can triple your traffic in one month. It’s (mostly) bologna.
What is SEO and why should I care?
Most of the clients who come to me have no idea what SEO is or why they should care about it. I think it’s one of those areas that marketing professionals have gate-kept within the industry, so most people view it as more complex and difficult to do than it actually is. Of course, there are benefits to staying on top of algorithm changes and trends, but at its core, SEO is simply about providing real solutions to real problems.
SEO is the process of making your website more likely to appear in search results by aligning your content with the ways your audience is already using search engines. It’s your fast track to connecting with potential customers by providing solutions to the problems they experience. If you need a refresher on the fundamentals of SEO, I compiled a guide with all the basics and you can download it completely free.
How do I get started with SEO for my website?
The first step to creating great SEO copy on your website is to understand how your target customer is already looking for products or services that you offer. There are several techniques and tools that can help us during this process, but you can start by simply trying your best to think like your ideal customer.
What pain points do they experience?
What problems are they trying to solve?
What emotions do they experience when dealing with this issue?
If I were them, what would I type into the search bar?
Asking yourself these questions can be a great first step to understanding how your customer is looking for solutions like yours. Another important step in this process is keyword research. Keyword research will provide you with estimates for how many people, on average, are searching for specific words or phrases. There are several tools I recommend in my free SEO guide for this step.
Once you have determined the keywords and phrases that are most closely aligned with your brand niche, you can begin optimizing your website copy for search. Every page on your website should have a focus keyword. This keyword/key phrase should capture the essence of what people can expect to find on that page. The copy should be in a natural tone of voice and provide real value. Don’t use the keyword more often than you would in conversational speech.
Apart from the actual page copy itself, there are some technical SEO factors that will heavily affect your search optimization. Those include your page’s meta data, headers, and image alt text. When you’re writing meta data for your website’s pages, remember that what you’re writing is what people will see in search results. Keep the character limits in mind and make your words count!
By following these steps, you can start reaching the people who are already looking for you! The most important thing in all of this is making sure that the content you create accurately and helpfully answers the question or problem at the heart of the search query. It’s as important in marketing as it is in sales; you have to genuinely want to solve a problem for your target customer. Moreover, you have to make your target customer feel like you want to solve their problem.
How do I keep my website optimized for search?
SEO is a longterm investment, and it requires you to revisit your foundation from time to time. Is there a new technological advancement in your industry that you need to mention? Update your old article and refresh the content with new information periodically. This is a better strategy for longterm SEO growth than reposting new content. It gives a chance for your already-crawled content another opportunity to rank.
You should also keep doing keyword research on a regular basis. This is to track the performance of your keywords over time, but also to identify new search trends and opportunities. For example, if you’re regularly checking a specific search phrase and now one of the top ranking results is a Reddit thread, read that thread! See what people are actually struggling with in their own words. It could be a wealth of ideas waiting for you if you’re resourceful and diligent.
Still feeling lost? Let’s book a free consultation to discuss your business needs! I’ll be sharing more SEO content in social media for the month of April, so be sure to follow me on LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, and BlueSky!