Five Steps to Help You Win at SEO – Without Hiring a Specialist
Think you need a search engine optimisation (SEO) specialist to get better rankings on Google? Think again. You can take five steps that will get your business to the top of Google – even if you have no technical knowledge of how to do SEO.
There has been a curtain hiding the wizardry of SEO for far too long, and I say this as the owner of an agency who has helped businesses with SEO. Just like the curtain pulled on the Wizard of Oz, what’s going on back there is far less complicated and impressive than what you're led to believe.
In fact, if you get these five steps right and are consistent with them, you won't need to hire an SEO specialist ever again.
1. Build a Great Website
That doesn't mean that you need to spend an excessive amount for the flashiest website around or have amazing interactive graphics. A great website loads quickly. It has the right headings and titles on content. It's intuitive and easy to navigate. It maps your customer's journey and makes it clear where they should go next. It has working links and takes customers where they want to go.
But it doesn't stop there. It tells your story and your background. It demonstrates (note we said demonstrate, that implies showing, not saying) how good you are. It has excellent free content around the areas you're an expert in. And great content full stop.
This ticks the box for on-site SEO work, which tells Google you have a good website.
2. Get your Foundational Web Presence Right
While you may think establishing your web presence is organising your website and securing your social media handles, that’s only the beginning. You also need to have other ways for your customers and Google to find you.
When building your foundational web presence, you need to get a profile on major business listings like True Local and Womo. You need to set up online maps like Google My Business and Apple Maps. You also need to have good listings on relevant industry websites like your industry association.
This ticks the foundational backlinks box, which tells Google that you have a solid web presence.
3. Market your Business Well
To market your business well, you need to generate and distribute great content that your target audience/s will want to engage with. Share information on your social media channels and build relationships with your customers. If you do this, you'll develop a loyal band of followers that will do the hard work of selling your business by sharing it with others.
This ticks the box of having high-quality and relevant content, which shows Google that you have valuable information to share. It can also have the viral effect that Google loves so much.
4. Share your Thought Leadership
You're in business because you have the knowledge to solve a problem that your customer needs help with. Share that knowledge! Lead the way with information, ideas, and advice that makes life easier for your customers and promotes your industry's betterment.
This will get the attention of your customers, peers and the broader media through digital PR. This can lead to articles in trade magazines and newsletters and other relevant media publications and websites.
This ticks the high-quality inbound links box, which tells Google that you're a highly regarded expert worth showing in search results.
5. Do What you Say you’re Going to Do
Your marketing makes a promise to your customers that the rest of your business needs to fulfil. When you keep this promise, you get happy customers – a lot of them. Those satisfied customers will write great reviews and share their stories with others.
This ticks the customer review box, which proves to Google that you're someone others value and trust. Plus, you've got an unpaid sales team with a very high conversion rate – who doesn't want that?!
There you have it, five steps that will help you win at SEO and save money on a specialist in the process!