Wanna Know How SEO Is Done?
In this post we’ll discuss how SEO is done. I’m going to offer a comprehensive guide that explains everything about the process of doing SEO to a website.
Don’t get worried, I’m going to go over EVERYTHING. I’ll give you a step by step tutorial so that you understand how SEO works and the process of optimizing a business online.
Why Do SEO?
Before we can discuss the way search engine optimization is performed, we need to understand why do SEO. Most people hire a web design agency and just expect that their website will magically be online. Unfortunately, this rarely happens.
In addition to this, most web designers don’t know a thing about SEO. They simply design a site but without the exact URL no on will ever see it!
There are many reasons to do SEO, but the most important reason businesses have SEO done is to make money. Here are some other reasons businesses commonly do SEO:
- To increase their online presence
- So customers find their business
- To get more phone calls
- As a long term strategy to build a kick-ass business
SEO is the most effective long term digital marketing strategy your business should consider!
TAKE MY WEBSITE FOR EXAMPLE. I run an SEO agency, and I don’t’ do any marketing other than search engine optimizing my website and business listings.
WHAT IS THE RESULT? You might want to know why I’ve invested so much time and energy into doing SEO to my business website and listings? The reasons is because I don’t want to cold call and do other marketing techniques. The results? Constant phone calls and leads.
With SEO, you can skip all the other uncomfortable marketing techniques.
- You don’t need to harass potential customers with endless emails and phone calls.
- You don’t need to post on social media constantly
- You don’t need to message people endlessly to try to get new business
ALL YOU REALLY NEED TO DO IS WAIT! I’m not BS’ing you!!!
Why Don’t More People Do SEO?
You may be wondering why more people don’t do SEO. Well the truth is this. SEO is hard to explain and understand. This really impacts people’s comfortability with purchasing services. Imagine how hard it is to give someone money for a service that you aren’t even sure you know what it is! Most people wouldn’t want to do that.
Additionally, it’s hard to know whether or not the person you hire is doing a good job. In the beginning it’s just a waiting game and you likely won’t see any results for 3 or 4 months.
The main reasons more people don’t do SEO:
- It’s expensive
- It takes a few months to see results
- It’s confusing
- It’s hard to gauge whether the person you hire knows what they’re doing
For these reasons, people shy away from the SEO commitment. In the SEO industry, the most competitive niches to rank are in industries that typically generate the most revenue.
What I mean by that is only businesses with enough capital often take the risk and do SEO because they can afford to lose the money if it doesn’t go well. So, business that make a lot of money tend to be more competitive for that reason. But this is a bit of a generalization so it might not pertain to your business, of course!
BUT GUESS WHAT?
There is a way you can know whether or not your SEO agency knows what they are doing. Transparent pricing is a rarity in the SEO world, however companies such as Bizmap LLC offer packages with transparent pricing.
Bizmap’s system of monthly video reporting and audits explain to you (the business owner) what’s being done to your website. Additionally, Bizmap goes over the results and explains the different SEO metrics so you aren’t in the dark.
Request a free website analysis from Bizmap!
In your free website analysis, we will go over your entire website in a comprehensive video. Additionally, we’ll explain the following things:
- Monthly traffic
- Keyword analysis
- How people find your website
- Traffic value
- Competitor analysis
Let’s Get Back To Search Engine Optimization Methods
SEO is done in a multitude of ways. Explaining to the average person how SEO is done can be a little bit complicated. But I would recommend you begin with this page on what is SEO. Additionally, you can read how SEO works as well.
SEO is done in different steps and phases. And the truth is this. Every SEO agency does it differently. But I’m gonna tell you how my company does SEO.
SEO: Where To Start
Website Analysis and On-Page SEO
I always start the process of search engine optimization with a website analysis. This only pertains to customers who have an existing website, of course.
You’ll want to look at the overall structure of your website. You can use this guide from Backlinko to get an idea of what your on-page site structure should contain.
Things to check for are the following:
- Title tags
- Optimized meta description
- Optimized URL’s
- SEO content with proper keyword density
- H1-H3 headings
- Image alt tags
Any SEO expert can look at a page and identify these things very easily. Additionally, we can identify the keywords that are being targeted and whether they are attainable and make sense.
Some free tools that help with on-page development of a website:
Keyword Analysis
Once you have done a full audit of the website and assessed the current state of SEO, you will want to understand which keywords you should be trying to rank for. If you don’t currently have a website, this should be done first.
Customers usually will make a list for me and I will analyze the keywords they are interested in ranking for. I will also do some brainstorming to figure out what keywords can provide some easy wins for the company interested in search engine optimization.
You will probably want to include:
- Long tail keywords
- Location specific keywords
- Informational keyword phrases
- Service related keyword phrases
In order to fully grasp this crucial part of how SEO is done, you need more than just a basic understanding of SEO. Keyword analysis can either make or break your business. Targeting the wrong keywords can just be a huge waste of time and money.
Asking your business SEO expert the right questions is crucial to knowing whether or not they should be working on your website.
Local Optimizations
Local optimizations should be done early on as well. Optimizing a website locally is a way to show google where your business is located. Additionally, it helps your business rank in the cherished “Maps 3 Pack”.
Some local optimization techniques include:
- Creating location pages on your website
- Creating and optimizing a Google My Business listing
- Directory listings and citations
- Reviews
When you pay attention to these things, your website should begin to rank locally.
Content Creation
Content creation is a foundational component of SEO. You will continuously be dealing with creating many different forms of content. Some of the content you will need to consider is listed below:
- Web service pages
- Blog content
- Guest posts
- Social media content
- Press releases (which are kind of dead- SORRY!)
Creating long-form content and just blogging in general is a great way to begin to strengthen your website and begin to see traffic. My rule of thumb for blog content is to always have the word count be over 500.
To be honest, I usually don’t post content that is below 700 words. The more unique and in-depth your content is, the better. Your content essentially provides users with a user experience that is either good or bad.
Creating content that uses images, infographics and videos is important for creating web content that ends up ranking. And that’s what we all want, isn’t it?
Social Media Signals
Social media signals are an important part of how SEO is done. An effective thing to do is to connect social media accounts through an IFTTT network. You can do this yourself or have someone do it for you on sites like Fiverr.
But the goal is that you post a blog post and it automatically posts to your other connected social media account. This is a great way to get a boost to your ranking.
Even if you don’t automate social media, you should have a social media presence for your business. Your social media accounts signal to google that you are a legit business and are active online.
Link Building
Link building is the final thing we will discuss in relation to how SEO is done. Link building can be done in many different ways. I suggest watching some great YouTube tutorials to explain everything to you.
The most effective and safest means of building links to your website is by guest posting and guest blogging. The goals with guest blogging is to contribute content to a powerful site and putting a few links in the content asset you offer.
There are several steps to guest posting. Below I will name a few.
- Search for guest post opportunities that are relevant to your niche
- Create a spreadsheet with all opportunities
- Analyze the quality of the site you will be guest posting on
- Pitch your idea
- Create a content asset that gets your link on their site
You will want to be aware that many people ask for money in exchange for a guest post and link back to your site. This is done frequently and you will want to have an idea of what you are willing to pay for the link.
By analyzing the link in advance, you can determine the highest price you are willing to pay. And don’t be shy. Most websites are willing to negotiate on price for guest posts. Remember: you are contributing valuable content that is well researched and that their viewers will love.
Conclusion
Search engine optimization is a tedious process that requires an expert. Whether you are doing real estate SEO, movers SEO, or working in any other niche, the process is relatively the same.
However, each niche has specific challenges and requirements. You will want to be aware of that prior to starting an SEO project.
Additionally, the level of competition will produce different strategies. Enterprise SEO would obviously be slightly different and more intense than agency SEO, for example. But by understanding how to do SEO you should be able to rank your site successfully! With a little time, patience, expertise and work you will reap the benefits of SEO.
We hope this blog post has been informative and I truly hope you understand how SEO is done!
