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Are You an SEO Minimalist? Make Sure You’re at Least Doing These 5 Things…

Your marketing content may be fabulous, but it’s not worth much if no one sees it. That’s why SEO — search engine optimization — is a critical tool in every marketing campaign, helping your content go from virtually invisible to earning a coveted spot in search engine rankings.

Recent stats show that 61% of marketers say SEO is a top marketing priority. Small companies are investing anywhere from $750-$2,000/month on continuing SEO efforts, while shelling out $5,000 to $30,000 for one-time projects.

To create content with as broad a reach — and as high a conversion rate — as possible, it goes without saying that SEO must be part of your content development and marketing process.

Ready to up your game?
No time? No budget? No problem. There are some simple steps businesses of all sizes can take to boost your content visibility:

  1. Choose and use the right keywords. A solid SEO strategy starts with keywords. Writing keyword-rich content can improve your SEO rankings considerably. Experts recommend picking one primary keyword per page, and several supporting secondary keywords. Make sure they blend naturally into the content, avoiding any forced or awkward phrases.
  2. Follow the meta rules of thumb. Your page title and meta description can either entice users to click or send them on their merry way. To make a great first impression:
    • Include target keywords
    • Keep meta titles between 30-60 characters and descriptions at 160 characters or less
    • Don’t be lazy! Ensure that titles and meta descriptions are different for every page.
  3. Be original. Show your audience your brand’s unique perspective though your website content. Not only will originality build your credibility and position you as a thought leader, but it also makes it easier for search engines to find you.
  4. Generate backlinks. A backlink is an incoming link to a webpage. Pages with many backlinks tend to rank higher, making them valuable to businesses. Content formats most likely to generate backlinks include:
    • List posts
    • Quizzes
    • “Why” posts
    • “How to” posts
    • Infographics
    • Videos

    Other backlink-generating tips to try:

    • Be a guest blogger to get your content in front of a new audience
    • Get interviewed to become an authority in your niche
    • Write a testimonial for another brand and hopefully earn a backlink in exchange
    • Do your own PR, posting announcements on high-traffic news sites
  5. Measure your efforts. Make sure your SEO efforts are worth it. Domain authority is one way to measure your success (or failure), predicting how likely a website is to rank on search engine results pages (SERPs). Check out sites like SEO Review Tools and Ahrefs that offer a free, basic domain authority checker.

Something is always better than nothing
Remember, you don’t have to be an SEO expert to make an impact. Take care of the basics and get more eyeballs on the content you’ve worked so hard to create.

Authored by: Lauren HarrisAre You an SEO Minimalist? Make Sure You’re at Least Doing These 5 Things…
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