Understanding SEO is Both Mysterious & Magical
Quick, what’s the most popular
Halloween candy? Instantaneously, Google served me the answer showing a listing from a USA Today poll results (October 2019). Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups won last year.
It’s magical how quickly we can find answers. That’s because we all have magic wands in our hands in the form of smart phones, tablets and computers. And you know what’s powering these magic wands? It is SEO.
Organic SEO (Search Engine Optimization) will work magic for your business or organization if done properly. But SEO is often shrouded in mystery. With ever-changing Google algorithm updates (up to 1000 annually) and more than 200 Google ranking factors to consider, understanding SEO and executing SEO can be spooky.
Getting it Right
At AMPERAGE Marketing & Fundraising, we breakdown SEO into four key components: on-page SEO, off-page SEO, technical SEO and ongoing SEO. Depending on marketing goals, your existing website functionality and other factors, we may need to amplify one or all of these components to help propel webpages up in rank on Google.
On-Page SEO. The most vital component, on-page SEO involves optimizing individual webpages with specific keywords or key phrases used by target audiences when searching for products or services.
Content on these specific pages must be ironclad with primary keywords in page titles, headlines, copy, meta tags, alt tags, etc. The length of copy and keyword density matters, and so does avoiding duplicate content. Lastly, strategically placed internal links are an important part of on-page SEO.
Off-Page SEO. Websites need to reference links to other external authoritative websites to boost rankings on search engines. Often called “quality backlinks,” these links act as a vote of trust by Google algorithms. An important Google ranking factor called EAT, which stands for Expertise, Authority and Trustworthiness, plays an important role too and is directly related to off-site SEO. Google ranks websites that demonstrate expertise and authority on a particular subject.
Technical SEO. The main goal of technical SEO is to make it easy for search engine spiders to access, crawl, interpret and index websites without issue. Page load speed needs to be as fast as possible. Technical SEO is the very first component addressed before further on-page and off-page optimization.
On-going SEO. SEO is not a one-and-done effort. On-going SEO includes continually monitoring website rank and pivoting with new SEO strategies if necessary. Google likes fresh content, so it’s important to continue to add new SEO-friendly content and execute other content marketing strategies like blogging to maintain a rank higher on search engines.
Understanding SEO and taking the mystery out of SEO may be difficult, but when SEO is executed properly you will rank higher in Google search results and this translates to more visitors to your website, which then translates into more conversions, sales, subscribers or overall awareness of your brand. The other bonus of SEO is users have access to your brand 24/7/365. Now that’s truly magical.
If SEO is a marketing priority for you, AMPERAGE Marketing & Fundraising can get you started with a comprehensive SEO Audit.
Christine Liedtke
With over 30 years of agency leadership experience, Chris has a unique and diversified background working with clients across multiple industries. She brings her entrepreneurial spirit and creativity to the busy Content Solutions team to help agency clients and prospects elevate their online search visibility with proper search engine optimization or Organic SEO. She is famously calm and level-headed yet overflowing with energy. Chris’ favorite word is “lovely.” She is one of six ambitious sisters and loves coffee and anything creative. In her free time, Chris enjoys long walks with family and friends, biking, boating, traveling, and spending time with her family. Chris moves the needle by delighting clients.
