Believe it or not, we’re nearly halfway through 2020, and it’s been a bumpy ride, to say the least. In light of the recent crises, SEO has become more important than ever, as social distancing has made SERP rankings more important than a physical location for many businesses.
It’s important to remember that SEO isn’t a static project that you complete and tick off your list – it’s an ongoing endeavor that’s essential to staying competitive in today’s marketplace. That’s why we’ve gathered a robust list of tactics – from the tried and the true to the cutting edge – to help you dominate the SERPs and grow your business.
Get Down to Basics
When it comes to your SEO, it’s not about covering the basics and moving on. The basics are your bread and butter and should retain an important place in your ongoing efforts. The fundamentals include niceties like title tags, meta descriptions, alt, and the rest – you know the drill. Although Google continues to advance its ability to read images, alt text, nevertheless, adds depth, nuance, dimension, and – most importantly – increased accessibility. These are all good things.
In the Schema Things
The importance of schema markup, including FAQ schema, breadcrumbs, and business info, isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. And what they’re doing with voice results is something you’re going to want to keep your eye on.
Refine with your Business in Mind
There’s a lot of SEO information out there. In fact, a lot of it is good information, but this doesn’t mean that you need to be hyper-attuned to all of it. Keep your eye on the prize by focusing your attention on the research and innovations that pertain to your business, while you remain up to date in relation to the big picture.
Location, Location, Location
Your local search results and rank matter now more than ever – and they’ve mattered for quite a while now. In addition, E-A-T (expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) is, always has been, and presumably always will be critical to that rank, so don’t lose sight.
Really Great Content
BERT is cool and all, but you can’t really optimize for it in a technical sense. What you can do – and is the point of BERT in the first place – is to give the people what they want. Well-written, insightful, and informative content doesn’t need to be optimized because it naturally leads the pack.
Was That Your Intention
Your potential customers type in keywords in their quest to find what they’re looking for, and those keywords are an expression of their intent. In other words, keywords have subtext, and Google is your best resource for gleaning that subtext. When Google pairs a keyword with a particular intention, you’ll do well to pay attention. Do some research of your own by allowing your keywords to take you on a Google journey and apply what you learn to your own online offerings.
Did You Find What You’re Looking For?
When you better understand what your target audience is looking for, you’re better able to provide it. From keywords, we move to broader topics that apply to your unique space, and finding ways to organize your online wares to better address topical trends is key. This is part of breathing life into your SEO – rather than tinkering with the parts.
Who Doesn’t Love a Snippet?
Snippets have earned their permanent place in SEO for a very good reason – they provide a succinct summary in what might otherwise be a sea of information. Focus on your snippet opportunities – where your keywords are already ranking on Page One and offer a featured snippet box – and really go to town with them. Elegant, informative writing never gets old. Think of your snippets as the poetry of your SEO.
Picture This
Visuals are huge, and they’re going to stay that way. Pictures and videos can add depth, context, nuance, and a recognition factor to whatever you slap them on. And when you do so with purpose, panache, and intent, the effect is even more powerful.
Recently Engaged
Your online presence isn’t simply a thing – you’re creating a world out there, and the name of the game is engagement. When you generate reviews and other forms of customer feedback, you’re fostering engagement, which begets further, deeper engagements. When you get to the point that your potential and actual customers consistently engage within your online space, you’ll know you’re hitting your marks. And bonus, the customer insight generated is invaluable.
Don’t Bogart that Content
You’ve written some beautiful content that garnered attention, and that’s great, but it shouldn’t end there. Reimagine this content in different mediums – think videos, audio offerings, and slideshows – and across platforms to help extend your reach to the stars above. Diversifying your best work just makes sense.
Housekeeping
In addition to your best content, you likely have some sleepers. No problem, get in there and get rid of what you can’t salvage and finetune the rest. Writing is a process, and polishing your work is an important part of that process. Honing your voice in the interim is key. You’re speaking to your online visitors, and in this context, you have no better branding tool than your voice – use it well.
Do We Have an Opportunity for You
There’s gold to be mined in your Google Search Console, but very few businesses are taking advantage. There’s valuable information to be found when you take the time to dig around for data related to the following:
- Your click-through rates
- Your queries
- Your position
- Your impressions
Take that data and discover the opportunities within.
Dominate Your SEO with the Help of Digital Marketing Experts
As we move forward into the new decade, keeping up with your SEO hopes, goals, and dreams is key. In the end, it comes down to fundamentals – the old and the new. Growing your online presence and business persona is a process that should never be put on the back burner – it’s never done but, instead, continues to evolve. Your business has a voice that deserves to be heard, and the digital marketing masters at The Web Guys are here to help you find that voice and sing out loud. We’re over here, so go ahead and contact us at 317-805-4933 today.
