Small Business Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Basics

1. Keyword ResearchYou want to make sure you’re ranking for terms people are actually searching for and that are likely to bring conversions.

2. Site OptimizationAnalyze site to ensure menus are intuitive, important pages are easy to find and a clear call to action is present on every page. Use keywords chosen in step #1 to optimize individual pages for higher rankings.

3. Link EncouragementThis is the step where SEO really morphs into content marketing. Develop a strategy for encouraging other sites to link to yours. The best way to do this is with valuable, shareable content.

The Basic Steps

The terms people use in their searches aren’t always intuitive, which is why this step is so important. Before you put in the time for step #2 you want to know:

The relevant terms with the highest search volume The terms your analytics show convert the best How competitive different keywords are What keywords your competitors are optimizing for How you currently rank for relevant keywords How competitors currently rank for relevant keywords

*Extra Perk: What’s learned in keyword research for SEO is useful in content strategy and PPC campaigns, and vice versa.

Keyword Research

How It Works

A. List Competitorsand their keywords

B Get the Googleand Yahoo Rank

C. Capture SearchVolume

A. Find competitor keywords via meta tags, page titles and if/when they show up in search research

B. Check first 10 Google pages,

first 5 on Yahoo to see where each business ranks for eachkeyword

C. Use Google Keyword tool to find out how many searches are performed for each keyword

To finish Step #1:

Rule out the keywords with low search volume, questionable relevancy, and those overly competitive and focus on those the research shows will get the best results.

To move to Step #2:

Choose which pages on the site you want to optimize and pick a relevant keyword optimize each for.

Research Results

For the chosen keyword for each page, update all of the following to include keyword as much as possible without losing readability:URLPage TitleMeta DescriptionAll Headings on pageOn page copyImage alt text

On Page Optimization

Page Title

URL

Meta Description

URL

Page Title

Heading

All imagescan include alt text

Search engines see something different when they look at a site than people do. They disregard images and any flash animation, but they see the text and assign some parts of it more importance than others (for example: the title, headings, the url).

You want search engines to see your chosen keyword as many times as possible when it scans the page, while keeping each page user-friendly.

Why Does It Help?

Some firms call this “link building,” but we believe the most valuable links are more likely to be gained through methods that encourage others to share your site’s content because it offers value.

Link Encouragement

Think about what you can provide that would be valuable to your customers and potential customers.

Possible formats: Blogging Videos White Papers Newsletters Webinars

To learn more, check out the Austin Copywriter video series on the Basics of Content Marketing for Small Businesses!

Possibilities for a Link Strategy

I hope that was helpful! If you have any questions, contact me at kristen@austin-copywriter.com. I’m happy to help.

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