 What are the essential ingredients for good search engine optimisation?If lots of chocolate eggs and Easter lunch has got you thinking about ingredients and recipes, why not apply that same approach to your search engine optimisation campaign? Our SEO team has been compiling their perfect SEO recipe and come up with a list of essential ingredients. Not all of these points are relevant for all web sites and the quantities and weights will change with each individual site but, if we were to create the perfect campaign for a new web site keen to target local and national traffic and create a credible online brand at the same time, what would we like to see in the mixing bowl?1. Great Search Engine Optimisation Needs Great Content No doubt about it, the most essential part of any optimisation campaign is great content. Keyword rich, fresh and interesting information is the lifeblood of a web site and is great food for thought for the search engines. Content underpins a search engine optimisation campaign because not only does it provide a vehicle for on page elements such as keyword density, optimised keyword placements, bold text, anchor text and internal linking but it also essential to off page optimisation. Content on site gives a reason for other web sites to direct traffic and inbound links, helping with off page optimisation. 2. Ethical Link Building Is Just As Important Inbound links are just as important to SEO as content – as an experienced search engine optimisation (SEO) agency, we believe that the optimum split between link building and content creation is 50/50. This allows time to create great content and sufficient time to work on building awareness of that content via ethical link building. Link building is not just crucial to SEO, it’s also needed for business reasons. Search engines generally look for quality, quantity and content when assessing web site referrals. These are also the things that can help business boom. When building links, the aim is to put the URL in front of interested traffic – thereby driving interested potential clients to the web site. This can then lead to sales. If you’re a plumber for example, there’s little point in having a link from your local garage as someone looking on a car repair site isn’t looking for a plumber. However, if you can get a link from your local DIY store, electrician or joiner, you’re more likely to capture interested traffic by being in the right online neighbourhood. 3. Online PR Is A Must In Successful, Modern SEO Most web site optimisation campaigns will take longer than a few weeks to show results. Therefore, an online PR campaign can help to generate awareness and create visibility in the meantime. Online PR also helps reach certain SEO goals when done properly – it’s no use simply copying and pasting a press release crafted for an online audience, the PR in question must be optimised for a digital audience when integrated with a search engine optimisation campaign.
Consider On Page Learnings When Crafting A New PR
The same on page considerations should be worked into a PR for it to be effective online and then, a targeted distribution strategy focusing on relevant online outlets developed. Again, distribution online should follow the same guidelines as those you would adhere to for white hat link building – think quantity, quality, relevance.
Social Media Can Not Be Ignored
Very few effective SEO strategies ignore social media, and those web sites or businesses that give blogging, bookmarking and community sites a wide berth are potentially missing a great opportunity to brand build, link build and relationship build. Depending on the scope of the SEO campaign as a whole, social media work may be restricted to a few select outlets or, in the case of more comprehensive optimisation activity, encompass a wide range of portals and properties. Much with online PR, social media can often be a useful tool for reaching decision makers and potential clients while search engine rankings are still works in progress. A good Facebook page or Twitter account helps to generate the cyber version of word of mouth buzz, meaning it doesn’t matter if your site itself isn’t on page one of Google just yet as lines of communication are open between your site and your target demographic. 5. Reporting Is An Intrinsic Part Of Online Marketing - Ignore It At Your Peril Reporting is an intrinsic aspect of any marketing activity, be it online or off. Particularly in SEO where trends and techniques change so quickly, reporting provides a bird’s eye view of what does and doesn’t work. Reporting can also act as an incentive by giving visual confirmation of ranking progress and can be used to take the leg work out of link building by highlighting the links competitors have back to their sites. Using an analytics package such as Google Analytics is recommended for all but the smallest campaigns as this kid of reporting system will show where site refinements need to be made – high bounce rates and declining visitor numbers will be picked up, suggesting that on page efforts be focused in certain areas rather than spread around the site as a whole. This level of insight is what sets a great SEO campaign apart as efforts are focused and targeted.
Are you struggling to combine these elements in your search engine optimisation campaign? Contact us on 0800 094 9001 for a no obligation discussion.
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