The Ultimate Guide to Organic SEO Techniques, Strategies, and Why it is Important
The most effective SEO strategy involves writing online content optimized for the web. Unless you invest a considerable amount of money into paid advertising campaigns, publishing poorly optimized content on your site will not increase organic traffic, and visitors will not be able to find your business online. (Also, PPC campaigns charge you for every click to your site.)
Instead of investing thousands of dollars into a paid marketing campaign, invest your marketing budget on long-form content focused on search. Businesses can utilize keyword research and SEO techniques to help showcase your brand to a whole new audience. Best of all, if you can rank for valuable keywords organically, that is FREE traffic to your website that will consistently work without investing thousands into a monthly PPC campaign.
Learn more about SEO content strategies and why long-form content optimized for search is the most beneficial marketing strategy for any business.
What Does SEO Stand for?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. SEO focuses on building a website that brings high-volume website traffic and ranks for valuable keywords organically. The best SEO strategies are always changing. However, creating relevant content that addresses user queries is consistently the best way to boost rankings and increase organic traffic. Google uses RankBrain, a machine learning (AI) algorithm to sort search results, and two of the most significant ranking factors include:
1. How long do visitors spend on your page (dwell time). The average time for the first result is 3 minutes and 10 seconds.
2. The percentage of people that click on your search result (click-through rate).
The most effective way to increase a person’s time spent on a page and the click-through rate to your site is to publish long-form content that is enticing to select. That is why you need to focus on SEO copywriting.
What is SEO Copywriting: Where to Start
Although many factors impact a website’s search rankings, including backlinks, load speed, and mobile-friendliness, the most crucial factor is the relevance of overall page content based on the user’s search. Another huge google ranking factor based on SparkToro’s research is the use of query-relevant words and phrases.
The foundation of great online content that translates to an increase in organic traffic, keyword rankings, and conversions is to create pages that answer the questions your audience wants to know. By utilizing keyword research, you can identify the topics your audience wants to learn about online. For instance, if you sell anti-malware software, you would want to craft content around malware queries. Questions may include:
What is malware?
How do I prevent malware?
How to remove malware?
By identifying queries and keywords with high monthly search volume, you can expect consistent traffic to your site if you craft content that best satisfies the question. The best place to start with SEO copywriting is to conduct keyword research and discover the topics you should use to outline your content.
What is SEO and How It Works
SEO or search engine optimization is the process of structuring a website that is most appealing to search engines. Many factors influence search rankings for a website, but publishing in-depth content around relevant keywords in your industry is the most valuable investment a business can make towards website optimization.
Think of Google as a researcher. The platform uses various AI’s such as RankBrain to identify the best content on the web. It uses spiders to crawl the internet to find the best material to rank for a search. Crawling is as simple as reading content and the web structure of a site to determine if it is the best resource to satisfy a search.
Google’s job is to answer a user’s query, and they put the results at the top of the search pages that it thinks will best get the job done. Ultimately, you want your site to have fast load speeds, optimized for mobile, and appealing images, but comprehensive content is by far the most influential factor in search rankings.
Why SEO Takes Time and Why It Works
SEO takes time because newly published content needs to be crawled by Google. Additionally, Google needs to determine whether the people who read your content are finding it useful. Factors like dwell time on the page, bounce rate, and click-through rate are influential for Google to determine if they find your content is worthy of high rankings.
The reason SEO content writing works is that long-form content consistently ranks in the top ten results on Google. The first-page result is, on average, around 2,450 words because more comprehensive content is more effective than sparse content to satisfy a person’s search intent. Also, longer content will naturally result in longer dwell time (time spent on a page).
SEO works because the majority of clicks are on organic results, and 70-80% of users ignore paid ads. Additionally, 93% of online experiences start on search. Since most businesses do not have the budget to invest in national television ad campaigns, it is imperative to craft optimum content for search.
If you do, your audience can find your business, learn about your services, and determine if they want to work with your company. If you decide to not invest in SEO and content for your site, your competitors will take over your industry keywords and take your potential customers if they dominate search results.
Since SEO takes time to work, you can’t afford to wait. Start investing in SEO content today and reap the benefits sooner rather than later.
What are SEO Strategies, Best Practices, and Techniques
Start the title tag of your content with the keyword you want to target.
Make short, keyword-rich URL’s.
Add modifiers to the title (e.g., 2016, best, guide, review).
Add engaging images (compressing images (http://optimizilla.com/), videos, and diagrams (reduces bounce rate). Uncompressed photos will make your page longer to load.
Plug long-tail keywords in <h2>. Utilize keyword and query research and include questions as sub-headers in your content.
Use your main targeted keyword in the first 100 words of the article.
Use outbound links to relevant pages like Wikipedia and reputable sources.
Also, add at least two to three internal links per article. You want your site to be like a spider web where your pages link to one another, so users are prompted to stay on your site longer.
Make sure image file names have target keywords part of image alt text. If you optimize an image with a targeted keyword in the alt text, your image can be pulled into the image results so a user can be directed to your website if they click on the image.
Include social sharing buttons. Make sure to promote your content on all your social media channels. Encourage users to comment, share, and like your content.
Publish long-form content ranks better (>2000 words). Short content will not have a chance to rank for search and won’t benefit your business. If you want to invest in material for your site, make sure it is comprehensive and utilizes SEO best practices.
Switch website from http to https.
Make sure your site is mobile-friendly.
How SEO Keywords Work
SEO keywords are words, phrases, and questions in your web content that Google uses to determine the relevancy of your material based on searches. SEO keyword research helps copywriters identify what topics will earn them keyword rankings.
SEO Keywords can be accessed based on three categories:
Monthly Search Volume
Total number of searches performed on search engines for a given phrase or keyword.
Cost-Per-Click (CPC)
The price you pay for each click in your pay-per-click (PPC) campaign. For the keyword search, “personal injury law firm Atlanta,” the keyword search has an average CPC of $45.25. That means that each link click costs an average of $45.25 for the business.
Why SEO is Better than PPC
PPC campaigns are less effective than organic content strategies, because only 15% of clicks in search are on paid results. Also, each click on a paid result will end up costing you a fortune. If ten people click on your link for the above search, you will have to pay $452.50! However, if you can rank for the same search organically, you will not only get more traffic but won’t have to pay for your link clicks. For instance, a blog I wrote for a client brings in close to $16,000 worth of organic traffic in terms of PPC costs because it ranks for so many valuable keywords.
Competition
How hard it would be to rank for a keyword-based on the existing content on the web. It is measured on a scale of 0.01-1. The closer a keyword ranks to 1, the harder it will be to rank for it. The goal is to find keywords with a high search volume but relatively low competition because it means there isn’t an existing source that adequately satisfies the query. Developing content around keywords with little competition and high search volume will give you the best chance to rank well for the targeted keyword and potentially bring in new site visitors.
Can SEO Keywords be Phrases
Yes, and it is a better strategy to develop content around phrases rather than short root keywords. For instance, instead of trying to rank for “T-shirts,” try to build content for more specific queries such as “band t-shirts for men.”
Google recently implemented a new update to its search algorithm using an AI called Hummingbird. The update focuses on “human” search and rewards content focused on a niche, so writers must develop content based on selective and specific topics for higher visibility.
SEO Where to Put Keywords: How to Write SEO Friendly Articles and Blogs
There are specific areas in your content to place your targeted keywords to increase your chances to rank for them in search. The most significant areas to include your targeted SEO keywords include:
Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
When a user enters a query into a search engine, clickable links that appear in blue are called title tags. Beneath the links include more text that explains what topics and information the page will discuss. Incorporating targeted keywords is the most influential place to add them since a user will be more enticed to click on a link that includes the keywords he or she used in their search.
Additionally, keywords that match the language used in the search will be bolded in the meta description to showcase the relevancy of the content further. Try to include your targeted keywords at the beginning of title tags and meta descriptions if possible. However, there is no need to overuse your keyword in the title tag and meta description. Rather, incorporate LSI phrases around your root keyword.
For example, if your targeted keyword is “pressure washing,” try to include the areas you would be pressure washing and the areas you will be serving. A proper meta description for a pressure washing business may be “Pressure washing services for decking, sidewalks, and driveways in Atlanta, Brookhaven, etc.”
Headers
Headers outline online content. Similar to chapters in a book or sections in a textbook, headers make it easier to organize long-form content. There are different levels of headers, as well. The most impactful is your H1 or Header 1; this would usually be the title of your piece of content. You must include your targeted keywords in your H1, and it is the best place to put your high-volume, high-competition keywords. H2 or Header 2’s is where you organize your content into sections. If a H2 section has multiple sub-sections, you would breakdown it further into H3s or Header 3s.
For instance, if you are writing an article on electric guitars, your H1 may be titled, “The Ultimate Guide to Electric Guitars.” After you have identified the topics your audience wants to know around electric guitars, you would organize your H2s around these topics. These H2 sections could be “Who Invented the Electric Guitar” or “How Do Electric Guitars Work.” If one of these H2 sections can be further broken down, use H3s. Let’s say the H2 is “The Most Popular Electric Guitar Brands,” you can organize that section using H3s around the brands such as “Fender” or “Gibson.”
Image Alt Tags
Whenever you include images in your content, you can write a description for the image known as an image alt tag. Include your keyword phrases in your image alt tags, and your picture may appear in the search results under the image section. When a user clicks on a photo, they are directed to the page that contains that image. Including your keywords in your image alt tags will also further support the focus of your content.
SEO Meta Tags: What Are They?
Meta tags are the HTML information on the backend of the page that helps search engines determine what your content discusses. The sections discussed above, including headers, title tags, meta descriptions are all organized as meta tags. Google crawls (reads) your content in HTML format, so the header content is classified as <h1> on the backend of your site.
To examine what your content looks like to Google, right-click on your page and select “view page source.” You will be able to see how your web page is coded and can determine if your content is adequately organized. Whenever you publish content on your site, it is always an excellent procedure to inspect the backend of the page to make sure your content is well organized for Google.
Why SEO Matters and Benefits
Without content that is optimized for search, your website will never appear organically in Google. Furthermore, paying for ads will be your only way to get your content and brand in front of your audience. As discussed earlier, you will be charged for every click on your PPC campaign and every impression for your social media ads.
Taking the long-term strategy to invest in long-form, SEO focused content is essential. The majority of clicks on web searches are on organic links and providing your audience value is imperative towards building a relationship, guiding them through your funnel, and most importantly, explaining your value. Ultimately, you are trying to make a sale online whether you want them to buy a product or sign up for a consultation. To do that, you have provided convincing information to your audience on why they want to work with you.
Once your content starts to rank for valuable keywords, you will bring in relevant visitors guided by their search. For instance, if you have a plumbing service in Boston and someone searches “Plumbers in Boston,” you have to have relevant content utilizing your audience’s search language and terms.
Without in-depth content explaining your services, and that provides value to your audience, your website will never rank for industry keywords. If your competitors publish the content that your audience wants, they will dominate search rankings in your industry and capture all your potential customers.
Do not wait to start investing in long-form content. It takes time for Google to crawl your website and rank your content. Learn more about content marketing services that will help your site rank for keywords, increase organic traffic, and convert new customers.
What is Organic SEO: How to Write SEO Friendly Content
Search engine optimization is centered around organic traffic or appearing as a result in a search engine based on a query. Other types of traffic include paid and referral. Paid traffic, as the name suggests, involves putting your content in front of people based on paid promotion through PPC campaigns. Referral traffic are web visits that came to your site from sources outside of its search engine, including backlinks.
Ultimately, focusing on organic search will benefit your business the most because this traffic actively works for your site without any continuous budget or investment. Your online media must incorporate the keywords that match user searches, provide value, and give solutions to their problems.
Writing SEO-friendly content involves numerous factors and requires a professional SEO expert to investigate all the factors that influence organic rankings. Publishing content without solid research and web optimization will translate into content that doesn’t bring your business value. However, incorporating content on your site that is SEO-focused, comprehensive, and better than your competitors will drastically increase your chances to rank for valuable search terms and as a consequence, the number of users to your site.
Best of all, crafting content around your audience’s needs and connecting your services to their pain points will bring qualified leads to your website without a continuous investment. Instead of investing your resources to cold call clients and pay for PPC ads that do not have high click-through rates, your SEO-focused content will continuously work for you every time a user enters the search terms that you rank for online.
Types of SEO
There are three main types of SEO:
On-Page SEO: Content on your website that incorporates keyword research and optimization.
Technical SEO: non-content elements of a website that influence search rankings, such as site speed, mobile-friendliness, site architecture, structured data, and indexing.
Off-Site SEO: Techniques that help strengthen your site’s authority and influence through other websites. Primarily, off-site SEO involves building high-quality backlinks to your site.
What Are SEO Backlinks
Backlinks or incoming links are a crucial influence on search rankings. Backlinks are links to your website from other sites on the web. The impact of a backlink largely depends on the domain authority or the relevance of a website for a specific subject area or industry.
For instance, a brand new website or a local brand will have a minimal domain authority versus the New York Times website. A backlink from the New York Times would be much more influential to the search rankings for the content on your site because the publication is reputable and authoritative.
According to AhRefs, backlinks are a highly influential factor in the ranking of online content. In fact, many businesses will simply buy backlinks to help increase their ranking. However, each link could cost thousands of dollars.
The best strategy to build backlinks is to publish informative content that other online content contributors want to reference for their content. By developing content that has considerable value, your site page will earn organic backlinks that will help increase your rankings and traffic.
However, if you draft uninformative and scarce content that doesn’t bring value, no one will want to use your content as a resource for their own. An effective strategy to try and build backlinks is to publish new data and research to encourage other content creators to reference your information.
Video SEO for Youtube and Ads
Video is the most overlooked content investment for a business, but it is one of the most impactful and beneficial types of marketing. 72% of businesses site video marketing as an effective way to improve their conversion rate and 52% of consumers are more confident making an online purchase after watching a product video.
Think of a stellar infomercial. Great infomercials show the benefits of their product through video rather than merely stating them. This “show-don’t-tell” approach to marketing is essential to Apple’s branding strategy. It’s highly effective because it is much easier for a consumer to understand the value of a product if they see it rather than read about it.
Publishing frequent video content on your YouTube channel will help increase brand awareness for your products and demonstrate tremendous value to your audience. If you sell chocolates, it’s an excellent strategy to give your customers a sample to drive a conversion to purchase a whole box. Similar to video marketing, brands can provide free value to their audience and begin to build rapport with their viewers. Review the Video Page in the course for essential checklists to use to help you develop effective content for your business.
Why SEO is Important for Business and How It Helps
There are 63,000 searches every second of the day on Google, and high-quality content is the most important signal for Google to rank your website. If you want a share of that traffic in your industry, the only option that makes sense is to invest in SEO content marketing services.
61% of marketers cite improving SEO and organic presence as their main inbound marketing priority. It’s simple; if you want to get traffic to your website, you are going to have to give Google a reason to rank your site. The Google AI ranks content based on the relevancy of the material to satisfy a user’s query. Utilizing effective keyword research to outline your content is the optimum way to give your site a chance to rank.
Best of all, optimized content works for your business day and night and requires no additional investment. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars for every click to your website through PPC services, rank your content organically, and enjoy steady traffic to your site every day.
Use your content as a platform to align your services as a solution to your audience’s problems. Demonstrate value. Give your web visitors a reason to work with you instead of antiquated sales pitches. Until you give your audience value for free and build rapport, you will never convert new customers. Worst of all, your competitors who wisely invest in content marketing will take all your potential traffic as you wait for the phone to ring.
SEO takes time, and developing exceptional content takes hours of hard, calculated work. Begin developing content for your website and maintain a consistent publishing schedule. Soon enough, you’ll start ranking for the keywords that bring qualified traffic to your website on a consistent basis FOR FREE.