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I recently posted about a few quick search engine marketing solutions that can help a business out if they’re just getting started, but if you already have an established site and want more organic traffic, then you’ve come to the right place.  Here I’ll outline 15 seo solutions that will allow you to start ranking higher and drive organic traffic to your site.

Do a site audit.

Your site might already be optimized.  In that case, don’t fix it if it’s not broken.  We offer a free site audit that will show you what’s working for you and what you should focus on improving.  It's the first step to seeing what you need to work on in order to start ranking for the keywords you're targeting.

CLICK HERE TO AUDIT YOUR SITE

Do keyword research.

Not only will it help you see what you can rank for, but it will also give insight into what people are searching for.  If you’re ranking for keyword phrases that don’t get a high search volume, then you might want to shift your focus.

Use keyword focused title tags.

As search engine spiders crawl your page, the title tag tells them what the page is about.  Including a keyword in these will make it easier for them to understand your page and for you to rank.

Keep your content fresh.

Implementing a strong content marketing strategy will allow search engines to see that you regularly post relevant and valuable content, thus increasing ranks.  Plus, the more content, the more opportunities to rank. 

Focus on quality backlinks.

While backlinking is an important part of an seo strategy, it shouldn’t be your only focus.  Make sure the links you get are from a source that makes sense so it can drive quality traffic to your site.  Anyone can go out and buy links, but if reputable and relevant sources point to your site, search engines will recognize this and it will help your site. 

Maintain your link profile.

Your link profile tells search engines a lot about you, so making sure these links are from reputable sources is a must.  Also, make sure you notify pages that link to your site when you set up 301 redirects to minimize a build-up of broken links.  

Long-tail keywords are your friend. 

Studies show that over 50% of search queries are 4 words or longer.  When you focus on long-tail keywords you have a higher chance of matching the searcher’s intent, and a higher chance of ranking higher.  

Focus on search intent.

Why are users searching for what you’re trying to rank for?  Are they asking a question?  Explicitly answer their questions to match their intent and earn a higher relevancy score.  Search engines have become increasingly smart over the last couple years and show results based on past search history.  If your content answer's a searcher's questions, the more likely you'll be able to help them.

Design around user experience.

If your site isn’t inviting and easy to navigate, your bounce rate will most likely be high.  This weighs into how useful search engines think your page is and will rank you lower if you consistently have a high bounce rate.

Use more text than images.

Spiders can’t read images, so make sure you’re using alt-text correctly for search engines to understand it.  If you have a page that is predominantly image based, think about adding some keyword rich text to help rank.

Pay attention to your keyword context.

The words around your keyword phrases also matter when trying to rank.  This means you can’t just throw keywords into a random paragraph on a random blog post to try and rank.  Make sure the surrounding words support the message your keyword is focused on.   

Create a site map.

This not only makes it easier for spiders to crawl your site, but it allows users to go in and see the content on your site in one centralized place. 

Add viral components to your content.

These could be in the form of social sharing buttons, email to a friend buttons, or a comments section.  Anything that allows people to spread your content to their network will provide the opportunity for more people to interact and engage.  The more people that visit your pages the more relevant search engines will view your content.  

Focus your seo on text, links, popularity, and reputation.

These are the factors that weigh in the most when spiders crawl your site and determine your ranking.

Seo is not a one-time thing. 

It takes time and a lot of trial and error but when done correctly, the results are compounding.

The digital landscape is always changing, and search engines aren’t bound by these rules.  Updates happen and we need to adapt our strategies to continue ranking for certain searches.  If you’re having a tough time optimizing your site to consistently rank for searches, you might want to outsource for your seo solutions.  This way, you can focus on running your business and achieving your goals.