Organic SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) “is what increases your chances of being found when customers search for a product or service like yours, using Google, Bing, or other search engines. If a customer is using a search engine to find what they need and you don’t show up, you don’t exist. There are many ways to get the word out about your business: phonebook, ads, flyers, radio commercials, paid online ads, and more. But all of these cost money.

Your ticket to the first page on Google

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) "is what increases your chances of being found when customers search for a product or service like yours, using Google, Bing, or other search engines. If a customer is using a search engine to find what they need and you don't show up, you don't exist. There are many ways to get the word out about your business: phonebook, ads, flyers, radio commercials, paid online ads, and more. But all of these cost money. On the other hand, if customers find your business while using a search engine, it's like free website traffic.” Meaning, Google will automatically rank the site higher if it is responsive or mobile.

SOME AT-HOME TIPS TO INCREASE BRAND AWARENESS AND GOOGLE RANKINGS

Research Keywords and Search Terms

Identify two or three relevant, high-traffic, but mid- to low-competitive keywords in your market. Regardless of the algorithm updates, one thing that will remain important is keyword research. That’s of paramount importance when you begin to publish blog-posts, write/tweak website copy, post descriptions in directories, and use anchor text in backlinks. Unlike in the past, though, keyword research should focus on obtaining a few strong keywords with decent competition. These will become, especially, useful in connection with the next tip.

Write a Content Rich Blog

Write highly valuable and unique content and post it on your blog. Constantly updated content is the key to establishing value and making Google notice your website/blog. In an increasingly competitive world, producing content that is unique and valuable (actionable) is mandatory. This helps you build keyword-rich and relevant content, which can be used to generate traffic and drive business.

Build Relationships & Publish Guest Blogs

Connect with other businesses, websites, and blogs by emailing the authors, personally. Somewhere along the line, you’ll figure out that interaction is a key factor in establishing brand reputation and authority. Guest posts are particularly useful for establishing credibility and authority and generating powerful inbound links from established websites and blogs. To reach that level, first, you’ll need to build relationships with fellow bloggers in your field, get to know their work, and pitch them for guest posting opportunities. Along the way, you might even pick up a few ideas straight from the other horses’ mouths.

Follow People/Businesses in Your Industry

Follow relevant people/businesses on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Nothing gets instant visibility like following the right people on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites. After you create a social profile (on Twitter, Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.), you should start following relevant businesses and people. There are usually hundreds, if not thousands, and you can start by following 10 people every day. Pretty soon, you’ll get followed back by folks. You can use tools, like FollowerWonk or WeFollow.com, to find relevant users and businesses in your niche. The benefit is you’ll align your business and your brand with industry movers and shakers. Engaging and interacting with these folks will result in exposure to other industry-related folks, driving inbound links, referral traffic, and credibility.

Find Content to Share

Browse through industry-relevant information from across the web and collect the best content. You can share items you’ve turned up at random intervals on social channels, like your Facebook fan page, Twitter, Google+ profile, LinkedIn Groups, etc. If you’re just starting, you might not have enough content from your own website/blog to share. If you’re running a website (especially one that’s not constantly being updated), you’ll need to find content to share on your social profiles. That’s why it’s important to collect interesting links to useful, industry-relevant information on a regular basis. By sharing these links, you create value and substance — two important factors that drive brand reputation and trust. This process has another advantage: searching for industry-relevant information gives you enough scope and content to write your own blog and content for marketing purposes.

Interact

Comment on blogs, participate in discussions (on forums/discussion boards), and interact with readers and other bloggers through various media. As the world of SEO changes from merely compiling links to content marketing and building a readership/reputation, interaction becomes a pivotal activity that can help you grow into a highly reputable brand. This can have a positive effect, not only on your website’s authority, but also traffic and visibility in search results. In addition, your website gets publicity when you are a frequent commenter and a participant in meaningful discussions across the web. People begin to notice and remember your website/brand.

Write for Social Hubs

Write instantly useful articles, tips, and helpful troubleshooting ideas, etc. that can be posted on social hubs. Social content hubs, like Hubpages and Squidoo, are great places for marketing your content, thus, generating high-quality inbound links and traffic. Many small businesses rewrite or create highly useful content to publish, specifically, across a variety of social hubs, like Squidoo. These pages are known to rank higher in Google for the targeted keywords than, say, a new blog.

Go Social

Spend the time necessary to share links to your blog and blogposts on various social channels. With a plethora of social channels on which to share links, business owners, generally, do a haphazard job of sharing their content. You should devote time to selecting valuable content from your blog and sharing it across a variety of social profiles and microblogging services. Social media management tools, like HootSuite and Sendible, make it easy to handle and monitor social sharing. This helps build social value, which can foster a constant stream of traffic and inbound links.

Write and Publish Press Releases

Once regarded as gold mines for inbound links, the value of those links, from an SEO perspective, is heavily debated today. But, whether links from press releases have SEO value, they have many other benefits, including: • Brand awareness • Referral traffic • Citation-building for local SEO • Social proof Press releases should be used with discretion and with conservative limits though. One PR a month is a decent number.

Rinse & Repeat

The whole process described above requires some time, but much of it can be delegated to staff or family members. Another option would be to consider hiring an intern. The final step, “Rinse and Repeat,” is where most people fail. SEO is not a one-time move that endlessly pays dividends; it’s a consistent effort, repeated often, so the effects of high-ranking and traffic can be sustained. Remember, rankings are not in a vacuum. If your competitors continue working on it, but you stop, your rankings can only fall, as your competitors climb above you. Ultimately, it’s about building and spreading value. If you can nail that, you will land all the traffic you need.