THE

SEO

SOLAR SYSTEM

Search engine optimization (SEO) can seem vast and scary, just like outer space, especially when you don’t know what steps to take to improve your ranking. But developing a basic understanding of on-page, off-page, and local optimization will allow your site to take off, and put you way ahead of your competition. 

Explore the SEO Solar System

ON-PAGE SEO

On-Page SEO refers to settings you can apply on your website so that it's optimized for search engines. A website with good On-page SEO is easy for a search engine to "read" and determine what information is contained on the page.

Here are some concepts you can keep in mind that can help you no matter what your comfort level is with the nitty-gritty details.

Content

Content is still king and a web site with good, original, quality content will rank better than one without.  

Mobile First

The mobile-friendliness of your website has become a major ranking factor, with google recently announcing that they would look at the mobile version of your site to determine its rank.

Metadata

Metadata is the information that appears on search engine result pages when a website comes up for certain queries

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OFF-PAGE SEO

Off-Page SEO is the process of getting your site’s pages to show up when people search for terms related to your business. Off-page SEO strategies not only help you rank higher in search results, they also help to generate traffic to your site and make your business appear like the real deal it is.

Off-Page SEO is big enough to have its own infographic. However, here are some often overlooked components of a solid Off-Page SEO strategy that you should incorporate:

Provide the very best

No amount of SEO in the world can help a crappy product or service (at least not for long). Focus on providing a product or service that's recognized as best-in-class and people will be more like to go online and say positive things.

True social networking

Use social networks, not just for their marketing potential, but also as a place to be social and network with people interested in your vertical.  The relationships formed on these platforms have a way of paying huge dividends and can be invaluable for off-page SEO and reputation management.

Variety where it counts

Content doesn't just have to mean long blog articles and images. You should experiment with different content types. Answering questions on Quora or Reddit, posting videos to YouTube or Vimeo, even informative Tweets can all work wonders for your off-site SEO. 

Did you know?

30%

of mobile searches are related to a location1

3 in 4

smartphone owners turn to search first to address their immediate needs2

LOCAL SEO

Local SEO helps businesses promote themselves to local prospects and customers searching based on location. For small businesses, a lot of the strategies you implement in your On-page and Off-Page SEO strategies will also help you with your Local SEO.

Listings »

Reviews »

Listings

There are almost as many places to list your business online as there are stars in the sky and it’s important that you get your business listed correctly and consistently on the top online business directories, like Yelp and Google My Business. Make sure that your company’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) is consistent on as many of these directories and citation sites as possible. Discrepancies like misspellings, abbreviations, lack of suite number and wrong phone number can create havoc when Google can’t determine which information about your business is correct. If Google’s not sure, they may display incorrect information — or not show your business at all in search results.
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Reviews

Online reviews have become a significant ranking factor, helping to boost a business' rank even higher in search results than businesses that don't have as many quality reviews. Search engines love online reviews for one reason: Consumers love online reviews. 

 

Reviews count as social proof to both customers and search engines. Potential customers need reassurances that the decisions they make are correct. Search engines need reassurance that you’re your business is legit and relevant.

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What else you should know about SEO

  • It's not about choosing among On-Page, Off-page, and Local SEO. Balancing all of them will help make it so that your users can understand your website as well as the search engine robots — and that's how your rankings start to improve.
  • SEO is a process, not an event. SEO is never “done.” It's a regular activity your business needs to engage in — just like doing inventory or sweeping the floors.
  • SEO is just ONE way that customers can find you online. To get the most out of your digital marketing, you should also look into Search Engine Ads, Display Ads, and a comprehensive social marketing strategy.

Incorporating a well-built SEO strategy into your marketing mix is a big task. But, like any big project, it helps to break your it into smaller steps.

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