Jayson DeMers, Contributor
The Three Pillars Of SEO In
2013: Content, Links, And
Social Media
A good SEO strategy is the difference between your business easily being
found online and getting lost in the noise of thousands of other businesses
trying to stand out. With Google’s ever-changing algorithm, it can be difficult
to know what’s effective here and now.
In 2013, success in SEO hinges on businesses putting together a robust
combination strategy that brings together an integrated web of great
content, credible links, and social signals. Each of these pieces supports the
other, providing tremendous value to readers, building your authority and
brand value, and distributing your content across new channels. Here are
the highlights of what to think about in terms of each of the three pillars of
great SEO.
Content (Pillar #1): Make The Most of What’s On Your Pages
The first pillar of an effective SEO strategy is your onsite content and
structure. From the way you organize your site to how you optimize your
content, there are five key aspects that will ensure that your content is
doing its job. A strong on-site SEO plan includes keyword research, content
optimization, user experience, site design, and the presence of a blog with
great content that’s updated frequently. Let’s take a closer look at each one.
Keyword research: The foundation of your SEO strategy is keyword
research. The concept is simple: you can only optimize your site once you
know how your target market searches for the products/services you have to
offer. Google’s Keyword Tool is designed to help advertisers in the Adwords
Program target effective keywords for their paid advertisements. But it’s a
free, robust tool that can be used by website owners that want to better
understand the range of keywords people are using to get to their site. Try
these three strategies to get started:
1. Brainstorm a list of phrases related to your business, brand, products,
industry, location, and customers. Once you’ve developed that list,
enter each of these words into the Google Keyword Tool to see what
related terms are recommended by Google. Google’s suggestions will
greatly expand your keyword list. Pay attention to long-tail keywords
(e.g. “apartments in West Hollywood near beach” vs. “Hollywood”).
They’re easier to rank for and just as important as your major
keywords.
2. Enter your site URL into the website box in the Google Keyword Tool.
It will scan your site, and come back with a list of recommended terms
that you are currently ranking for or could target. Many of these
suggested terms are will be great keywords for your site.
3. Create a list of competitor sites and enter each of those URLs into the
Keyword Tool. Your competitors may be ranking well for specific terms
that you hadn’t thought about. While you never want to directly copy a
competitors’ keyword strategy, it can often inform your approach and
round out options you hadn’t thought of yet.
Keyword structure: Once you’ve developed a list of keywords, take the time
to organize them. One simple way to do this is by taking a look at your
website structure and mapping keywords to the major sections. For
example, if you’re an SEO firm serving customers in New York and New
Jersey, you might have pages with different options for travel rates for inperson meetings and other details by location. That way, when individuals
are searching for “SEO Firm Manhattan” they’re likely to find your site.
Knowing what sections of your site are targeting specific keywords and
gearing your content optimization toward those goals will move your SEO
efforts forward more quickly.
Content optimization: Once you’ve researched your keywords, you’ll need to
optimize your content for those terms. Content optimization is not about
stuffing keywords into every available opportunity or even meeting a specific
formula of “keywords must appear X times per 500 words”. Instead, just
remember to include your primary keyword is included in your article title
and meta tags. Remember that each page (or unique URL) represents an
individual piece of content that can be optimized for different, specific
phrases and conversion goals.
User experience (UX): User experience is simply a way of encapsulating the
question: when people visit your site, are they able to quickly and efficiently
do what they want? For example, if they’re trying to make a purchase or find
specific information, is it easy to locate the menu or complete the task? If
the answer is no, it may be hurting your search rankings.
One easy way to figure out if your user experience needs to be improved is
to look at your bounce rate on Google Analytics. A bounce is a visitor that
leaves your site without visiting more than a single page. If a high
percentage of people are bouncing from your site, you may be ranking for
irrelevant terms or your site design may be too complicated. Ask yourself
what people are trying to accomplish, and look at ways you can make that
easier.
Initial things to look at are making sure your navigation is easy to use, that
your site design is as clean and uncluttered as possible, and that big actions
are highlighted in clear and effective ways. Consider hiring a professional UX
designer to help you evaluate your site if you’re having trouble breaking
through on this point. It’s possible to design your site in such a way that you
not only achieve optimal SEO, but also optimal conversion rates.
Site design: Is your site design clean and professional? There’s an
assumption, by both search engines and visitors, that a site that looks
spammy is spammy. If you’re trying to build an authority site but are
working on a highly out of date design, consider upgrading to a simple
website on WordPress. WordPress is an easy to use content management
system with many excellent designs (called templates) available for free.
Premium templates range anywhere from $20 to a few hundred dollars, and
allow you to specifically customize your site. Some of the best templates can
compete with world-class designs.
Regularly updated blog: Since Google’s Freshness Update, there’s a ranking
premium for sites that are regularly getting new content. The easiest way to
do this is through the addition of a blog. By regularly adding articles that are
valuable for your readers – from timely pieces that comment on trends and
news to evergreen pieces like how-to’s or product reviews – you’ll build your
authority and improve your search rankings.
Another benefit of regularly blogging is that it quickly builds the amount of
content that you can rank for in the search engines. A well-developed
strategy can help you target many of your keywords through ongoing blog
development. Think of each blog post as another raffle ticket you throw in
the hat for being listed in search engine results pages.
Inbound Links (Pillar #2): The Infrastructure of Connections
Links give Google one very important signal: another site or reader found
material on your webpage valuable and relevant enough for them to link to
it. The more links you get, the more valuable your content is deemed to be
by search engines. More likes also builds trust and authority, causing your
pages to rank higher, driving more traffic.
In the past, link building was a numbers game. Links came from simple
tactics that included listing your site in a bunch of directories, linking to your
site from comments on blogs, and other transactions that focused more on
having someone dedicate the time to “link building” than actually focusing
on creating value for readers.
Today, link building is still critically important, but there’s more pressure to
build high quality links. Sites that you’re linking from need to be reputable
and relevant to your industry. Here are some strategies to build links that
also build your brand and authority in your niche.
Guest blogging: There’s an increased focus today on guest blogging as site
owners look for organic ways to build links. Guest blogging is simple: you
find and pitch an appropriate blog with an offer to write a post geared
toward their audience. When you’re guest blogging, look for reputable blogs
that are relevant to your industry and subject matter. Here’s an article that
describes a step-by-step process for guest blogging.
Press release distribution: Press releases are another way to build links to
your site and help build brand recognition for your business. There are two
keys for effective press release distribution. The first is to find a newsworthy
story to write about in your release, or to find a relevant hook in the broader
news landscape. For example, if you are a coach for administrative
assistants looking for new opportunities and its Administrative Professionals
Day, your press release is more likely to be widely picked up.
This syndication effect will help you build inbound links. It may also lead to
valuable news coverage with publications running your story or reporters
asking you to act as a source. The second piece of leveraging press releases
is to use an effective press release distribution service. It doesn’t have to
cost you hundreds of dollars. In fact, many are free. But make sure that
whatever you choose is active and reputable. A popular choice is PRWeb.
Repackaging existing content: Building links to your site doesn’t require an
army of writers constantly developing new content (although it certainly
doesn’t hurt!). Instead, look at your existing content and see how it can be
repackaged across platforms and mediums. Do you have a great, datadriven blog post? That could be the foundation of a fantastic and highly viral
infographic. A case study or white paper could be paired with some simple
imagery and turned into video content for YouTube and Vimeo. A newsletter
distributed by email could be turned into guest posts or social media
content.
Leverage real world connections into links: Are you sponsoring local events
in your community, such as little league groups or a networking event?
Perhaps you’re speaking at a conference or doing pro-bono consulting for a
non-profit? Do you belong to any professional associations, speakers
organizations, or civic groups? Many of the above opportunities will come
with the chance to list yourself on their website, along with a bio or company
description and a website link. Sit down and do an audit of these options –
especially ones you may already be a part of and not using effectively. Circle
back and have your site listed where possible, and be on the lookout for
these opportunities in the future.
Target high quality directories: Indiscriminately listing your site in every
directory that you can find has little value. It’s fair to say that it can even
backfire; it’s an old link building trick and one that Google frowns upon. Yet
there are a number of directories out there that are valuable to your SEO
strategy. Be on the lookout for three kinds of directories where it can be
useful to list your site. The first is local directories; being listed can help you
rank for location-based keywords. The second is niche or professional
directories that are squarely focused on your industry. The third are
established directories with sections that focus on your area of expertise.
Use a tool like Yext.com to find out if you’re already listed in some key
directories.
Social Media (Pillar #3): Making Friends, Engaging, and Sharing
Content
There was a time when analysts wondered if social media would make SEO
obsolete. In reality, social media has augmented and transformed the way
that we think about SEO, without making the discipline itself go away.
Today, social signals are having a direct impact on how sites are ranking in
the SERPs. Here’s what you need to think about in making the most of social
media.
Interact in social media channels: The best way to build some buzz on
social media is to get out there and get connected. Remember to think about
your social presence as a conversation. Share content that’s high value for
your contacts, while also engaging with them. Engagement means sharing
other people’s content, thanking people for retweets and shares, and joining
people in discussions. This doesn’t have to take a lot of time, but ideally you
should spend a few minutes a day focused on engagement.
Build your brand: Social media is a great medium to help build your brand.
A branded social presence can help build word of mouth that gets you
customers, mentions, and links. Think about branding your social presence
in three key ways. Make sure that your profile names and descriptions are
branded and link to your site. Ideally your username and URL for both sites
should be linked to your business name. Ensure that the look and feel of
your site carries through to your profile layouts and design. Finally, share
professional content in your brand’s voice consistently. This doesn’t mean
that you should never share personal details, but it does mean to evaluate
all potential content through the lens of “is this appropriate for my
customers and colleagues?”
Generate social signals by making content easy to share: Does every page
on your site include buttons that make it easy to share your content? How
about every post on your blog? Take the time to install a program such as
ShareThis to allow readers to instantly share anything they enjoy. Focus on
making sure that you’ve included the relevant networks – at a minimum,
users should be able to share to Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and Pinterest.
Have a platform strategy: “Be everywhere” is one approach to social media,
but it’s rarely the most effective. Particularly if you’re trying to get traffic to
your site and people to read and share your content. Instead, decide what
platforms are going to be the most effective for you. The best strategy takes
into account the social behaviors of your target customers. Are they video
people? Facebook addicts? Spend your time online cultivating a following
that generates social activity and connects to your business goals beyond
SEO.
Think Google+: From a purely SEO perspective, it’s important to have a
presence on Google+. Here’s why: Google has been explicit that social
signals play a role in its algorithm. Twitter and Facebook matter some, but
many of the search results from both networks are restricted. Therefore, the
network that’s carries the most weight is Google +. Ensure that you have a
profile that’s connected to your site, and spend time building your audience
there. Share content, and make sure that a Google+ button is available for
people to like and share your content.
Conclusion
The world of SEO is definitely complex, and in 2013 a simplistic legacy
approach is no longer enough. Effective SEO requires managing different
elements, ranging from your content and keywords to your social media and
link building activities. But with a focus on these three pillars, you can create
a foundation and structure that will support a high ranking site for a long
time to come.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2013/05/23/the-3-pillars-of-seo-in-2013-content-linksand-social-media/2/