With each update Google more complex, with each new social media platform the Internet becomes a little more opaque. But in customer acquisition is hardly anything as relevant as search engine optimization. Of course, you can also buy your "place in the sun" with SEA; but sooner or later your business will need organic search results.
And that only works via a SEO strategythat serves all channels and makes full use of all possibilities.
In seven steps we will show you how to set up an SEO strategy for your company in order to attract more customers to your business.
7 steps to the SEO strategy for your company - from the measured value to the goal
Whether your business is just starting out, your existing search engine optimization just isn't performing as well as you'd like, or you want to break new ground: Our guide gives you important clues for better SEO. In doing so, we not only want your company to achieve higher short-term Google rankings receives (for this there are Search engine marketing), but want you to achieve better results on your own.
1. set smart goals
First, your company needs an SEO goal. Where do you want to go? Where do you stand now? What terms do you want to optimize for? In which regions do you want to become the industry leader? For a true SEO strategy, it has proven useful to set the goals according to the SMART approach to set. That means your goals are:
- SPecific = Clearly defined
- Medible (use Google's metrics and external tools)
- Anmeasured (both your company and users must be reached by the strategy)
- Realistic (what can you actually achieve with your current status on Google and your budget, and at what point can you accelerate your development).
- Termined (success must always be measured in a period X. So set this period and adjust your SEO strategy accordingly).
2. the analytical framework
SEO strategy is not just about potential customers finding you well on Google: With your plans, you want people to find you better than your competitors. This means that you need to know your industry and the behavior of your competitors very well.
A functioning SEO strategy is therefore based on a solid analytical foundation.
Research and review the industry, target audience, competition and your current situation to get a clear as-is picture and create a to-be picture.
3. communicate your USP
Precisely because you are operating in a market in which there is a competitive situation and in which you have to deal with Google with large online stores and globally operating brands, your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is all the more important. The USP outlines for customers what your company - and only your company - can deliver or achieve.
This must be clear at first glance - preferably already in the meta description that is displayed on Google.
4. stay active - on all platforms
The Internet has shown that there is a tendency towards global monopolies in many industries. For your SEO strategy, you can actually use this to your advantage. Because Facebook, YouTube or Instagram have Regularly high rankings in the Google search results.
More activity on these platforms also has Google expressiveness and shows that you are a vibrant company.
In addition, more and more people, especially young people, are looking directly at Social media search
5. define topics and exploit SEO
Of course, in search engine optimization there are still quite classic pillars such as Keywords. In order to really find the right keywords, you should start with topic analyses and form clusters from these topics.
The earlier you identify these topics, the easier it will be for you to move from topics to keywords (especially long-tail keywords here).
In doing so, your company follows (strategically) a theme and more specifically (tactically) the specifications of the theme.
An online store therefore optimizes roughly for terms related to online shopping and more specifically for specialization (e.g. regional products, handmade, imported goods, etc.).
6. user experience is part of an SEO strategy
You can invest almost as much time (and budget) as you like in making sure that users find your site. But that alone doesn't necessarily ensure that you'll see lasting benefits in search engine rankings.
Optimization, placement on blogs and social media all create better rankings to begin with, but other factors also play a role. These include SSL certificates and an internally cleanly linked page as well as a good user experience on your side.
Google also measures the dwell time. So if users leave immediately, your ranking will suffer as well.
7. auditing of existing content
If you are running a start-up and starting from scratch, you have a clear playing field. And accordingly still time until the first page audit. For everyone else, a thorough and regular inventory analysis of your site and your Contents necessarily part of a good SEO strategy.
A good ranking needs not only new content, but also superfluous content can also be removed with pleasure. A clear analysis will show you which blog posts and sub-pages are evergreens and which ballast can be discarded.
Easily divide your content into three categories:
- Keep
- Refresh
- Remove
Even well-functioning pages often receive an additional boost in Google through an update and remain relevant for users for longer.
A better strategy for measurable success
SEO, thanks to Google, always remains somewhat indeterminate and requires good planning and better analysis from your side. After all, Google does not want the workings of the algorithms to be known too precisely. This protects Google not only from competitors, but also from abuse.
For your business, this means that you not only need to invest in analytics, but also need flexibility to adapt your strategies accordingly.
But of course, simply creating an SEO strategy is not enough - your online marketing needs constant care and regular updates. Check out our free whitepaper for more tips on online marketing, SEO, social media, newsletters and everything that helps your business grow digitally.
