Google has made so many changes to its algorithms over the years that it’s nearly impossible to keep up.
By the time you have figured out its strategy, you’re too late; Google has already checkmated you. “When you play the game of SEO, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.”
It doesn’t matter if you are a traditional business owner trying to figure out how to get your website to show up in page rankings or a veteran marketer looking for new ways to rank. Unless you are the Bobby Fischer of modern algorithms, you’re not going to crack Google’s code.
But before you admit defeat, read on for fou foolproof strategies to rank better in search results.
1. Consistently Create Quality Content
Are you blogging? If so, how frequently? Blogging once a month or whenever you have a spare hour (which hasn’t happened since the advent of email) is futile. Make a schedule and stick to it. Blogging once a week is doable and will definitely boost your site’s SEO. Even taking a few moments to update a blog with current information is helpful. According to HubSpot, marketers who plan their blogging strategy are 13x more likely to witness a positive ROI.
Blogging is not the be-all and end-all by any means. There are so many different ways to reach your business’s target audience or ideal customers. Which brings us to our next point...
2. Conduct Buyer Persona Interviews
Understanding your market and creating targeted content with a purpose is key. This is done by creating in-depth buyer personas. You can do all the keyword research you want, but SEO strategy doesn’t lie in a random focus group or Google Trends; it can rather be found by interviewing your business’s actual customers.
Discover your customer’s true buyer’s journey by inquiring about pain points, decision criteria, and how they search for solutions. You may find your ideal customer has to commute to and from work for four hours a day and, therefore, prefers listening to podcasts. You may learn your ideal customer is a busy, new mom who doesn’t have time to sit down and read a blog, but can squeeze in a quick how-to video every once in a while.
3. Include Inbound And Outbound Links
Do unto other businesses as you would have them do unto you. This basically boils down to sharing links! Include links to relevant industry news or blogs from fellow marketers whom you respect. Not only will this increase your credibility with readers and your marketing peers, but it will also encourage others to share your content.
4. Optimize Meta Tags, Title Tags, and Alt Tags
This seems a bit old-school, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. When it comes to SEO, Moz is God. Well, maybe Matt Cutts is God, but Moz comes in at a close second.
While the power of meta keywords has waned over the years, meta tags, title tags, and alt tags still make a difference in on-page SEO. Don’t forget about optimizing URLs and your page’s H1’s, too.
5. Optimize Website for Mobile Usage
Making your website mobile-friendly is an SEO must. Mobilegeddon has long since passed, so if your site still isn’t optimized for mobile use, you’re going to be extinct. More than 80% of internet users own a smartphone. As a result, your site must be user-friendly and responsive. There is no way out of this. If your website is not mobile-friendly, Google will penalize you.
To improve your business's mobile SEO, read our ongoing blog series on Local Listings.
