Regardless of the type of business you’re running, one of the most important skills you’ll need to learn is SEO or Search Engine Optimization. This is a skill that seems easy to learn but is difficult to truly master. Using SEO the right way is the key to ensuring your business stays on top of the Google search landscape and relevant to consumers.
Fortunately for all of our Rainmaker family listeners, we’ve recruited Damon Burton, an SEO expert, to tell us about the best strategies for beating the algorithm and outranking the competition.
What Is SEO?
Before you can crush your SEO, you need to know what it is! SEO is a series of systems that allow your blog, product, or company to push its way to the top of search engine result pages. Places like Google, Yahoo and other search engines. This provides you with more views, which ultimately translates into more customers and sales.
There’s no simple way to describe SEO, however. It’s not a singular thing. In fact, it’s many different parts and pieces put together. While the result is what you’re after, it’s just as important to ensure that each piece is perfectly fitted and tailored for that result.
How To Improve SEO
If you want to make sure that your business succeeds, optimizing your website or individual website offerings means learning how to manipulate the search engine’s expectations. This approach gives you the benefit of exposure without the expense of classic ads and campaigns.
Learn the Process
One of the first ways to conquer SEO is to understand it. This is an obvious step, but it will require a bit of research. Look into the best practices for SEO. Most importantly, continue to stay on top of these topics. SEO is constantly evolving and changing, and you’ll need to move with it to stay on top of search pages.
One of the most essential parts of the overall SEO puzzle is the humble keyword. These tidbits are constantly searched for words or phrases, all of which ultimately lead consumers to the end of a business funnel. As a business, it’s your job to make sure that the funnel ends at your page.
In many cases, companies will make the mistake of only focusing on “big” keywords. These specific phrases or combinations yield high numbers of purchases and views, but they also tend to be highly competitive. If you want to step up your game, you’ll also focus on the smaller bits. Keeping tabs on these smaller yielding keywords can help you stay on top of the ongoing SEO race.
Take Advantage of Tech
If you’re not a huge fan of writing or creating the sort of long-form content that attracts SEO-style marketing, then that’s fine! There are still plenty of ways to make SEO work for you. One of the most popular ways to do this is to create videos or podcasts. This content provides the same sort of information as written articles with the advantage of being a more comfortable environment for many.
After you’ve created this content, then it’s time to rank up your SEO with a bit of technological magic. There are a variety of programs available that will take your video or podcast and transcribe what’s being said into text. This can then be copied and pasted in its entirety into a longer article or edited and summarized into a short blurb.
Do Your Research
SEO is a long-haul approach to marketing. You can’t just pay a few dollars to get SEO exposure on a reliable scale. You need to constantly update and improve your SEO rankings, especially in highly competitive areas. This means that you’ll need to be prepared to put in some time. This doesn’t need to be all at once, though! You should spread out your resources and research to avoid burnout and maximize your free time.
One of the most important things to stay on top of with SEO is keyword research. While there are many different options, such as Google’s keyword tools, Damon Burton suggests utilizing outside help to step up your SEO game. Some sites, such as Answer the Public, offer comprehensive keyword tracking and easy-to-understand visualizations.
In addition to knowing these keywords, you also want to create strategies to amplify your use of the information. Plan content around this knowledge and utilize these keywords frequently. This will ultimately drive organic traffic to your content.
Take the Challenge
If you find yourself struggling with this or simply want to step up your game, then join us! Enroll in the Rainmaker Family Challenge, a seven day crash course in starting an online business, management, and creating enduring passive income streams to support your family.
