It is quite normal for people to be asking what is involved in SEO.
We thought we would put something together to give an insight to the world of internet marketing and SEO.
Business Objectives
This for us is the one of the most important steps in developing a successful SEO or internet marketing strategy, we will work with you to define what you aim to achieve both long-term and short-term. From this we will be able to find out how to measure the success of the SEO Campaign. We’ll do this by using Key Performance Indicators and thorough analytics.
Market / Keyword Research
This is to be considered to be one of the most important aspects of SEO. A good keyword strategy is needed from the start of development. Time will need to be spent developing key words and key phrases that users may use to find the business.
The first step in this process is to choose 10-20 keywords or phrases you would like to be ranked for. From one word to three word phrases. Once the list is compiled, each will be analysed to see the amount of traffic that each will generate. Otherwise know as search volume. This list will also be applied to Adword campaigns and PPC campaigns.
Competitor Analysis and Intelligence
As with any business being aware of your competitors is essential. Identifying there USP’s and their target audience is important. It will lead to new avenues for your business to concentrate on. At this point a link list will be compiled, who is linking to the competitors sites? Could they become partners to the site? By compiling a similar list of links, the less advantage the competitors will have over your business. A link building strategy will be developed, using social media, direct content, comments on blogs and any other means of contact. It is important that the links are relevant to the niche or business.
On-Page Optimisation
The main aim for good search engine optimisation is quality content that will need to be measured up against keywords. The Meta title and description are the first area of concern and need be too well thought of. The web pages will need to be developed using the W3C standard, all alt tags need to be labelled correctly. Website optimiser will also be used to analyse the website progress, content can be monitored or a whole page can be developed and run alongside other pages to test how effective the page is on the web.
Blogging / Content Strategy
Two areas to include in the website are a blog and news section, the reason for this is to generate interest for the users. Regular updates of content will encourage users to come back and subscribe to updates, also refreshing the content for search engines. Also by offering good advice or content you will also be seen to be an expert in the field and generate a buzz on the web. The best way to target this is to realise two posts a week minimum, it may also be a good idea to set up a couple of blog sites, so in theory you are creating a blog network. This way the site can link back and comment on what the site is saying.
Off Site Optimisation
These include:
Search Engine & Directory Submission
This is one of the most misused aspects of SEO, in the late 90’s and early 2000’s companies would try to submit their website to as many search engines as possible. Now though the key is for users to be able to find web pages through organic searches, over submission may not have the desired effect. The better way to achieve the desired result is to use article marketing, which is discussed later. Major search engines will need submission, Google, Bing, DMOZ and Yahoo. Yahoo also charge for a prime directory listing, £199.00, this is also an option to consider.
Link Building
A link building strategy will be put in place, gaining valuable page rank from external website, forums and social media. This process has to be monitored, as Google is aware of miss use of this service by many companies. However if this runs well, it will have a direct impact on a businesses success in search engines.
Article Marketing
Over the past five years article marketing has become a very useful aspect of SEO. Submitting articles to article site such as EzineArticles has 2 key benefits. First it ties in with the link strategy; it will provide back links from multiple sites with a good page rank. The second is, the articles can be republished and which means your link will need to be included for each republish. Releasing an article a week should be sufficient to provide more links to the site.
Although the regular posts and articles may seem like a lot of work the key is to tie it in with the keywords and phrases. Choose a subject or theme to work around for each week or every other week. The article will also tie in with the idea of become an expert in your field, publishing useful information about the industry and surrounding topics.
Social Media
The past few years have seen a boom in social technology, people can comment from any where at any time. Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are just a few of the social sites that are being used to share online resources. Each of these will need to be considered to increase the traffic to the website, aiming at your target audience, product updates and company movements can be talked about. Also increasing back links to the website.
Web Ranking and Link Reporting
Weekly reports will be generated showing the improvements or failures in the campaign allowing for modification at anytime. The reports will show the links to the site and also competitor sites, the page rank of the site and the progress with the marketing campaign.
Domain Names
Buying a few domains that link back to the site is also a good idea, using the correct 301 redirection method so that search engines do not sandbox you. Five should be sufficient covering both UK and .com names. The domain name is the first port of call and the closer it is related to the product or niche the easier the campaign will be.
Press Releases
As with any bricks and mortar businesses, press releases are a way of telling the public something big is happening within the company. This applies to websites too; a press release will be submitted through the world of the web in expert directory services. Again helping the buzz on the Internet, but also generating multiple back links to the website, one good press release a month will help drive additional traffic to the site.
Prices can vary from £40.00 to £200.00 per article. However the ROI should outweigh the cost.
Newsletters and Email Marketing
To be able to achieve this successfully a database of leads will need to be developed. The leads may come from both the business and the website. Mailchimp allow a campaign to be set up for free which caters for up to 500 subscribers and 3000 emails per month. For any business starting this is ideal. The key is to develop a template for the newsletter that can be updated easily and sent out. New offers and latest company news should be included. Sending one or two a month will keep reminding your clients who you are, repeat business is important.
PPC
Google adwords provide one of the best PPC tools, daily budgets are able to be set and you can bid on useful keywords. This will link directly to the keywords. The idea though is no to be too broad with the keywords and make sure you are targeting specific audiences; this will improve the click through rate. The strategy for this will need deep consideration, included what can be afforded within the budget. However with the correct campaign, ROI will outweigh the cost.
Content Management Systems
As a developer we believe content management systems should always be used in the development of websites. It maybe Joomla, WordPress or Drupal, the reason is the ease of access when the site is developed, allowing for regular updates and reducing the long term costs of updates. Although standard dynamic sites can be developed using code, the long term gain is not beneficial.
Using the above techniques and a well designed website then you should see a result with traffic on your website. For futher info on our web design take a look at web design page.
Measure, Measure, Measure
The key to SEO is ROI (Return on investment) and measuring success, we will develop KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) based on your business objectives and report regular on their success.
If you would like further information please contact us or see our SEO consultancy section.
