If search engine optimization (SEO) isn’t already part of your monthly marketing checklist, it really should be. The goal of SEO is to improve your website’s visibility on the search engine results page (SERP) through a set of website content and technical practices. And you don’t need an elaborate process, there are simple SEO practices you can integrate into your monthly marketing routine. 

SEO can make a huge impact on your brand’s successes. A measurable difference in fact, because at least 28% of people click the first result on the SERP, and the second and third results aren’t far behind, at 15% and 11% respectively.  

Looking to rank higher in search results and increase your website traffic? Here are some simple ways to get started.

#1. Embrace your Main Keyword

Your website is comprised of pages; pages that catalogue your services, pages that share your company story – pages that are about your business. And these pages should contain your main keyword.  

A main, or primary, keyword describes the objective of your website and business. It’s called a keyword, but it’s more precisely a keyword phrase – so you don’t have to home in on a singular word. 

For instance, an IT business that caters to other local businesses should center these core qualities in their main keyword.  

Example: “IT Services in San Antonio, Texas”   

Main Keyword Best Practices:  

• Employ your main keyword consistently throughout your website content to increase your ranking on the search results page.  
• Integrate your main keyword early on into your essential pages as Google prioritizes content at the top of the page.  
• Long-tail keywords tend to be more effective primary keywords 

 

#2. Conduct Keyword Research

 This is the cornerstone of any good SEO strategy.  

 Keyword research is the process of exploring and gathering more keywords (primary and secondary) to include in your website content: pages, blog posts, and other featured assets.  

There are numerous databases, software, and professionals that specialize in keyword research, but you can do it for free by deep-diving into related searches for keywords you already use, reviewing competitor’s content for their keywords, and sifting through industry reviews for insight into consumers top concerns. 

We recommend prioritizing high traffic keywords with low ranking difficulty.  

These keywords will give you the greatest benefit with the least amount of difficulty.  

Keyword Research Best Practices:  

• Use keywords that align with how your audience understands your products and services 
• Ditch the niche jargon and opt for common, prescriptive language 
• Keywords should undergird your website content
• Organize by purchasing phase to create targeted content 

 

#3. Create Long-form Content

After completing keyword research, it’s time to put those keywords to work.  

Long-form website content (1000 – 7500 words), typically in the form of blog articles, are used to demonstrate your industry expertise and improve your SEO.  

 Specifically, quality long-form content gives you the opportunity to rank for multiple keywords. This creates multiple points of entry for users curious about topics related to your business while providing them valuable insights.  

 Long-form Content Best Practices: 

• Diversify your content: one-pagers, case studies, data sheets, eBooks 
• Don’t keyword stuff! Embed 1-2 keywords for every 100 words for ideal keyword density.  
• Include keywords in meta description, URL (slug), and headers.  
• Organize with headers (H1, H2, H3)  
• Format it for featured snippets: bulleted lists, tables, proper headings, images 

 Creating long-form content can be time consuming – especially if you’re starting from scratch. We offer one free piece of custom content to our partners every month 

#4. Use Search-Friendly Titles 

If writing content that draws users to your site is the first step of your long-form content strategy, giving that content a searchable title is the second.  

Titles should be unique and descriptive, but they should also be formatted in a way that matches how people search. For example, users often ask questions directly to the search engine. 

Example: “How to protect my devices from hackers?” 

Title Best Practices: 

• Use between 30 – 60 characters 
• Include keyword phrase in the title  
• Do not duplicate titles  
• Format as a question or answer 

 #5. Google Search Console 

Are you familiar with Google tools for managing and promoting your website, like Google Ads or Google Analytics? Those are pivotal for advertising and measuring ROI. But for SEO, Google Search Console is king.

The platform was built to help domain owners improve their website’s searchability on their search engine by providing traffic data, indexing capabilities, bug alerts, and much more. What’s more, Google Search Console catalogues queries that lead people to your site, making effective keyword research a breeze.

A huge factor in Google’s and Bing’s ranking algorithm is page load speed, and this is true of both desktop and mobile browsing. The PageSpeed Insights tool will analyze your pages’ performance, enumerate key issues, and direct you to resources so you can improve your pages’ load time. 

Google Search Console is not only a time-save, but it is also unrivaled. There is no other free tool with the same SEO capabilities; and if you act on any of these tips it should be this one. You can get your domain set-up here. 

Extu Can Get Your Brand Seen

The Extu marketing program makes getting your brand seen by consumers easy. Our automated marketing platform helps you share expert crafted content to all your prospects with the click of a button; you will keep the fire burning with customers, future and old, with monthly email and LinkedIn content. The best part? Sponsored partners experience to program entirely for free. If you’re curious to learn more, click here.