Taking the first step in the SEO process for websites can sometimes feel daunting.
For some, it’s due to not knowing what SEO is and, for others, how to do it.
If you’ve been straddling the fence and wanting to know more about SEO and incorporating it into your company’s digital strategy, read on.
While websites are the main focus for applying SEO, there are other channels you can use and optimise to help grow your business visibility.
Therefore, in this post, we’ll be explaining three marketing channels you can use to take the SEO first steps and help your business’s digital strategy.
But first, let’s do a quick recap of what SEO is and why it is something to talk about.
SEO has been around for over 20 years and is still a popular subject today. While it is a long-term strategy that businesses use, it doesn’t go against the strength of what it can bring.
Search Engine Optimisation or SEO is simply improving content to help its visibility when people search online for it.
Why is it essential, you may ask? Well, the better your content’s visibility online, the more people will see, and you guessed it, there will be an increased likelihood of interacting with the content in various ways.
So, now that we have understood what SEO is and why it’s needed, let’s get into where you can use it. So, what is the first step in SEO processes?
Content marketing
One of the leading marketing techniques that, if you are not doing already, you really should be, is content marketing.
This form of marketing provides you with various ways to interact with your target market in your given industry.
Content marketing includes written and visual pieces, from articles and blogs to videos and webinars.
This is why content marketing is so great. You can choose the type of content that will work for your business.
To get up and running with blogging, one main thing you should do is prepare to blog regularly and post high-quality content.
One thing we do at Xanthos is create blog calendars with several upcoming blog topics and add information (which will be highlighted next) that we can follow when it comes to writing.
When it comes to creating and writing your blog calendar, here are some things you should do:
- Research the various topics, long-tail keywords, and questions you can base your blog around. This way, you create content that people want to read or look at and not something that’ll be dismissed and deemed uninteresting.
- Especially when it comes to blogging, write as though you are conversing with someone else. Conversational copy is what will keep individuals engaged. Remove the jargon, keep it casual and lighter-toned and get to the point of what you are writing.
- Break up groups of text into one or two sentences per line, and, if anything, incorporate lists into your blog because it’ll simply make it easier on your readers’ eyes.
Local listings
One thing to remember is SEO doesn’t stop with your website, but local listings are just as essential to help your business’s online visibility.
One way to get your local SEO off the ground is to create a profile on Google My Business.
If created correctly, using this platform will help you gain your business authority online through Google.
While Google My Business is exceptionally essential for local shopfront businesses, this can also help online-only companies.
Though you may need assistance in the long term, creating your Google My Business profile is easy. Once your page is up, all you need to do to finalise it is verify it and add your relevant contact details and locations.
When this is completed, you have to encourage your customers to share reviews and update your account with posts detailing your offering and business news.
Social Media
We’re sure you’ve heard how great social media is for businesses.
While that is absolutely true, the strength behind social media also lies in the growth of businesses from the impact of social platforms and SEO. In fact, social media can even help or hurt your SEO efforts.
Social media is far more than just posting images and videos or publishing ads. There’s art in the use of these individual platforms.
While we won’t dive into each social platform, there’s one tip that you can focus on to help your SEO efforts when starting with social media.
It all begins with social media profiles. It’s essential always to align your business and its brand images and graphics, especially your logo, across platforms and even your website.
When it comes to your profile description, it doesn’t have to be precisely the same; however, we would recommend adding similar or exact keywords and phrases.
Once completed, provide a link to your website on your bio to ensure a direct link from your individual social platforms to your website.
Remember, consistency will help in the long run with your social accounts and SEO.
There are many areas in which SEO can be applied. While some may be harder than others, truth be told, if you begin small, it will help you in the long term.
Understanding that all it takes is consistency and quality in all aspects of your chosen marketing channels will help you gain the results your business needs.
Suppose you are ready to take the first step of digital marketing but are unsure how to do so; in that case, we provide several services, from content marketing to website design and development and social media marketing, to help you along the way.
Get in touch with us for more information about the first step of SEO processes.
