As we prepare SEO strategy documents for our clients, we see very special opportunities based on their particular assets, competitive landscape, and resources. We see unusual things about their websites, intriguing possibilities because of the market they serve, and technical challenges requiring creative solutions.
SEO strategy really isn’t something that a machine can do.
But there are some things that we see over and over. These are the low-hanging fruit of SEO. The things that can be changed quickly with a little help from your webmaster or web team, which will make a real difference for your website’s performance.
As we move into the fourth quarter, your website probably could use a little freshening up. Consider these steps:
- Add more content. Many of the sites we work with simply have too little content to communicate effectively with search engines. Aim for 280-480 words on every page. Got that? Add more pages.
- Fix your meta descriptions. Google doesn’t pay attention to meta keywords, but the meta description is what people see on the search engine results page. If you don’t provide a good one, Google or Bing will pick something for you. You can probably do better.
- Get some more links. Links are still important, but they have to be good links. Claim your listings in relevant directories and add a link to your website, so the search engines know you’re legit. Add your website link to all your online profiles, too. And then think who you might know who would like to give you a link: your vendors, bloggers who mention your brand, sites with lists you should be on.
- Blog. Or hire someone to blog for you. Nothing else gives you more oomph than adding high quality content to your website on a regular basis. Blogging is the easiest and most effective way to do this.
- Determine your best keywords and make sure you’re using them. If your clothing store website says “togs” and “duds” and “frocks” and “fashion thongs” rather than “clothes,” “clothing, “pants,” and “shirts,” you are probably not communicating well with the search engines. People who want to buy clothes don’t type “frock” into the search box.
Your website can almost certainly benefit from all these actions, no matter what your central SEO strategy may be.
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