Ranking organically in a Google search is no easy task. Online marketing continues to increase in popularity and competition for attention is fierce—in fact, it’s estimated that there are approximately 1.7 billion websites on the internet today, some 200 million of which are active. This is a lot for Google to wade through, making it important to know that your website stands out. While there is no guaranteed method of achieving a high rank, there are steps you can take to help boost your site in search results. These steps come together in the process of search engine optimization (SEO). Here, we’ve outlined 5 easy tactics to jumpstart your website’s SEO and start on the path to higher rankings.
#1 Perform Website Audit
It’s tough to bring up your rankings if you don’t know what is pulling them down! Before you begin with SEO efforts, run a comprehensive audit on your website to discover issues like broken links, missing metadata, and other issues that may be impacting your ranking. Not sure how to do your own audit? Media Venue offers complimentary site audits as part of our SEO services!
#2 Research Keywords
Research keywords, specifically those with high levels of searches and those unique to you. Let that rich keyword list be the basis of your content creation. It’s better to write what people are already searching for. Look at the competition for those top spots and strategize how you can write on the topic better. Do not write unnaturally just to add keywords search engines recognize this and will not raise your rank.
#3 Write Content
Put that keyword list to use and create content. The most important thing to search engines is the consistency. Major search engines will periodically recrawl your site, looking for updated content and site engagement. However, there is a fine balance between quality and quantity. Don’t write weak content just to have something to put out— instead, we recommend writing 1-2 pieces a week that are well thought-out and optimized with keywords and phrases tagged appropriately.
#4 Utilize Links
Include in your content links that are a natural fit, and help users continue the learning process. Use internal as well as trusted external links. Well-placed links signal to readers and search engines that you have done your research and created something that fits into a greater knowledge base. It’s best to have about four to five links per 300 words of content.
Additionally, you’ll want other sources to link back to your content! There is no magic way to convince websites to share your posts, but sharing on social media and sending links to relevant business contacts may be good first steps.
#5 Start the Conversation
Once you’ve built your content, share it with the world! The most obvious way to do this is on social media platforms. Post a new piece a couple of times over the first month—maybe once with a graphic and once with a pull quote to attract reader attention. You can also share content in emails, links on other pages of your site, or submissions to online journals and blogs. Once it’s out there, check for comments and respond to them. You want to start a conversation about your topic and demonstrate your knowledge. Each way you share opens a new line of communication between you and your audience.
Stand Out from the Crowd
Raising your rank can be time-consuming and tedious, but ultimately will benefit your business. Ranking highly will drive traffic to your website, grow brand awareness, and eventually generate new leads. Ready to stand out from the crowd? Media Venue’s content creation and search engine optimization services can help get your business on the path to higher rankings. Give us a call today at 502-855-4783 or email sarah@mediavenue.com today to get started. Enhance your marketing investment with Media Venue!
