Content, Links and Social Media: The Three Foundations of SEO

The days of simple SEO tactics of finding a few keywords, slapping together some articles with those keywords in them are over. With increasing pressure from competition, plus the ever-present threat of Google’s changing algorithm, it is important to develop a solid SEO strategy.According to many experts, the best approach to SEO is a three-pronged strategy using content, links and social media as its foundation. This article will explore how to use these three pillars to generate traffic.
Content
The first thing you should do is inventory the content that you already have. Then, organize it to make it easy for visitors to navigate your site. Consider surveying your customers for suggestions on how you could better organize your site for them. You could also use analytics tools, such as Crazy Egg, to evaluate visitor behavior on your site. This may help you find problem areas in terms of engagement or navigation.Next, optimize your content and pay special attention to long-tail keywords. Use Google’s Keyword Planning tool to find long-tail keywords with medium to low competition.You can refine this process by putting your URL into Google’s Keyword Tool. It will return with a list of suggested keyword terms that you could target, or are already ranking for. This will help you target the most effective keywords for your site.You can also do this with competitor sites to find out what keywords they are ranking for. You may just discover some terms or keywords you haven’t thought of. Don’t copy them directly though. Instead, use this information to help you create your own content strategy.

Links

Links are still an important strategy; however, quality and relevance outrank quantity. Your back-links should be from reputable websites. Some potential ways to get high-quality back links are through press releases, guest blogging and re-purposed content.

To re-purpose your content, search for information on your site that could be converted from text to video, or data to infographics.

Take advantage of real-world connections for links:

  • Professional associations
  • Local groups
  • Networking events
  • Speakers’ Associations
  • Civic groups

You can take advantage of these connections by linking to them on your website and asking them to link back to you on theirs.

Social Media

Social media is a very important part of a complete SEO strategy. Every business is different, so different social media channels work differently for individual marketers. For example, Google+ works well for b2b companies, while Pinterest works well for companies with image-driven products such as home décor or clothing. The best thing to do is Interact on social media, build your brand and experiment with several platforms to find out which resonate with your customers.

Just as a three-legged table is the most stable structure, the three foundations of content, links and social media form a stable basis for a solid SEO strategy.

Monitoring the social media marketing landscape is vital to your success. If you’d like to have access to even more powerful marketing tips, as well as a way to generate conversion-ready Internet marketing prospects each month, click here to learn about my done-for-you system.

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