.
Two of the main components of a strong SEO strategy
are the same as they has always been: to publish high-quality content
that gets read and linked to by as many people as possible (ie, quality
content and inbound links)
But in 2014, a third key element will join the ranks of these two elements: social media. I touted
social media as one of the three key elements of SEO for 2013, but over
the course of the year, my experience has been that most business owners still haven’t gotten the message.
I’m still constantly asked why and how social media benefits an online marketing campaign,
which leads me to believe that social media, while definitely a
buzzword recognized by most business owners, hasn’t yet been adopted to
the extent that it needs to be.
While social media has been a factor in the ranking
algorithm for years, the community has been reluctant to officially
adopt social media as a key role within SEO campaigns.
Social media wasn’t around when SEO first developed into an industry, but it’s now pervasive across all industries and our culture; and it provides the means to increase shareability, distribution, and reach. This, in turn, provides readers and search engines alike with new metrics by which to measure quality (ie, quantity of shares and mentions in each social media channel, which are both easily measurable). As a result, “social signals” are now the fastest-rising search engine ranking factor, and business owners that fail to recognize this will be left in the dust by their competitors that do.
So, in 2014, the three pillars of SEO remain the same as
they were in 2013; but I predict (and hope) that social media will come
to be fully adopted as the third pillar by previously-skeptical business
owners and marketers. Content strategy,
inbound links, and social media strategy are the three key elements to
building a strong, successful SEO campaign, regardless of the industry.
Let’s explore each element in more detail so you can craft a winning SEO
strategy.
Content Strategy
Content strategy is being touted by experts as “the new SEO,”
and for good reason. In the wake of Google’s Panda and Penguin
algorithm updates, many of the once-popular tactics that used to work no
longer do. These algorithm updates have forced many online marketing
strategists to rethink their SEO campaigns from tactically-focused to
strategically-focused, with a heavy emphasis on quality content
publication
But content strategy goes beyond simply publishing great
content. It also encompasses the existing content on your website, and
ensuring that it’s optimized from a technical SEO perspective, while
also ensuring future published content abides by these technical best
practices as well. For an excellent guide to technical on-site SEO
elements, see this on-site SEO guide.
Once you’ve got the technical elements covered, you can
focus on your content publication strategy, which begins with keyword
research. Before you can begin publishing content strategically, you
need to understand your target market as well as what words and phrases
(keywords) they’re searching for in the search engines.
The best use of keyword data is to look for places that fill
holes in a website’s overall content. Are users within your target
market looking for a certain phrase or answer for which there isn’t an
applicable article or blog post? Create a blog post, e-book, article, or
white paper about it. Start by performing keyword research, then using
that research to build your content strategy. Here are some helpful
resources for exactly how to do that:
- The Definitive Guide to Using Google’s Keyword Planner Tool for Keyword Research
- Why Your Keyword Strategy Is Incomplete Without User Intent
- How to Build a Kickass Content Strategy
- 7 Ways to Find What Your Target Audience Wants and Create Epic Content
Besides understanding what real users are actually looking
for, great content also shapes the user experience and the way they see
and feel about a company. A regularly updated company blog with
well-written, insightful blog posts will garner a reputation for
publishing great content, which will attract more inbound links, social
media buzz, positive branding, traffic, leads, and sales.
Compare that
to a company blog that simply communicates mundane company news or
events without offering insight or value to its readers.
Thinking in the mindset of the customer should always been
the framework from which content is created and published. An organic
vitamin company can safely assume that their customers are going to be
interested in content that discusses overall health and wellness. So, an
interview blog post with a start-up company that offers organic produce
delivery will be more engaging than a marketing-driven post on what
types of vitamins are for sale. Content should always provide a benefit
or value to the reader.
Inbound Links
Link building is a set of SEO tactics that results in the
creation of hyperlinks from other websites to your own, for the purpose
of introducing external readers to your company’s content. The quantity
and quality of inbound links is also a major factor in the organic
search ranking algorithms. Guest blogging is exploding in popularity,
and is my personal favorite method of building inbound links. There are
many benefits of guest blogging beyond just building inbound links. For a
summary of benefits, see my article, “The Top 5 Benefits of Guest Blogging.” Ready to get started with guest blogging? See my article, “The Ultimate, Step-by-Step Guide to Building Your Business by Guest Blogging.”
However, as with any legitimate link building strategy, it
requires significant time and effort to get exposure for your website on
other sites that are relevant and provide actual benefit.
This means that when it comes to links, especially in the
age of smarter search engine algorithms, quality always trumps quantity.
If you aren’t ready to jump into guest blogging, here are 8 Ways to Build Links When Guest Blogging isn’t Possible.
Social Media
Many SEO traditionalists have taken a while to understand the true benefits of social media
as it relates to an organic search marketing strategy, but social media
does far more than simply ensuring your company is keeping up with the
competition. Social media gives companies an additional platform to interact with customers,
build their brand, and create a community, all while also driving
traffic to their website. For more on the benefits of social media and
exactly what it is, see “What is Social Media Marketing, and How Can it Help My Business?”
Social media strategy is
different for each company, depending on its target market and what they
are interested in. Because of this, not all available social media
channels can be a benefit to every company. It’s important to find where
your target audience is hanging out online, and to concentrate efforts
on those social networks. For help with this, see “How to Determine which Social Media Network Fits Your Business.”
Optimizing and engaging within social networks has not always been a
goal of SEO, but should be in 2014. While SEO campaigns are mainly
performed to attract new customers and raise awareness of a business
within organic search results, social media focuses on maintaining customers and strengthening relationships with them through strategic engagement.
Conclusion
It’s no longer enough to only focus on only one or two of these pillars to craft a successful SEO strategy
in 2014. Each of these three elements benefits the other, and without
all three elements, your “structure” (ie, your SEO campaign) can’t
stand.
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