Search engine optimisation is a necessity even in 2024; it’s not something that’s just nice to have. If you want your business to be a long-term success, you need to develop the right marketing strategy from the start. The entire marketing strategy covers different aspects, depending on the type of business.
But one thing applies to all businesses: you need a sophisticated SEO strategy that works. It has to cover several aspects, including technical, on-page, off-page, and creative aspects. All of these efforts have to be monitored and analysed to fine-tune the strategy and upgrade it to follow current trends. Let’s see what the elements of an effective SEO strategy are and how to create one.
The base – keyword research
Every strategy has to start with the base. You need to understand the base if you want to build a solid foundation for your SEO strategy. Keywords are the base, while keyword research sets the foundation. You will need access to specialised tools like Ahrefs or Semrush. These tools will reveal a list of keywords that you’ll use to identify which ones to use. The best approach is to focus primarily on those that are not as difficult but are relevant for your business. Don’t go after the most competitive ones at first, as they are more difficult to rank for.
There’s intent behind every keyword
Whenever people search on Google, they do it with intention. This can be to learn something, find a solution or willingness to spend right now. Understanding user intent is critical for aligning your content with what users are searching for. Their intent can be to specifically search for your brand, company or your website. Thus, you need to ensure your website and your content match the search intent. It’s all about providing value to users and this should be one of your main strategy objectives.
Focus on speed as an important ranking factor
When did you last wait for a website to load over 5 seconds? You probably don’t even know the answer because, in such a scenario, you’ll close the tab and move on to another website. In a nutshell, this is exactly why you need to prioritise page load time.
You need a website that loads fast as it ensures adequate user experience and is considered a plus by Google. Since website load time is a ranking factor, your SEO strategy has to deal with this, if it’s a website issue. You can do a website audit with Google PageSpeed Insights and specify issues that need fixing. All of this effort will lower the existing bounce rate and lead to higher engagement.
Proper on-page optimisation
On-page elements are like the glue connecting all other elements in your SEO strategy. If you do everything else, but fail to optimise on-page elements, you’ll have poor results. Similarly, the same will happen if you optimise on-page elements but neglect everything else. So, if you want to rank higher, team up with SEO Sydney to implement specific steps to ensure higher organic traffic.
Focus on the right title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags to signal to search engines what your content is about. Use keywords naturally and effectively, and avoid excessive keyword use, i.e. keyword stuffing.
Implement an internal linking structure to provide additional information to search engines. This will make it easier for them to understand the structure and importance of your pages.
Local SEO strategy
With local SEO, you can build your authority in your area. This step is perfect for any business with a physical location. Especially if you provide a service, you should literally put yourself on a map. As a result, those searching for services you offer anywhere near your physical location will find your business.
Typically, these searches include near me along with specific keywords, so ensure you include them in your keyword strategy. You’ll need a Google My Business profile, so make sure you create and claim one. Also, you should optimise the description with a relevant keyword. Lastly, encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews, enhancing local search visibility.
Leverage voice search
Just like we’re increasingly using voice messages for communication, we’ll soon rely on voice search to find information. Some people already use voice assistants for everything, so why not optimise for voice search?
Mobile-friendly website
We all use our mobile devices first whenever we want to find a quick solution or an answer. We’re used to doing things as we go, and mobile devices give us this freedom. That’s exactly why you need to focus on mobile-first indexing. Simply put, Google will use your mobile version of the website for indexing and ranking. So, ensure your website is responsive and easily accessible both as a desktop and mobile version. Don’t forget to check the performance at specific time intervals to identify possible areas for improvement.
Content strategy
We know that keyword research is the foundation, and on-page optimisation is the glue that sticks everything together. Now, we need to put our focus on content strategy, as it’s the other half of your SEO strategy. The content is like an investment in your long-term success. When you create high-quality and relevant content, you’ll just update it over the years to come. Some pieces can become evergreen pieces of content. Meaning, that you’ll always have a steady stream of traffic as people will continue visiting.
That’s exactly why you need to create expert, authoritative and trustworthy articles.
Linkbuilding strategy
If you want to speed up your rankings, consider link-building. You can easily outsource this to your SEO agency that optimises your website. You can also do this yourself, if you have available resources within your marketing team. Either way, guest posting can get you high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites and boost your website traffic.
Remember to implement structured data and schema markup, as they will make your website easy to crawl. Additionally, SEO is like a well-paced marathon, that should never end. If you want to maintain your rankings and improve constantly, you’ll need to monitor data, analyse results and tweak SEO strategies.
