What is SEO?

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is creating content online that gets found for it's intended search term or "keyword(s)". SEO used to only apply for Google but nowadays almost every online channel utilizes a checklist of best-practices that should be used when publishing content to those channels. Implement them correctly and you can find yourself atop of most of the major platforms whether that is Google search, YouTube, IG or any other channel. Properly formatting and delivering content is essential now and will be even more so moving forward.

Search Engine Optimization is essentially how well put together you can build content for organic distribution. It consists of both on-page and off-page SEO. Many factors of good SEO are on-page and that we have control of. When we enter the competitive key term arena, off-page SEO comes into play and it is important to have a clear strategy for backlink building and an audit process to remove backlinks that could be hurting your domain.

For most small businesses dialing in your on-page content can improve a lot about a websites performance, from both an end-user and search traffic standpoint. Creating and holding to a content strategy and providing education about SEO for your marketing team will help immensely with implementation of SEO's best practices and getting your brand better positioned online.

Today's best SEO practices revolves around the E-A-T framework which stands for Expertise, Authority and Trustworthiness. It's this type of content that really does help accelerate growth and provide the reach and traffic most businesses look for online. At E-A-T's core is the principle of developing content which places a business or organization as the most accurate, trusted and expert viewpoint for any given topic. Excel here and you are already ahead of most of your competitors.

Small Business SEO Guide for Growth

Creating better content can begin with a little research and an audit of any existing domains. We want to get a good idea of what the leaders within the niche/market have been doing and how we can use not only their strategy but build upon it so that we can deliver the same if not better information and experience for our users. It's a repeating drum from the mouth of Google "Build better experiences" the companies that are able to provide fast, clear and concise information that is properly formatted and marked-up will win the organic traffic battle.

Each industry is different and with the addition of even more channels online the type of content we create can have a wide range of style and distribution methods. There are many new formats of media that we can use online, Podcasts are one of them and a relatively newer form of media businesses have taken to. An easy way to get topics front and center in an easy to digest format. Most audio podcasts can be listened to on the way to or from the workplace, with a decent drive time people can really get into a habit of following podcasts that most interest them. As a business being able to identify and produce content around the topics that are important for your customers is a nice way to create and distribute content on the web.

SEO is Unique for Most Businesses

SEO can become a rabbit hole quite quickly and it is an art to become effective at it. In this SEO guide we'll break down the basics, how SEO is implemented will also play a major impact into the effectiveness of the strategy and plan. Each business is just different, operates differently, has different budgets, leadership etc. Implementing 1 way to do SEO is a tough practice to dial in because each businesses approach should and will be a little different depending on available resources.

SEO Guide - Long Term Results

Winning the long-term strategy with SEO

Winning long-term with SEO boils down to best practices. Crafting great content, structured around precision topics, marking it up correctly and distributing it as effectively as possible.

SEO for Small Businesses

If you're new to the web and have a business dependent on good implementation and execution of SEO strategies, it would be best to partner with a professional in the industry. It would save a lot of time and money in positioning your brand where it needs to be. Be sure to properly vet potential candidates or agencies as the relationship factor will definitely come into play. SEO is a long-term approach and any shortcut we would most likely advise against. We have seen too many websites knocked out when unpredictable algorithm core updates come around.

Does my SEO strategy have to be perfect?

Whether or not your SEO scores are perfect for most businesses it's not super critical. The more competitive the space, the more on-top of your content strategy game you will need to become. For most businesses perfect SEO will never be reached and still they can play in the organic arena quite competitively.

Understanding the full scope of SEO and utilizing what you can where you can will ultimately win the day.

Backlink Portfolio and Quality

The Importance of Link Building and Link Portfolio

Links or hyperlinks that point to your content are important. Whether they are internal links that help users navigate your content or external links that make up your portfolio they allow not only the user to navigate easily, they allow crawlers to crawl your site. When they do this they get a better understanding of your content and how it connects together. Outside links or links that point back to your webpages are called backlinks (they link back to your website). These links are where a big chunk of website authority gets defined, it used to be the case that the more links you had the better your position would be.

Today however the backlink remains important but where that link is coming from is more critical and it helps to define the trustworthiness of a website. In your strategy should be a link building plan, or how you approach acquiring these links. Creating unique and interesting content is the number one way to acquire quality backlinks. Providing in-depth information about your product, service or processes is important information online users search for regularly and highlighting each area makes for great content, builds trust and shows transparency within your organization. An audit of your existing backlinks can quickly identify low quality backlinks that can hurt or damage a domains authority.

If needed these links can be removed in order to bolster and much more credible backlink profile. Ensuring your channel continues to add quality links back to your content will help to further trust and authority and should be included with all SEO strategies and planning.

Beyond the SEO Guide is Content Strategies

We hope you have found this SEO guide helpful and can apply some of the techniques right away. Content strategy should be the primary focus for any online campaign and rings especially true with SEO. Discover ways to better connect with your intended audiences across as many channels as you feel your existing resources will allow. Present them with useful information, guidance or assistance. When you're stuck, reach out for feedback and continue to build toward your goal. With a little time, good planning and consistency we're confident you'll begin to see your hard work and planning pay off.