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Bonus Content: 1 Free SEO Worksheet
We have been developing websites for over 20 years, and the number one challenge faced by anyone launching a new website is getting visitors to go to it. Everyone knows that if your website isn’t getting visitors, then you are not going to be able to generate sales. At IQnection, we call a website that get’s no traffic a “stranded asset”. And unfortunately, it’s something that will happen to everyone who launches a website without a promotion strategy.
Throughout this article, we will discuss a step-by-step action plan that will get your website visitors.
1. Content Based SEO – (Search Engine Optimization)
The search engines are without doubt, one of the best places to get new visitors to your website. The problem is that most new website’s lack credibility in the eyes of the search engines. This means that when you launch a website, the search engine provider doesn’t know if your website is good or not. Therefore, they rank you low in their listings, and let you slowly build up your credibility. As a new website owner, you must combat this slow approach to SEO aggressively.
We understand that not everyone is a programmer and most people can’t do complex SEO tactics themselves. Therefore, let’s focus on the parts that anyone can do. Your only talent needs to be your ability to write, and your ability to think.
Here Are Three Simple Step By Step Things That You Can Do Right Now.
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Start by making a list of all of the keywords that you want your website to be found for when someone searches online. Try to focus on geographically based terms, like “Town Name + Service”. If your list gets longer than 30 words, stop.
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Now that you have an ordered list of 30 keyword phrases. Next to each keyword that you just identified, write the name of a page that appears on your website that most closely matches that keyword. For instance one of our keywords is “Philly Web Design”. This matches up nicely with our page entitled “Web Design”. Keep doing this until all of your website’s pages or keywords are used up.
During this process you may decide to expand the content of your website, or adjust your navigation to match your keywords more closely. Try to limit yourself to one keyword per page.
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Now for the time consuming part. Re-write your content on each page so that is focuses specifically on that one keyword.
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Make sure to use that keyword in the bolded “H1” titles on the page.
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Try to use your keyword at least once per paragraph.
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Change the META DESCRIPTION and PAGE TITLE of your page to include your keyword, and ensure that it is unique across all your pages.
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You are done. For a non-programmer, this is as far as you should take it. If you want to go deeper, here are two great resources that you can read in order to get started with SEO:
2. Create New Pages On Your Website With A Blog.
Search engines love big websites, and they especially love websites that get updated frequently. One of the best ways to accomplish both of these activities is to grow your page count by regularly blogging.
Blogging Does Four Important Things:
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Blogging grows your website’s page count and thereby gives the search engines more great stuff to index your website for. Especially if you have used keywords in your blog content! In the eyes of a search engine, the more content, the better.
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Blogging gives customers a reason to come back to your website. Without it, chances are your website will be the same every time they come back.
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Blogging updates your website frequently. Sites with new content get ranked higher than sites with old (stale) content.
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Blogging every week isn’t easy, but the practice of creating content for your website will keep you focused on your goal. Set one morning aside per week to devote to improving your website’s content and blogging.
Don’t know what to blog about? We recommend that you answer the common questions that customers have. Ask your sales team what customers are asking in sales meetings, and then answer those questions on a blog.
3. Syndicate & Publish Your Content Online.
Another really easy strategy for getting visitors to come to your website is to give away complimentary content to other websites. Even just a few well-written articles can generate significant amounts of traffic. You want to provide information that establishes you as an expert in your field, and not sales related information.
We once wrote an article about interview questions that you should use when hiring linux system admin. Yes, I know, kind of a dry topic… we posted it on a website that we manage, linux.org, and quickly got a few hundred views. Not bad actually. However, I then went on to contact another website owner and sent him my article. He posted it on his site, and provided a me a link back to my site. In under a month, he sent me over 8,000 readers! Well worth the effort.
One really important tip, is that whenever you send content out to another organization, at the end of each article write a short biography paragraph about you and your business. Don’t make it a sales pitch. Just write about who you are and why you are an expert in the field. Also, make sure to include a link to your website.
Here Are Some Syndication Opportunities.
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Think about the groups or associations are you a part of. Chambers of Commerce, Industry Associations, Church Groups, etc… Call them and ask if you can send them content.
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Branch out to associations that your clients are in. If you market your services to manufacturers, then consider contacting a manufacturing organization.
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Look online for opportunities as well. Find LinkedIn groups, or other Social Media groups that you can be part of and give them your great content.
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Find someone else’s blog, and offer to guest-blog for them. This one works really well if you can find a complimentary business that doesn’t compete with yours!
The Most Important Thing…
Over the years, we’ve noticed one common quality that links all of our successful clients together. The clients who have the most success are the ones who continually work on improving their web presence. Those who follow a “build it and they will come” approach, fail. While those who diligently put the time into building their website’s content, improving SEO, and engaging in social media and content syndication will have success. This is not a once-and-done task. This will be a to-do list on your agenda that will last forever.
