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A good search engine optimization (SEO) strategy can indeed change the online game drastically. By game, we mean online visibility and traffic drive to any webpage or website. However, what if you do not receive the expected results? In other words, your website rank is nowhere within the top three options on the search engine results page (SERP).

Perhaps, a thorough SEO audit can fix the issues and get your web page ahead of the competition. Search engine optimization audit is the fundamental requisite to inspect the various technical and on-page issues affecting your website’s SEO health!

So today, we will talk about the diverse aspects of SEO audit checklists and the ways to perform them. We assure you will no longer fret about your website’s ranking!

1. SEO Audit: Significance and Impact

What do you understand by audit? In general, it means to examine or investigate. Similarly, an SEO audit indicates the assessment of a website in the aspect of its search engine friendliness.
When a website is search engine friendly, it enables easy indexing. It means the website is content-rich, and a search engine can derive high-quality information from it. Thus, a search engine can easily organize information, allowing instantaneous query responses.

In simple terms, you call a website optimized when it is easily discoverable by a search engine.

So, a search engine optimization audit is important because:

• It helps in optimizing a website
• Aids in attaining higher SERP rankings
• Keeps a website up-to-date through advanced developments
• It allows a website to stay in sync with the ranking algorithm

Hence, it is evident that an SEO audit is a health checkup of your website’s SEO! The process utilizes various tools to monitor the essential parameters for effective SEO.

Before further delay, let us focus on the SEO checklist responsible for your website’s performance.

2. Preparing for an SEO Audit

Since an audit proposes insights about improving your SEO strategies for enhanced site performance, it is based on gathering essential data and analytics. For a proactive, comprehensive site structure evaluation, Google Search Console and Google Analytics are the primary tools used to collect a website’s analytics data. This data is the core of the audit process.

Apart from the analytics data, SEO Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are used to assess and measure an SEO campaign’s effectiveness and performance.

SEO KPIs play a significant role in:

• Evaluating SEO effectiveness by accessing quantifiable data to track visibility, organic traffic, and conversion rates.
• Comparing performance to improve and evolve.
• Making strategic decisions through data insights.

Check out the top SEO KPIs of 2023:

i. Organic traffic
ii. Organic conversion rate
iii. Bounce rate
iv. Click-through rate (CTR)
v. Keyword rankings
vi. Load time
vii. Number of backlinks
viii. Domain authority
ix. Average session duration
x. Pageviews

Therefore, the analytics and KPIs are the cornerstone of SEO audit that help in reaching out to your target audience.

3. Technical SEO Checks

An SEO audit comprises technical and non-technical factors. Technical SEO analysis is specifically based on external components that have nothing to do with your website’s content or links. It revolves around the aspects affecting the visibility and accessibility of your website to search engines.

To simplify, a technical SEO audit monitors the indexing and crawling of a website. It substantially influences the user’s experience (UX). Thus, a technical audit evaluates the factors responsible for indexing, crawling, visibility, and UX.

So, how do you review your website’s technical SEO? Let us check it out.

• Check the configuration and navigation of the website
• Ensure that the website is registered with Google Search Console and Bing webmaster tools
• Check for error pages and broken links
• Review XML Sitemaps and robots.txt file of the website
• Check whether the site has SEO-friendly URLs
• Examine duplicate content and canonicalization
• Review the HTTPS status of the website
• Ensure the Breadcrumb menu is active
• Check for mobile optimization
• Whether the website’s 404 is customized

Note: A complete technical SEO audit takes only a few hours. It must be conducted every three months for effective results and enhanced performance.

4. On-Page SEO Analysis

On-page SEO audit is the most crucial segment of the entire audit process. It determines the optimization of your website content to boost visibility and improve target audience relevance.

Thus, after fixing the technical issues in the SEO audit, you need to focus on on-page SEO optimization to enable search engines to recognize your website’s content meaning. It is necessary that individual web pages must be fully optimized for search engine crawlers to receive the right signals.

On-page SEO audit is performed in the following ways:

• Optimize the titles and meta descriptions
• Ensure that the website has proper formatting with an H1 tag and that the headings are organized as per hierarchy
• Optimize the website’s content through keyword research
• Review the internal linking structure for better search rank
• Check the file names and alt tags for images, including the content delivery network (CDN).
• Review the correct use of banner ads
•  Check for broken links and duplicate content
•  Examine the user-friendliness of the website

5. Content Quality and Relevance

In SEO, content is the king! It is the quality and relevance of content in any website that is extensively responsible for better search result ranking, higher organic traffic, and increased conversions. In other words, the better the content matches to search query, the better the ranking.

Therefore, content quality assessment is crucial to achieving the best SEO strategies. It dictates the website indexing factor. Apart from content, multimedia elements like images and videos are also part of a website. They provide additional text information, increasing content relevance.

Whenever there is a search query, search engines look for indexed websites that match the user’s requirements. The set algorithms evaluate the entire process. These algorithms generate search result rankings.

Now, what to look for in an SEO content audit?

i. Language– Assign content to a particular language or region.
ii. Text– The relevance of content to a search query.
iii. Title– It refers to the main topic of a website that acts as a relevance criterion.
iv. Multimedia– It indicates images, videos, and graphics in a website proposing extra text information while making the content more engaging.
v. Local terms- Using local terms depicting a particular region is an effective SEO strategy implementation.

6. Site Structure and Navigation Audit

A website structure, also called site architecture, affects SEO performance to a considerable extent. A well-structured website must have well-organized and well-connected pages for easy navigation and improved user experience.

How does site structure affect SEO?

• Search engines can locate and index all the pages on the website
• Generate authority through internal links
• Visitors can easily find the relevant content

Typically, the internal links in a website comprise the site structure. These links help search engines find and rank web pages. The internal link structure is known as website navigation.

Hence, during an SEO audit, ensure the site structure complies with a well-established internal linking strategy for superior UX and potential SEO.

7. Mobile Optimization and Responsiveness Audit

Do you have a mobile-friendly website? It is a very relevant question if you are wondering why your website has a poor rank! In the present-day scenario, mobile devices are an essential tool to access the internet, social media, search engines, and other digital platforms.

It is best to say that without a smartphone, our lives are aimless! Hence, mobile optimization is of utmost necessity to boost the overall user experience and improve search engine rankings.

Your website must be designed to be responsive to various screen sizes, user interfaces, and loading speeds.

What happens when you have a mobile-optimized website?

i. Increased organic traffic
ii. Higher engagement
iii. Better conversion rate
Hence, alongside enhanced UX and search ranking, with mobile optimization, you receive better business!

8. Page Load Speed and Performance Audit

For an outstanding SEO result, page load speed is utterly necessary. It refers to the loading speed of content on a web page. Having a fast load speed results in higher rankings in SERP.

When users have to wait longer for a page to load, it contributes to a negative impression of their experience. Many may even prefer to leave the page and move to another site.

The prevalent metrics to determine the page speed are:

• Time to First Byte (TTFB)- The time taken to begin page loading
• First Content-ful Paint (FCP)- The time taken to view the first page element
• Onload Time- The time taken to load a page fully

Now, let us consider the best tools used to analyze page speed during a search engine optimization audit:

i. Google PageSpeed Insights
ii. Google Lighthouse
iii. WebPage Test
iv. GTmetrix
v. Pingdom Website Speed Test
vi. Website Checker

There are solutions to improve the page load speed of a website. Check them out here:

• Compress the images without compromising their quality
• Use the right image formats like JPEG, PNG, and WebP
• Minimize JavaScript, HTML, and CSS
• Decrease HTTP requests
• Implement a CDN (Content Delivery Network)
• Allow browser caching

9. Backlink Profile and Authority

Backlink profile analysis is another significant checklist for an SEO audit. Backlinks are considered as votes of trust from other websites. The quality and quantity of backlinks determine the ranking of a web page. The more the backlinks, the higher the website rank.

Note: The quality of backlinks is more important than the quantity.
It is not necessary that too many backlinks can make a webpage rank high. Rather, a few high-quality backlinks can do wonders!
So, what determines a high-quality backlink?

i. Relevance
ii. Authority
iii. Dofollow links

As an element of off-page SEO, backlinks help increase visibility, create brand awareness, and enhance domain authority. Thus, identify the toxic links and examine your competitor’s backlink profile to improve your opportunities.

10. Social Media Integration

Social media do not directly influence the ranking of a website in SERPs. Nevertheless, social media integration for SEO indirectly affects visibility and organic search rankings through links and metrics. Likes, comments, and shares generate brand awareness, credibility, and consumer loyalty. Thus, it elevates traffic and visibility, influencing SERP rankings indirectly.

Also, social media plays a significant role in assessing a brand’s digital reputation.

Social media strategies that can improve SEO results include:

a. Unified keyword alignment
b. Social link-sharing buttons on the website
c. Include links in videos and presentations
d. Incorporate links in social profiles
e. Boost content creator’s profile
f. Build relationships
g. Use analytical tools to increase content engagement and lifespan
h. Optimize social media profiles
i. Generate links and social media scope
j. Boost positive acknowledgements

To conclude, integrating social media in SEO strategy is a fruitful tactic to lay a powerful online impact.

11. Local SEO and Geographic Targeting

Whenever performing an SEO audit, local SEO assessment is crucial for businesses targeting a particular geographic location. Optimizing your local SEO will lead to higher traffic, better leads, and more conversions. Hence, you can take complete advantage of the local market and target your competition.

Here is the checklist for local SEO audit:

• Optimize GMB (Google My Business) listing
• Optimize voice search
• Collect and respond to customer reviews
• Verify NAP (name, address, phone number) consistency in all listings
• Assess local search rankings and citations
• Create content based on local keywords

Local SEO is pretty lucrative when you follow the trends and keep updated!

12. User Experience (UX) and Engagement Metrics

SEO and user experience (UX) conclude a symbiotic relationship. Positive user experience implies visitors can easily find the information they are looking for. Thus, the better the UX, the better the SEO.
Bounce rate and page loading speed affect UX considerably. The former is a user engagement metric determining how quickly or frequently visitors bounce after viewing a single page. While the latter determines the loading speed of a page, which affects UX immensely.

So, how to determine UX and engagement metrics?

i. The average time on a page
ii. The dwell time on a page
iii. Click-through Rate (CTR)
iv. Bounce rate
v. Exit rate

All of the above user experience metrics can help you determine the SEO-ability of your website.

13. Security and HTTPS Implementation

For search engine optimization and rankings, website security and HTTPS implementation are vital as they promote a positive page experience, laying a comprehensive impact on SEO performance. Apart from establishing credibility, they help in website ranking improvement by reducing bounce rates. It also enhances visitor’s confidence resulting in higher conversions.

However, to implement HTTPS and SSL, you require an SSL certificate from a service provider. After installing the certificate on your server and updating URLs, you can use HTTPS.

Check out the ways to improve website security for better SEO performance:

• Update software
• Use secure host
• Encrypt the login pages
• Keep backup data
• Use strong passwords
• Keep the website clean

14. Monitoring and Reporting

For a comprehensive SEO audit, monitoring and reporting is essential to track the effectiveness of the applied strategies. There is always a scope to improve when you are aware of the lags and high points.
In general, SEO monitoring and reporting allow you to evaluate the SEO performance and understand the areas of improvement. Also, it helps in monitoring competitors, avoiding penalties, and, above all, improving SEO rankings.

The top SEO monitoring tools in 2023 are:

• ContentKing
• Seolyzer
• Oncrawl
• Seoability
• Seomater
• Ahrefs
• Google Data Studio and Google Analytics
• Moz Pro
• SEMrush
• Woorank

15. Staying Updated with SEO Trends

After you have collected all the data, it is time to focus on the emerging SEO trends and updates to monitor and evaluate the rising competition while improving website speed and organic search performance. From algorithm updates to innovative search intent tools, 2024 is a year to leverage SEO in the true sense!

We have introduced some of the most popular SEO trends at the present time. Let us have a look:

i. First-hand Experience (E-EAT: Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust)
ii. Audience-targeted content
iii. Emphasis on content creator’s authority
iv. Quality and not quantity content
v. A.I content
vi. CTR and SERP changes
vii. SEO automation
viii. SEO competitor analysis
ix. Product page SEO
x. Integrated image SEO
xi. Reduced crawl frequency
xii. Fast load
xiii. High performance

When you weave these SEO trends, you can always enjoy the upper hand in the race!

16. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. Why should I perform an SEO audit?
A. An SEO audit helps identify issues related to the website’s speed, performance, ranking, sitemaps, security, and others. It is a valuable way to diagnose problems so that you can fix them for the best results.

Q. What are the various types of SEO audits?
A. SEO audit involves technical SEO, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and local SEO. They provide insights into the overall performance of a website.

Q. How long does it take to perform an SEO audit?
A. Some audits may take several hours, while others may take 2 to 6 weeks. It depends on the size and complexity of the website.

Q. How often should I perform an SEO audit?
A. It is recommended to perform an SEO audit at least once every three months. It helps in improving SEO strategy effectiveness.

Conclusion

To wrap up, an SEO audit is the ultimate weapon to harness the real power of SEO best practices! Poor ranking, low visibility, less traffic, or reduced conversions, a comprehensive audit report can evaluate the problems and aid appropriate solutions. If you are worried about lower returns despite implementing a holistic SEO strategy, perhaps something is not working out right.

What best can you do to fix it? Of course, Ask us to perform an SEO audit!

Do you feel that your business does not have a proper visibility on the Google maps? Or do you feel that it can’t be found anywhere in the local 3 pack? If the answer to all these questions is yes, then a Google Maps Marketing company can help you. It will help you maximize the exposure of your company on the search engines.

These professional firms help the businesses in capitalizing on the huge marketing opportunities and techniques with the help of Google maps marketing. They employ an integrated approach towards local SEO which helps in combining GMB that is Google My Business optimization, review generation, on site optimization as well as other such strategies. From ranked Google map results to local 3 packs listings, Google Maps Marketing services offer a different approach for all businesses.

Local Search Engine Optimization Services for Google Maps

Optimization which is specifically geared up for Google maps marketing has evolved quickly into a very important ingredient for the local search engine optimization. It is very important for any business to rank at the top in the listings of Google maps in the local 3 pack as well as Google maps search results. The local maps SEO helps basically drives the highly qualified local traffic to different businesses. Resultantly, optimization of Google maps has now become a very strong investment for SEO marketing.

Marketing value in google maps

Google Maps Marketing services many a times display the listings of the local maps based on the location of the users and keywords searches. For instance, if a particular user is looking for “Sushi Japan”, Google will show geographically relevant results with local maps. Whether the user is based in japan or not, since they typed a group modifier in keywords query, Google displayed the local SERP.

How is it done?

Write exclusive Google posts : The experts would develop unique Google posts for the business to build prominence and relevance for the business. The copywriters that they have possess diverse industrial experience and thus they can easily chalk out persuasive posts.

Managerial reviews: Review count as well as ratings is factored in the results of the local search engines. They encourage the customers who are happy with the services of the business to write reviews and also respond to the present reviews as per the Google’s guidelines.

Post on the social media accounts frequently: The businesses which are quite active on the social media platforms rank much higher on the Google maps. The experts upload relevant content on the social accounts of the business for building prominence for the business.

Building high quality backlinks as well as local citations: The backlinks help the business in building prominence and the same is also true for the local citations. They develop high quality backlinks under Google maps optimization as well as local citations for the business to establishing its prominence.

In March 2014, Matt Cutts, an American software engineer and is the former head of the web spam team at Google, gave the audience at SMX West a tip that making a site secure (SSL encryption ) was going to trend in 2014. He wanted to make sure that sites that utilize SSL encryption would see a ranking boost within Google, but at the time there were some individuals at Google that did not agree with him. But, only a couple of weeks ago, Google announced that using SSL encryption will provide sites a ranking boost within Googles search engine results pages (SERPs). Google also stated that the prime reason behind this move was over security and that they have started to see more and more webmasters adopting HTTPS.

If you have been doing online searches, you’ve probably noticed both HTTP and HTTPS sites. What is the difference between the two, and is it vital in terms of online marketing? In this informative post, we are going to tell everything, so read till the end.

HTTPS Vs HTTP

• HTTP: Hypertext Transfer Protocol

HTTP is a system for transmitting and receiving information over the Internet. HTTP, an application layer protocol, that means its focus is on how information is presented to the user. But, this option doesn’t care how data gets from Point X to Point Y.

• HTTPS: Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol

The S at the end of the HTTP part of an URL means the website is secure. HTTPS was developed to let authorization and secured transactions. Also, exchanging confidential information requires to be secured so as to prevent unauthorized access, and HTTPS makes this happen. HTTPS is identical to HTTP in many ways, as it follows the same basic protocols. But, HTTPS provides an extra layer of security as it uses SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to move data. So, we can say HTTPS is just the secure version of HTTP. So, if users are guaranteed to have a secure website experience, then the answer to HTTP vs HTTPS becomes simple and they will prefer HTTPS.

Some Quick Facts about Secure Sites:

1. About 85% users would abandon a purchase if the data sent over an insecure (HHTP) connection, indicating that the site insecurity could impact sales.
2. Google Chrome labels HHTP sites as insecure and warning users that the connection is not secure.
3. HTTPS websites load faster than HTTP and websites with faster loading speeds are more likely to rank better in search engines.
4. About 40% of Google page one organic listing are HTTPS
5. Since 2014, HTTPS has been a signal in Google’s Ranking Algorithm
6. Over 50% of all desktop page loads are HTTPS connections, which is an all-time high.

SEO Advantages Of Switching To HTTPS

Switching to HTTPS will benefit you and the security of your site. Below are some key benefits:

Security

HTTPS includes security for your SEO goals and website by preventing tampering by third parties as well as making your site more secure for visitors. Apart from this, the encryption in the communication and URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) protects the transaction and browsing histories.

CTR

When compared to the blogs that do not run on SSL, you get high click through rate. We know that Click through Rate plays a big role in ranking boost.

Privacy

A lot of people believe that HTTPS provides protection only to websites using sensitive passwords. We really want to tell them that is it wrong. Even regular content sites benefit from SSL encryption. It affirms the website is the one the Web server must be conversing with.

Rankings

Back in 2014, it was confirmed by Google that the slight ranking boost of HTTPS sites. Therefore, SEOs and webmasters need to keep this point in mind.

The Process For Switching To HTTPS From HTTP?

The basic steps are:

1) Purchase an SSL certificate and a dedicated IP address from your web hosting company,

2) Install and configure the SSL certificate,

3) Configure any hard internal links within your website, from HTTP to HTTPS,

4) Update any code libraries (Like JavaScript, Ajax, etc) and any third-party plugins,

5) Redirect any external links you control to HTTP,

6) Update access applications to redirect HTTP traffic to HTTPS,

7) update your CDN’s SSL settings if you are using a content delivery network (CDN),

8) Implement 301 redirects on a page-by-page basis,

9) Update any links you use in marketing automation tools,

10) Update any landing pages and paid search links and

11) Set up an HTTPS site in Google Search Console and Google Analytics.

You shouldn’t be worried about switching HTTPS from HTTP as far as SEO is taken up. Google has been advising web administrators it is safe to do so for years now.

Implementing the search engine optimization strategies is not sufficient for getting you on first page of the search results of Google.

With and effective SEO plan there are good chances that it is not working properly just like you hoped.

There’re various reasons because of which your SEO strategies might fail in getting you the coveted first page.

Below are some of the most common mistakes which you need to avoid:

1. You are not choosing the right keywords

Stating the best keyword for your business may be a little difficult, especially when you are working in a populated category.

Some of the most common keyword related mistakes include employing the single word keywords in place of the long tail keywords hoping to be noticed employing the popular keyword and targeting the keywords which are specific or not specific.

To give you the clear picture for “Trademark” searches, you can see that Google provided different results and not pretty sure that whether a person is looking for trademark agent, trademark services OR only wants to collect some information for trademark.

So if you notice the results here, it’s clear that unless you’re having a big brand company at the international level, it is really tough to get into the first page of Google search results.

You should choose the keywords which are specific for describing your business well but sufficiently broad that they would be typed in the search bar.

2. You are not employing the digital marketing tool

The digital marketing tool helps you in seeing what’s working for you and what is not so that you know where are your strategies strong and where you need assistance. Here are list of top free digital marketing tools that would help for any webmasters to run a successful campaign:

• Google Trends
• Google Keywords Planner
• Google Analytics
• Ahrefs
• Similar Web
• Opensite Explorer by Moz
• Majestic SEO
• Google Webmaster
• SEMrush
• SEO Profiler

Everything from goal trackers to analytic trackers fall under data visualization tool categories and all are important when you wish to see all your SEO efforts to succeed.

In case you’re just measuring success of all your SEO strategies through a rise in your business, you might not realize the results that you are anticipating. Optimizing the content of the website takes some time, efforts as well as continuous improvements. Treating SEO as one time project would just do this much and it is quite less.

An introduction to networking courses would offer you a competitive advantage required to fully grasping any kind of server related problem flagged on the website of your business. You should not let your efforts fail as you are not adjusting and adapting.

3. You are not targeting the right customers

Your SEO strategies need to keep revolving around what the customers or the potential customers look for while they require your products or services. In case you do not understand your customers, your SEO strategies would definitely fail.

Targeting wrong audience would not enhance your business even when your SEO strategies put you at the top on results of the search engines. Similarly, if you aren’t appearing in results of the search engine, people searching for your organization would not be able to look for you.

Take your time for understanding the various factors in getting right customers for your site. An old customer would not search the internet the similar way that a teenager would. Your keywords should represent the correct audience that brings you good business.

Getting right SEO strategies takes the method of trial and error. With a good amount of attention and less adjusting, you would be able to find your own way towards the very first page of the results of the search engine.

It is indeed a thrilling venture when you decide to start your company! To become a successful entrepreneur is a dream of many aspirants. However, though everything sounds exciting, it is yet a challenging job. Especially today, when the competition has expanded to the digital realm!

There are definitely lots of things you must focus on- from developing your product(s) or service(s) to planning a cut-throat marketing strategy that will bring sales. When speaking of marketing strategy, it does not only imply billboards or pamphlet distribution but startup SEO, too.

For any startup to establish its footprint in the concrete world, it must find a good spot in the digital marketplace. In other words, to earn recognition and clients, you must first set an online foundation because the game begins from there!

Nonetheless, SEO is pretty demanding for new businesses since the online marketplace is already thronged with too many options. The competition is tough and not a cakewalk you can pass on like a breeze! You must develop a killer startup digital marketing strategy that will shower you with endless benefits. Don’t be amazed if we say SEO is your reliable, long-term game offering the much-deserved kick-start to your business!

It is the soul of your startup you cannot live without in the present era! So today, in this blog, we will discuss how to do SEO for a startup. If you are launching your business soon, follow this guide and thank us later. Before that, let’s understand why SEO for startups is so important.

Why Do You Need Startup SEO?

Most often, startups do not acknowledge SEO as a critical element to boost their early marketing gimmick despite 8.5 billion searches taking place per day on Google (Clicta Digital)! It only results in regression and an ultimate crash! You are not even in the competition before you realize your failure!

Thankfully, we have startup SEO to save us from the scenario! It is highly rewarding to new businesses because:

• Better Search Result Ranking- The #1 result in Google search results has an average click-through rate of 27.6%. In general, the top three results on Google search receive 54.4% of all the clicks (Backlinko). So, do you recognize the significance of bagging a high rank on Google? The higher your rank, the more likely you will get increased clicks. And there is no surprise; you can achieve it only through an impactful SEO strategy.
• Increased Organic Traffic- As you rank up the search engine, you become more visible to audiences. There is an exponential increase in click-through rate (CTR), which means more organic traffic drive. According to statistics, organic traffic accounts for 53.3% of a website’s traffic (BrightEdge). It implies that SEO for startups is a crucial tool for attracting traffic to the website.
• Enhanced Brand Awareness- Can there be any better exposure to your company than the online platform? You can reach your target audiences without conducting a canopy activity and shout over the microphone! And most importantly, you get a global exposure. It is not restricted to the local marketplace.
• Boosted Customer Acquisition- SEO helps to generate qualified leads who are potential consumers. Therefore, conversions are often effortless since these leads are already interested in your business, product(s), or service(s). Your customer acquisition cost is reduced by 87.41% when you have a well-optimized SEO plan (Skale). It is exponentially beneficial to your startup business since, by all means, you will want to curtail investments.

Now, what are the best SEO practices for early-stage startups? We will discuss them in detail so that you can implement them to construct your strategy. 

Understanding the Basics of Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of enhancing the experience, authority, and performance of your website. Here is a beginner’s guide to SEO for new businesses:

• Keyword Research- Keyword is the core of your SEO strategy. The ranking of your website depends considerably on keywords. What are keywords? They are the words or phrases that are most searched by users on Google or other search engines. So, you must use relevant and high-quality keywords in your website or content for easy crawling and indexing of the web pages. It improves your website ranking while increasing visibility.
• On-Page Optimization- In SEO, content is the king. Therefore, create high-quality content which is informative, relevant, valuable, and useful to the audiences. In other words, your content must complement the needs of the target audiences. Place the keywords strategically and optimize title tags, meta descriptions, URLs and images for effective on-page optimization, boosting the click-through rate.
• Technical SEO- Technical SEO is necessary for easy crawling and indexing of your web pages by search engines. It also makes your website more understandable and faster. Technical SEO includes elements like using a robots.txt file, adding structured data, putting an XML sitemap, and removing duplicate content and canonical texts.
• Backlinks- Generating backlinks or employing a link-building strategy is one of the most effective ways to drive organic traffic for startups. When you link other websites to your site, you attract traffic from other reliable sources. It builds authority and establishes credibility, which is a determining factor for brand recognition and reputation. Guest posting , updating old content, building free tools, getting contextual links, etc., are successful link-building strategies.

Now, you know the fundamentals of SEO. It’s time to build a robust strategy for your startup business with the following guidelines.

Executing SEO Strategies for Startups

You know what makes up a good SEO strategy. Now, let us learn about them in detail and the various tactics employed to achieve the best results.

The Significance of Targeting Specific Keywords

Finding the right keywords relevant to your business must be your first step to building your startup SEO strategy. These keywords will help you rank in the search results, increasing your online visibility. A thorough keyword research is crucial to make rich, informative, and valuable content since search engines target the keywords for website ranking. Do you know what are the best ways to find your target keywords? Competitor analysis is always one of the most preferred approaches which recognize the keywords your competitors are targeting. Keyword research tools like Google Search Console, Google Trends, Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, etc., are also extensively used to find high-quality keywords.

Now, when you perform keyword research, you must remember:

• Your keywords must be relevant to the target audience. It depends on the monthly search volume of the keywords.
• The target keywords must be relevant to your business, product(s), or service(s). Remember that all the popular keywords may not be relevant to your startup business.
• Consider target keyword competition- the more the popularity, the more the competition. However, being a startup business owner, keep track of your timeline and budget. Competitive keywords may not be feasible.

Website Content Optimization

There was a time when stuffing keywords in content was considered to be a good SEO practice. But today, content is more about delivering valuable information to target audiences than stuffing keywords! Search engine ranking for startups relies considerably on content quality and quantity. It is about publishing consistent, high-quality content with a well-formatted structure in the eyes of search engine algorithms and human readers, too. Google perceives your website as credible, resulting in better ranking.

We have shared important tips to optimize your content. Check them out:

• Place your keywords strategically. Do not stuff them in your content.
• Use semantically related keywords to establish an enhanced connection with your target audience.
• Create an attractive and readable structure with H1, H2, H3, and H4 headings.
• Optimize title, meta description, and Alt text to attract organic traffic.
• Include captivating visuals for better audience engagement.
• Add internal links for convenient navigation and improved user experience.
• Keep your content up-to-date and accurate.

These are the two fundamental principles responsible for improved search result ranking, driving organic traffic, reducing bounce rates, acquiring credibility, and establishing brand recognition. In other words, SEO for startups is primarily based on these propositions.

Effective Tactics for Startups

SEO is not a fast-forward trick where you will receive results overnight! It is a long-term scheme, so do not assume it to be dead if you aren’t experiencing results even after a few months. It is like a slow-cooking meal that pays off the results after a long wait. Sometimes, it may take almost a year to notice measurable outcomes.

Nonetheless, you can boost its effectiveness by implementing some of the hottest trends, delivering extraordinary upshots! Website optimization for startups is indeed the cardinal element. But you must give a shot to the following tactics, which are the latest digital marketing trends exhibiting booming success!

Content Marketing-

More than 91% of businesses have achieved success through content marketing (Search Engine Journal). To add on, the pandemic increased content marketing by 207% (Search Engine Journal).

Therefore, content marketing is undoubtedly one of the most effective tools to reach your target audience and encourage profitable actions. Content marketing focuses on creating and publishing high-quality content to attract new leads and retain existing consumers.

For any startup today, successful digital marketing is unthinkable without leveraging the potential of valuable content. Content marketing offers relevant and useful information about your business, service(s), and product(s) to your target audience, which is much more impactful than pitching!

You can do content marketing in numerous ways. These include email marketing, press releases, paid advertising, podcasts, videos, eBooks, infographics, etc. Content is the present and future of startup digital marketing. So, get creative and improve your ranking!

Social Media Marketing-

What is the first thing you do after waking up in the morning? Probably open your Twitter or Facebook account and scroll down for updates. Does that make sense? And you are not the only person because 61.4% of the world’s population is a social media user (Smart Insights). Statistics reveal that the average daily time spent on social media accounts to 2h 24m (Smart Insights). Therefore, not utilizing social media as a promotional tool is a fool’s job!

Social media marketing has increasingly gained popularity over the years due to the mobile-friendliness of most websites. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube are the most popular social media platforms with massive users. So, whether you share a post or post ads on these platforms, you increase online visibility while acquiring immense recognition. It can be one of the best digital marketing practices for early-stage startups.

Link Building Strategy-

How to improve website ranking for my startup? Why not focus on link building? As a startup, your primary concern is to enhance visibility. And to improve visibility, you have to rank high on SERPs. It is only then you can earn organic traffic and gradually build a client base. For this, you must prioritize link building services, which helps to drive organic traffic from other reputed sources while establishing your online authority.

However, you must ensure that every link your page is connecting to must be relevant. You should not link your page to a skincare website when your product is organic food! It is unethical and will do more harm than good. 93.8% of marketers believe link quality is more important than link quantity (Authority Hacker). Therefore, you must focus on generating top-quality links instead that will encourage higher audience engagement. Fixing broken links, asking publishers to link your brand mentions, responding to journalists’ requests, publishing press releases, adding infographics, and guest blogging are the popular link building strategies yielding enormous benefits. 

Budget-Friendly SEO Tools for Startup Businesses

Affordable SEO for startups is what you must be looking for. Right? Do not worry as many affordable SEO tools are offering premium grade features. They can help boost your online visibility and foster traffic growth. Relatively, SEO tools are much more inexpensive than paid ads!

We have listed some top all-in-one SEO platforms providing comprehensive solutions on keyword research, website analysis, backlink analysis, rank tracker, and other special features.

Have a look:

• SEO PowerSuite– It comprises Rank Tracker, Website Auditor, SEO SpyGlass, and Link Assistant.
• Mangools– It is an SEO toolkit comprising KWFinder, SERPChecker, SERPWatcher, LinkMiner, and SiteProfiler.
• Serpstat– It delivers a fully cloud-based SEO toolbox which includes Rank Tracking, Keyword Analysis, Website Analysis, Site Audit, Backlink Analysis, PPC Research, SEO Browser Extensions, Special Tools, and other features.
• Ubersuggest– It is a powerful integrated SEO tool from Neil Patel. The primary features are Keyword Discovery, Site Audit, Daily Rank Tracking, Competitor Analysis, Backlink Data, SEO Project Organization, SEO Browser Extension, and other features.
• Raven Tools– The core features are Marketing Reports, Competitor Domain Research, Site Auditor, SERP Rank Tracker, Keyword Rank Checker, Keyword Research, Backlink Checker and Link Spy, and Social Media.

Evaluating SEO Progress

Lastly, after implementing SEO tools for startups, never miss out on evaluating the progress or the results. You can make improvements and adjustments to boost the performance. You cannot figure out whether your strategies are working or not until you monitor the outcomes. Since SEO is a long-run game, evaluating or tracking is necessary to refine your approaches per the changing algorithm trends.

So, what are the metrics to track SEO performance?

• Ranking- You must check your SERP rank whether it is moving up. It’s pretty obvious you cannot expect the top within a few months, but at least a rank on the first page is pretty impressive.
• Organic Traffic- Ranking directly influences organic traffic drive. The higher your rank, the more the traffic. If you experience declining organic traffic, then check other metrics.
• Local Metrics- Check Google Maps ranking, session location, number of local citations, etc.
• Backlink Analysis- Assess referring domains, number of backlinks, and competitor’s link profile to recognize the missing spots.
• Conversion Rate- Conversion doesn’t just mean purchase. It also implies actions like signing up for newsletters, form submissions, and email signups.

Optimize your strategy whenever required to keep updated with the algorithm changes. 

Case Studies of Successful Startups

We have provided two examples of startup SEO case studies that are currently winning over the digital marketplace. Let’s check out why.

1. Mint

Mint is an online application where people can manage their finances anytime, anywhere. They scaled their business through strategic content marketing. Though we already have many such online platforms proposing similar services, Mint stands apart as it customized its content to millennials willing to have better control over their finances.

Mint achieved enormous success through personalized financial blogging that attracted a large section of organic traffic. The company also focused on paid advertising and social media marketing to generate buzz and become an engaging topic for discussion. 

2. Hammr 

Hammr is a platform dedicated to the construction industry, offering functions like time tracking, payroll, compliance, and benefits. So, it is an all-in-one platform where contractors can keep track of everything.

What worked for Hammr was its effective branding and superior user experience. The clear CTA buttons, descriptive titles and meta descriptions have encouraged more contractors to become users. Also, consistent blog posting has helped it acquire immense popularity as audiences found it genuinely informational.

Key Takeaways

Startup SEO may be a demanding task. Yet it is nothing like unachievable! You can reap its benefits as soon as you start realizing its benefits and put effort into planning and building your strategy. Start with defining your objectives and marketing goals- you will automatically know what you should do. Focusing on the core elements of SEO, which include keyword analysis, content optimization, technical SEO, link building, and tracking performance, will pave the road to success.

Apart from that, stay true to your audiences. Publish accurate content, keep connected with your audiences, establish interactions, and encourage long-term relationships. We ensure your startup business will outshine with the right ingredients!

Heard about ASO? ASO or App Store Optimization is the process of utilizing optimization strategies on mobile apps to rank them higher in an app stores search results. The higher your ranking in the app store, the better visible your app would be to potential users/customers which in turn would lead to higher downloads. The first thing that Apps Optimization India requires is a crucial understanding of the target customer base. For developers, it is important to know the keywords their potential customers are using to search for apps similar to the concerned app.

According to Forrester, 63% of apps are discovered through app store searches. This means that the best way for your app to get discovered is via app searches. We provide you with 9 crucial strategies to boost your app rankings in order to get discovered.

1. The App Design Elements

The icon/symbol of your app is the first thing that a user sees on stumbling upon your app. The icon you choose should be engaging enough to compel the user to open the app and download it. The icon should be such that it represents the essence of your app and clearly describes the function your app accomplishes. When it comes to the design of the app, the major focus should be on visuals and a user-friendly, easy-to-use interface. The app functionalities should be easily navigable and the aesthetics should be eye soothing.

2. App Downloads

Under the normal scenario, an app from any App store company initially requires about 5k to 10k downloads in a short amount of time. Upon gaining a such number of downloads, the app starts appearing as a ranked app. This demands that you take necessary steps to increase inbound to your app homepage or the product page. You can resort to SEO (Search Engine Optimization), PPC (Pay Per Click), email marketing, or cross-channel collaborative efforts. You need to zero-in on the marketing strategies that would attract most of your potential customers.

3. App Description & Screenshots

The description of the app should be such that it clearly describes the task it is bound to accomplish. Try to highlight the significant technical features that differentiate your app that other existing similar apps. Your app description should create a value for your app that conveys a positive image.

Secondly, you must always resort to the use of related keywords and learn more tactics about how to do ASO. It is mandatory for developers to carry out market research to establish the most common keywords that your potential customers use while looking for a similar app as yours. Better the keywords in your description, better the relevance your app would gain during searches, and more would be the app downloads.

Moreover, the description of your app should consist of appropriate screenshots that depict the specialties of your app. Screenshots should be used to confer the technical strengths and qualities of your app that cannot be easily depicted via words. It is a proven fact that if the UI of the app is phenomenal, the chances of it getting downloaded is higher. And what better way to showcase your UI skills than through screenshots?

4. Social Media Integration

Social media has become an indispensable part of ones life which makes it the best place to keep in touch with your users and also gain new users. Keep your users and potential customers engaged and in interaction with you by promoting your app in the online communities. The online communities provide a perfect platform to build a relationship with your customers and earn their loyalty. You need to create trendy, eye-catching content for the social media sites that would attract customers. The social media marketing strategies that you design should not be over-promotional but yet describe the best features of your app. Your content should be such that it creates a necessity for people to download your app.

5. Consistency

The next thing that people look for in an app is active user/download consistencies through mobile application store optimization. Once you have reached a threshold for initial app downloads, you should aim to maintain a consistency of around 20k new users each month until you have reached a stage where you no longer need to draw attention to your app but people themselves come to download the app.

6. Valuable Reviews

Gaining genuine valuable reviews from users with a positive experience enables new apps to build their credibility. This encourages people to download the app. Apart from depicting a high recommendation status for the app, reviews also showcase the apps ability to climb up the ranking ladder. In the same way, a number of poor reviews would lead to a decrease in your app’s ranking.

Another thing that developers should keep in mind is to never publish fabricated or fake reviews as they reflect poorly on your intentions. There have been cases where such reviews have led to the suspension of the app from numerous app stores.

7. Essential upgrades

Reviews and suggestions that your users provide are a great way to launch new upgrades for your app. This enables you to continue providing the best experience possible for your users, as well as continue maintaining your app ranking. App developers should aim to implement updates on a monthly basis and maintain the effectiveness of their app. Also, being consistent on the introduction of new upgrades depicts a dedication to offering optimal user experience. As they say, make your customers happy, and you are happy!

8. App Indexing

App Indexing is another method of mobile app optimization that enables users to improve their rankings on the app store. App Indexing is a method that allows Google to index apps just like it does with websites. Direct links to the apps appear in Google Search results, where users can just click the content and reach the apps product page on the App store. So basically, for a simple Google search, content within certain app product page will also be displayed as results.

9. Understanding of the App Stores

Before you launch your app in any app store, you should understand the differences they possess and latest ASO techniques. Both the Apple app store and Google play have key differences that a developer should be well-versed with. Both the app stores serve the same purpose of being a platform for launching apps, but each put a stronger emphasis on different aspects of the app. It is vital to completely understand the differences in order for the app developer to efficiently optimize their app within the app store. For example, Google Play relies much more on the description of the app than Apple store does, while the Apple app store considers keywords as a better indicator of relevance.

To conclude, generating consistent downloads for your app might not be the easiest task but following the principles of app store optimization would surely enable you to climb the ranking ladder within the app store. Always remember to utilize marketing strategies and best ASO services that are in-line with your potential customers so that you are better able to connect with them. Also, keep an eye on changing market trends to provide a continuous stream of efficient app upgrades for your customers. So, use these critical strategies to boost your app rankings and gain positive reviews and make some serious app sales/revenues.

So, everyone is recommending you to post quality content but do you know what is quality content? Don’t be confused we are here to help you. If we have to describe high-quality content in a single word that we can say that high-quality content is an experience. Yes, it is an EXPERIENCE, you prepare content in terms of videos, text, images to provide a better experience for your audience. But still, there are few characteristics of quality content that has to be taken care today –

Good Content Appeal To The Heart

Create an emotional touch with your audience. They must know how much you are caring about them and intend to help them with your products or services. Don’t forget that emotions are the great invention of god and it decides either you love someone, ignore someone or hate.

Shareable Content

When your content is full of practical values, entertain users and interested. It becomes sharable for users. You have to think why people share content of influencers in your niche and next to develop content in terms of getting engaged. Ask your self would you share content on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook or any other social profile. If your answer is YES then its cool you have developed sharable content.

Relevant To The Target Audience

Content is written for a specified audience always performs better than content written for a broad audience. Always remember it if you want to get competitive advantages than you will have to be more specific. Its more appreciable If you show multiple points and research to your targeted audience with the help of images, videos, info-graphics, case-studies, presentation etc.

Encourage Desired Action

Your content becomes more valuable once you add some action to your audience. Your audience will remember you if you engage them with some interesting actions and even when you answer them.

Build Relationships

The strong content work as a invitations to build more relationship with your audience. Each of your replies at your audience comments builds a relationship with you and your audience. This engagement force readers to revisit website to find more from you and also there is less chance they ignore post shared by you on social channels.

Search engine optimized

Search Engine Optimization plays a key role to increase search engine visibility of your content. Make sure to follow Google search engine guidelines. It will make it easier for the search engine to crawl and index your website content in search and artificial intelligence will do its job.

Conclusion

Well, You must have one goal to provide the better experience to your users by serving your web pages in search engine.

WordPress was emerged as simple blogging platform in year 2003, but it has been mature, stable and most widely used on the internet. This is the reason why most of successful businesses run on WordPress.

Why WordPress Development is Necessary?

If you go and ask any pro-blogger about the best ever blogging platform, then you will get the answer as WordPress and same you will get from high class businesses. WordPress has transformed itself into feature rich and efficient web development platform after some recent developments and has been capable of supporting any kind of websites. The best ever thing about the WordPress CMS is that it is open source software which simply allows you to edit and tweak it as per your need and requirement rather than spending a lot of time to develop it from scratch.

WordPress has established itself as one of the most trusted web development platform in very less span of time and can be used to build any kind of website irrespective of their complexity and size. The CMS has been immense popular so that many companies have put their hands into customization of WordPress with premium theme and plugin development. WordPress is a constantly evolving platform that simply means it will provide you regular updates and support. Along with all these things WordPress has a huge support community which offers a significant role in creating platform more flexible, powerful and easy to use.

A WordPress Development consist of following essential elements:

• Open source CMS Development– WordPress is an Open source software and lets you tweak with its system. You can create your own functional website or plugins system with the open source CMS development.
• Installation and configuration– The other major development essential of WordPress includes the installation and configuration of WordPress on different hosting and servers.
• Support and maintenance– Designing is not just enough until it is not fully taken care of the periodic maintenance.
• WordPress web development– WordPress can be used to develop any kind of website and blogs for any purpose and in any design with proper functionalities.
• WordPress theme development– Themes are backbone of WordPress websites. There are many free themes available on WordPress but you can develop and use premium theme to provide your website a pro looking structure.
• Custom plugin development– Like Themes, plugins also plays essential role in WordPress SEO and Website development. A custom plugin can be designed to do several functionalities that can be tough to code by many designers.
• WordPress responsive web development– You can devise the ways to reach to the larger base of the audience by providing our WordPress responsive web development. A responsive website is most suited for any kind of device to run your website.
• WordPress template Design– Templates are good enough to give the best look to your website and we will give you that look by our WordPress template design method. This will give your website a Unique and exceptional look.

Let’s face it. You own a website and want to rank it in the top search results, but you cannot do it alone. You need a robust search engine optimization (SEO) strategy to set your website at pace! In other words, SEO is the solution to meeting your marketing goals, which include better website rankings, increased organic traffic, higher visibility, boosted lead generation, enhanced brand awareness, and better conversion rate.

Here comes a search engine optimization consultant! With better comprehension and experience in handling the nuances of algorithm changes and search trends, an SEO consultant can help you reach potential clients while staying competitive in the digital landscape. They help you to accomplish your business goals, fuelling your SEO efforts.

SEO is one of the most ethical and result-driven tactics that makes your website search engine-friendly, enabling easy crawling and indexing. The primary goal of SEO is to achieve higher rankings and attract a large section of the target audience. It establishes your online prominence by encouraging brand authority and credibility. Without SEO, you cannot mark a successful digital footprint.

Nonetheless, SEO is an umbrella term involving the strategic implementation of diverse tactics. Hence, for any business or marketer, there is a need to hire an SEO consultant to experience fruitful results.

In this blog, we will learn about the various aspects of an SEO consultant, helping you to determine whether you need to hire one! Let’s begin this exciting journey! 

What is an SEO Consultant?

A search engine consultant is an expert specializing in website optimization to enhance its visibility by helping it rank in the top search results. Whether working as a freelancer or a part of a digital marketing company, the task of an SEO consultant is pivotal in the team. The overall processing of search engine optimization depends on the specialist as he possesses profound knowledge about the workings of search engines, the latest trends and practices and proficiency in adjusting to the changing search engine algorithms.

The job of a search engine optimization consultant is multifaceted. Typically, they propose a host of services to help struggling businesses combat the digital competition. Though you may be aware of the basics of SEO, your website is still underperforming because you do not have the skills, expertise, or time required for such a complex task. Thankfully, we have experts we can rely on!

According to Backlinko, Google uses over 200 factors in their algorithms for website rankings. Also, Google organic search is responsible for 57.8% of the world’s overall web traffic.

So, how far do you think you can reach without professional SEO assistance? 

What Does an SEO Consultant Do?

The responsibilities of a search optimization consultant are diverse and enormous. They provide targeted solutions to help clients accomplish their marketing goals while implementing the best practices and strategies to complement their requirements. The nature and scope of work of an SEO consultant depend entirely on the industry. However, a business or a marketer can hire an SEO expert to execute a specific task or project.

If we are to talk about the responsibilities of a search engine optimization consultant, here it goes:

1. Perform an SEO Audit-

Most certainly, whenever you appoint an SEO consultant, the first thing they will do is perform an SEO audit. It is the process of analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of your website. In other words, through an SEO audit, you receive an in-depth understanding of your website’s performance in search rankings while identifying its status. It specially reviews your website’s structure and content to recognize the improvement areas. The process involves:

• Examining indexation issues
•  Analyzing web core vitals and page load speed
• Identifying keyword and content flaws
•  Assessing the backlink profile
• Evaluating competitors’ strategies
• Unveiling prospective optimization opportunities

2. Propose an SEO Strategy-

After analyzing the structural and functional issues of your website, there comes the most significant part- planning the right SEO strategy. Every business is distinct, and so does its marketing requirements. No one rule fits all! So, based on the findings of the SEO audit, your consultant will come up with a strategy that will help to achieve your business goals.

For an effective SEO strategy, it is necessary to acknowledge your business goals, target audience, and niche competition. By this, your SEO consultant can figure out the challenges and opportunities in your business. Considering your website’s authority and topical expertise, an SEO professional can create the ideal strategy for optimal effectiveness.

3. Perform Keyword Research and Analysis-

What happens after you have a set strategy? An average of 75.5% of marketers implement keyword research to create content for businesses and consumers. It means that without relevant keywords in your content or web page, you will not accomplish an impressive rank in the SERPs. Therefore, keyword research is vital to improve your website’s visibility while boosting its search rank.

Keywords are the terms or phrases that are popularly used by searchers when searching for businesses, products, or services. The more competent a keyword, the higher its visibility. An SEO consultant will determine the relevant and valuable keywords and use them strategically in your website’s content to enhance its significance, relativity, and usefulness. Search engines recognize the search intent of these keywords to rank your content.

4. Conduct On-Page Optimization-

On-page SEO refers to the optimization of the elements present on your web pages so that search engines can easily crawl and index them. It is one of the fundamental components of SEO responsible for website ranking and attracting organic traffic. On-page SEO comprises content, site architecture, and HTML elements.

A search engine consultant optimizes the content, title tags, meta descriptions, headings, internal links, Alt texts, URLs, page speed, and mobile responsiveness to make your website search-engine friendly and also readable to human eyes. Thus, from identifying high-quality keywords to optimizing the core web page elements, an SEO consultant imposes multiple tactics for effective on-page optimization.

5. Implement Off-Page Optimization-

Off-page SEO, or off-site SEO, involves techniques to attract links from other websites, social shares, brand mentions, etc. These are the external factors responsible for establishing your site’s credibility and domain authority. In other words, off-page optimization tells search engines about the significance of your website across the Internet. The links you receive from other sources act as endorsements exhibiting the quality and authenticity of your website.

A search optimization consultant identifies the quality of backlinks because all links are not created equal and will not drive relevant traffic to your website. Spammy links are avoided as they negatively affect your page ranking. Links with high DA, rich Anchor text, relevant content, and higher positioning are always the best vet. It is obvious one must avoid links from websites with irrelevant niches and sketchy reputations. Other methods to create backlinks are brand mentions, social sharing, using citations like Google My Business optimization, etc. Also, note that ‘add me to search’ or creating a Google People Card is another effective off-page SEO strategy. 

6. Measure and Report-

After you have a comprehensive SEO strategy, an SEO consultant tracks your SEO performance based on several metrics. How do you know your efforts are working until you track it? So, to analyze the performance of the SEO strategy, your consultant will monitor and measure the results. Using various tools and collecting data points like keyword rankings, organic traffic, search visibility, bounce rate, conversion rate, backlinks, click-through rate (CTR), core web vitals, page speed, exit rate, domain authority, etc., an SEO professional examines the effectiveness of the applied strategies.

You will receive the performance report helping you to determine whether your SEO investment is pulling off well! These insights also enable a search engine optimization consultant to refine the strategies for improved results. Tracking and tweaking are the constant processes in SEO, responsible for keeping you ahead of the competition.

Additionally, an SEO consultant may also provide SEO training, especially to businesses that have an in-house digital marketing team. Indeed, it is not obligatory, but it is a critical task that strengthens a company’s digital marketing cornerstone. The training involves guiding you through the various realms of SEO, which will continue to provide measurable outcomes. 

Why Should You Hire a Search Engine Optimization Consultant?

Now, it is pretty obvious that the task of an SEO consultant is highly critical and comprises multiple facets. Whether your business goal is to generate brand awareness or increase lead generation, hiring an SEO professional is always a smart investment for the following reasons:

• Improve Website Ranking- If your website does not show up in the top results of local search, it indicates that your website lacks a comprehensive SEO strategy. 46% of the Google searches are for local businesses. In such a scenario, you must possess an impressive rank to attract traffic.
• Increase Website Traffic- Search engine traffic is the fundamental indicator of whether your SEO strategy is working. If your website traffic is flatlining or it is not increasing, you have an evident reason to hire a search engine consultant! They possess intensive knowledge and understanding of search engine algorithms and user behaviour, which are the elemental factors affecting website ranking, visibility, and organic traffic.
• Remove Google Penalties- Did you receive a Google update and your rankings came down? You probably received a Google penalty! Google penalties occur when you do not comply with its practices. Such penalties are often difficult to remove without professional assistance. Sometimes, trying to fix the problem yourself can cause even more damage. Who will save you from such a situation? Of course, an SEO consultant!
• Revamping Your Website- While you may be scaling your business, you want a new website or updating your existing website. It altogether sounds exciting till you come across the difficulties of ranking. In other words, creating a new website or revamping the old one accompanies a set of new challenges. You must focus on your marketing goals and craft an SEO strategy that will work best for you. Nobody can do better than a specialist!
• Lack of In-House Resources- Though you may have an in-house SEO team, it may not always work out for you! As a dynamic digital marketing trend, the nuances of SEO are persistently changing. It is not possible to monitor them without adequate tools and resources. Your in-house digital marketing crew may unfortunately, lack the required expertise and experience to combat the ever-evolving challenges. 

How to Select a Professional SEO Consulting Company?

It is not difficult to find a professional SEO consulting company. You can run a Google search, ask your network, check online directories, or even post on job boards. Nonetheless, the tricky part is about choosing the right one! The right search engine optimization consultant can benefit you in several ways, while landing on the wrong one is a waste of time and money.

We have shared tips about selecting an ideal SEO consultant, saving you from all the struggles! Have a look.

Broad-Spectrum Understanding-

SEO is a comprehensive field consisting of diverse practices and tactics. It is not only about ranking your website but other agendas like attracting increased web traffic, enhancing online visibility, establishing your brand’s reputation, encouraging higher conversions, and getting you better ROI. Thus, it is a composite activity requiring a vast understanding of the same.

In order to achieve optimal results, an SEO consultant puts in a lot of effort, like optimizing the website content, improving mobile-friendliness, linking the pages, building backlinks and other strategies to fetch you optimal results. Hence, it is essential your SEO consulting company must possess an extensive comprehension of the diverse approaches to achieve your marketing goals.

Expertise-

The level of expertise determines the consultant’s ability to manoeuvre project complexities. The more the experience, the more the expertise. Obviously, you cannot hire a novice trying to impress you with words! The years spent in the industry make a consultant expert in the arena who can handle all project requirements effortlessly.

So, always consider the years of experience before making the final call. For maximum effectiveness of your SEO efforts, all you need is an ace professional, qualified and well-trained to deliver projects with desirable results.

Customized Solutions-

Every business need differs. There is no one-size-fits-all venture. Even if you belong to the same industry, your business goal will differ from your strongest competitor! Therefore, you require a tailored approach focusing on accomplishing your requirements. The key to achieving an impressive SEO performance is flexibility.

For example, if you have a local clothing store, your Google My Business profile must focus on acquiring better visibility in the local search. It will help you to reach your target market, maximizing lead generation and sales.

Accomplishments-

The success history or the track record of your SEO consulting company should not be incomplete or patchy. Accomplishments are clear evidence of whether the company is reliable. Whether it is about being a Google-certified business or getting featured in a top magazine, accomplishments make you more reputed and credible.

You can instantly trust your search optimization consultant by checking out the work portfolio. The number of successful projects delivered and the list of happy clients are enough to justify your consultant’s competency.

Compliance with Best SEO Practices-

Let us tell you that not all consulting companies practice White hat SEO. When you try to rank your website in the search results adhering to the rules and guidelines of SEO, it is called white hat SEO. It is a fair practice where the SEO experts do not manipulate search engine algorithms. Instead, they follow the best practices and adapt their strategies per the algorithm updates.

But black hat SEO deters. It violates search engine guidelines, often resulting in penalties. Black hat SEO manipulates the algorithms through trickery and unfair practices, causing a downward fall. Hence, always ensure your SEO consultant practices white hat SEO.  

Reputation-

Never overlook the reputation of the consulting company! Check for online reviews and follow up on existing clients to determine their service quality. The reputation of a consulting company matters a lot when it comes to efficiency and the quality of results you receive. A positive recognition implies you can rely on the consultant regarding project delivery, results, and better ROI.

Since online reviews may not provide a clear picture, it is recommended to check up on existing clients. They are the most reliable sources of genuine feedback.

Communication Skills-

Whether you are hiring a consulting company for performance marketing or content marketing, understand that clear, transparent communication is obligatory. Your SEO consultant must provide you with project updates, reports, and other critical information relevant to the task. Communication is the base of any long-term relationship. Trust us, you are going to partner with your consulting company for a really long time because SEO can take up to several months to deliver measurable results.

From discussing the SEO plan with you to stating the major improvements, your SEO consulting company must let you know everything. It will also help you to stay out of conflicts.

Transparent Agreement-

Whether you are hiring your SEO consulting company on a contract basis or as a freelancer, be clear about the payment terms, scope of work, and project duration. To ensure a cordial partnership, it is essential you discuss everything before assigning the project. There may be disagreements regarding expected results and the project fundamentals during delivery. We are pretty sure nobody wants that!

Getting a written contract is always advisable to skip misunderstandings and ensure a healthy partnership.

Reporting-

How do you know you have invested in the right SEO consultant until you receive results? By this, we mean your consulting company must track and monitor SEO performance and provide you with a thorough report. Your consultant is accountable for providing you insights into the SEO results so that you can assess its effectiveness.

Reporting is a crucial part of SEO that evaluates performance. It determines the legitimacy and competency of your consultant which makes up the core of all the efforts.

Consider Pricing-

Lastly, consider your SEO marketing budget before appointing your consulting company. SEO is multifaceted, comprising multiple techniques and skills. Hence, the pricing varies according to the packages.

However, not all businesses require similar packages. So consider your business goals and budget before you pick a package. Your investment must be worth the results! Right?

Why SEO Consulting is Important for Your Business Growth?

Businesses of all sizes need SEO consulting for growth and expansion. Do you want to know how they can help you?

Let’s find out.

• Enhanced SEO performance- An SEO consultant is a professional equipped with a better understanding of the search engine algorithms, which helps in defining a sustainable strategy that will drive you optimal results. Whether you are not appearing in the search results or your website is not attracting enough traffic, through SEO consulting, you can escalate your SEO performance.  
• Boost Website Visibility- Through the best SEO efforts, you can rank higher in the search results and appear more frequently on the digital platform. It will automatically attract web traffic due to enhanced visibility. So, they enable customers to find your business on the online platform.
• Encourage Qualified Leads- When you have a robust SEO strategy with high-quality backlinks, it will fetch you potential leads from reliable sources. Connecting your site to other websites boosts exposure and establishes your online presence. As a result, you will receive qualified leads through backlinks, Google My Business, citations, brand mentions, etc.
• Higher Conversions- What happens when you attract potential leads? It increases the chances of conversions. Whether signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase, conversion will happen either way. It implies you will also experience more sales.
• Promote Brand- Since SEO is an impactful digital marketing trend, you can be assured SEO consulting will lead to extensive audience reach. Appearing in the top search results exposes you to a large section of the target audience. What can be a better way to promote your brand?
• Beat Industry Competition- An SEO consultant will help you gain a competitive advantage by conducting a thorough competitor analysis and refining the strategies. They will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the top brands in your industry and optimize your SEO strategy to beat the competition.
• Stay Updated- Since search engine algorithms are constantly changing, it is pretty overwhelming to keep up with the trend. If you fail, you will soon lose your position. Thankfully, you have SEO consultants persistently tracking and monitoring changes and tweaking your strategy whenever necessary!
• Save Time and Money- Being a multidisciplinary approach, SEO can be exhaustive and time-consuming. Definitely, you cannot do it alone without expertise! Nonetheless, a consultant can effortlessly perform the task with his knowledge and experience. Also, you save a lot of money spent on expensive paid campaigns!
• Optimal ROI- These consultants assure maximum ROI through higher visibility, increased leads, and boosted sales. Though SEO is a slow process, you gain sustainable results.
• Accomplish Business Goals- Lastly, you cannot think of acquiring successful business growth without an SEO consultant. Living in a digital era, it is impossible to mark a prominent online footprint without a robust SEO strategy. And you know, it is almost impossible without a specialist!

Conclusion

To sum up, SEO pricing may vary from consultant to consultant, but the task remains as critical as it ought to be. Hiring an SEO consultant is the best thing you can do to grow your business. They will genuinely help you to achieve the desired marketing objectives and offer you sustainable success.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. Why do I need an SEO Consultant?

Ans. An SEO consultant is an expert specializing in optimizing websites for better search result ranking and increased traffic drive. SEO is essential to enhance your website’s performance in the search results while making it search engine-friendly and also improving user experience. Without a well-optimized website, you cannot rank in the SERPs, losing a vast section of your audience. An SEO consultant rightfully does the job to help you gain web traffic and boost conversions.

Q. What are the qualities of a good SEO consultant?

Ans. SEO is a complex job requiring extensive digital marketing skills and an understanding of the functioning of search engine algorithms. A good SEO consultant must possess a comprehensive perspective and knowledge, a focused vision, excellent adaptability, outstanding communication skills, and curiosity. Of course, years of experience and technical skills are other factors of consideration.

Q. What should I expect from an SEO consultant?

Ans. The fundamental goal of any SEO consultant is to make your website rank higher in the search results while boosting online visibility. Whether you are hiring an agency or an individual, expect to have desirable SEO results, which include attracting more organic traffic, enhancing brand awareness, establishing market dominance, and higher sales. In other words, your SEO consultant will help you accomplish your business goals.

Q. Can an SEO consultant help my business grow?

Ans. Of course! The goal of an SEO consultant is to help you achieve your business objectives, which may include encouraging brand awareness, attracting leads, or generating sales. Whichever it is, your business will grow and expand in either way.

A combined content marketing and SEO strategy are the perfect ingredients for the most impactful digital marketing results. They work together like magic by driving more organic traffic and establishing authority, trust, and loyalty. Let alone content marketing take over without SEO; you will never receive considerable effectiveness. Similarly, considering only SEO without understanding its connection with content will unfortunately make no sense!

But, when you implement content marketing for SEO, you will generate agreeable outcomes, enabling you to beat the digital combination. SEO will drive you relevant organic traffic, while content marketing helps to build customer loyalty by demonstrating thought leadership.

According to HubSpot, companies publishing blogs receive 55% more traffic and have 97% more backlinks . It means that SEO content writing is a potential digital marketing tool to attract audiences since it nurtures their interests and engagement, gradually building trust.

Research by DemandGenReport concluded that 55% of buyers now rely more on content research before making purchase decisions Thus, undeniably content marketing can attract new traffic and retain existing audience while boosting your website’s visibility score.

Nonetheless, content marketing is a focused approach. It is the creation and distribution of relevant, valuable, consistent, and high-quality content for SEO. We will discuss in this blog how content marketing and SEO proffer an excellent symbiotic relationship through various strategies. So, let’s explore it in depth.   

Content Marketing Strategies for SEO

Before dwelling on the strategies, let’s have a quick look at the basics of SEO and content marketing.

What is SEO?

SEO or search engine optimization is the process of optimizing your website to make it search-engine friendly for crawling and indexing. These are the two integral processes involved in search result ranking. Through SEO, you can improve the visibility of your website to reach your target audience.

What is Content Marketing?

The process of creation, publication, and distribution of content over various online platforms is known as content marketing. It includes blogs, articles, emails, newsletters, eBooks, videos, podcasts, and case studies. The fundamental goal of content marketing is to communicate relevant and useful information to your audience. It helps to nurture audience interests and engagement to attract new leads and retain the old ones.

When we speak of content marketing for SEO, it indicates the strategic implementation of content to meet the SEO goals- website rankings, visibility, organic traffic, audience engagement, and conversions. So, how to promote content for SEO? What’s included in the checklist? Let’s find out.

• Keyword Research- The journey of SEO content writing begins with keyword research. Keywords are the words or phrases that are popularly used in search queries by the searchers. The higher the search volume, the more competitive the keyword. Identifying these keywords and using them strategically in your content makes it more valuable, informative, and relevant.

Keyword research is one of the significant content marketing strategies for website ranking. It provides you with valuable insights into the queries that your target audience is actually looking for. Targeting such keywords helps your content rank higher in search engines while driving more traffic and increasing visibility. Focus on what the audience wants to discover instead of what you want to tell. It will improve inbound traffic.

• Content Planning- To create impactful content marketing for SEO, you must define a plan. Your task of content marketing does not end at creating content; you have to schedule when to publish what content so that there is consistency. To stay connected with audiences and keep them engaged, consistency is crucial. Also, there are two significant factors you must consider while creating your content- understanding your target audience and recognizing search intent.

When you understand the needs and preferences of your target audience, you can deliver more relevant and specific content, which will automatically boost engagement. Based on search intent, there are four types of content- informational, navigational, commercial, and transactional. When you implement these practices, you can create engaging content for SEO.  

• Content Types- The top three types of content are videos, blogs, and images. So, when you focus on creating content that attracts more traffic, you have increased chances of ranking high on the SERPs. However, every content type has a distinct pattern. In other words, your blogs and videos cannot have a similar structure. You have to employ a precise approach for the most impactful results.

We have listed the best practices for SEO content creation for different types of content. Check them out:

Videos:

• Choose the right hosting platform
• Create an engaging video thumbnail
• Use video transcripts
• Insert keywords in the title and description
• Embed your video
• Do not embed the same video on multiple pages
• Make your video the highlight of your page
• Your page content must be relevant to the video

Blogs:

• Choose a topic based on search intent
• Write an eye-catching title
• Optimize title tag and meta description
• Strategically place keywords
• Include captivating CTA
• Mention author

Images:

• Choose the appropriate format
• Select compression rate
• Optimize file names and image title
• Include captions
• Use Alt text
• Add image structured data
• The content must complement the images
• Insert site maps

• Link Building- Content marketing and link building go hand-in-hand. There are basically two types of link building strategies- internal linking and backlinks. Internal linking is the process of hyperlinking to other pages on your website. It encourages audience engagement while keeping them on your site. On the other hand, backlinks are external links that connect your page to other websites. The primary goal of backlinks is to drive traffic from other sources and establish your website’s credibility and authoritativeness. Businesses incorporating link building have a 45% higher success rate than those that don’t .

Both internal links and external links are essential elements of SEO content writing. They contribute to your website’s architecture and promote its visibility across various platforms. Link building strategy improves readability and navigation, which are pivotal for boosting audience engagement while reducing bounce rate. Additionally, you have better chances of lead generation and conversions. 

Content Promotion to Build Authority

Now you know how to write content that ranks in Google. But what to do next? After creating high-quality content, you need to promote it through various channels to go that extra mile! Content promotion enables distribution and amplification of content to enhance visibility and audience reach. It helps you to achieve your marketing goals, like creating brand awareness, driving more traffic, increasing lead generation, or encouraging sales.

You can opt for multiple approaches to promote your content. We have discussed the most influential content marketing trends for 2024 and beyond that help in effective promotion. This section will be really interesting!

• Social Sharing- An estimated 4.9 billion people use social million, and it is constantly on the rise. Around 77% of businesses use social media to reach target consumers . Do the numbers sound intriguing? Well, one of the most effective ways to promote your content is via social media channels. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube are the prominent social platforms offering a variety of content promotion. Whether you consider news feeds, posts, or paid campaigns, these platforms can expose your brand to a vast audience, improving awareness and reputation.

Considering content marketing strategies for startups, social sharing can be your ultimate weapon to capture the attention of your target audiences. Undoubtedly, repeated visibility on such platforms generates brand recognition, which is ultimately responsible for building trust and authority.

• Influencer Marketing- How many times have you seen an Instagram reel where an influencer is promoting a brand or service? Many times, we guess! Today, half of the millennials trust influencer’s product recommendations. What is influencer marketing? Influencers are individuals with a long list of followers on social platforms. They are not celebrities but people with impactful digital presence. Collaborating with such influencers to promote your brand, product(s), or service(s) can help in targeted content distribution.

It is one of the prominent content marketing examples for SEO that is currently taking the Internet by storm! You can ask an influencer for quotes in your blogs or directly promote your brand through a short video or product description. Influencers charge a fee, but it is much less compared to the ROI.

• Email Marketing- Hyper-personalization is what the recent SEO content writing focuses on. It means sharing content based on individual preferences to enhance user experience and stay connected with existing clients. Email marketing is one such strategy that allows you to create and send emails with ultimate personalized content. 87% of businesses have reported success through email marketing. Therefore, email marketing is crucial for business growth. You can establish better client interaction and keep them informed about new product launches, festive discounts, etc. It is indeed a great way to keep your target audiences motivated.

For the best email marketing results, implement these practices:

• Subscriber segmentation
• Create optimized lead magnets
• Employ automation
• Create a welcome series
• Personalize your emails
• Focus on mobile-friendliness
• Choose the ideal time
• Include the email reply address
• Use email analytics

• Guest Blogging- Finally, let’s talk about blog posts for SEO. Guest blogging is an ethical and sustainable way to improve your SEO performance. You can build high-quality backlinks, driving potential leads from other reputed sources. Writing a blog for another relevant website allows you to link that site to your website. Hence, you receive rich organic traffic possessing a higher potential for conversions.

As a powerful content marketing tactic, guest blogging has come a long way. The blogs and articles include your byline, and often it is highlighted by the website’s editor. Isn’t it amazing when your blog is published in other places? So, how do you implement guest blogging?

• Define and set your goals
• Choose topics that will help you accomplish your business goals
• Determine reputed guest blogging sites.
• Pitch your ideas
• Write your blog post
• Track the results 

Track Content Performance

So, content creation, planning, and promotion are done. Now, it is time to track content performance for SEO. It is unarguably the most significant step in the overall process. You will always want to compare your results since the time you implemented your content marketing strategy.

Tracking performance is also beneficial to make adjustments for improvement. It provides you with an insight into what is working and what is not. There are metrics to monitor content performance, which are quantitative and qualitative data points. These metrics help you evaluate the effectiveness of content marketing for SEO. So, what are these metrics?

• Organic search traffic
• Number of views
• Keyword rankings
• Impressions
• Backlinks
• Brand mentions
• Traffic sources
• Conversion rate
• Return on investment
• Growth of followers or subscribers
• Average engagement rate
• Average engagement time
• Social media engagements
• Click-through rate

These are the principal metrics used to measure visibility, track your audience source, evaluate conversions and sales, and analyze engagement.

Bonus Tip: Measure the ROI of content marketing for SEO by subtracting content marketing revenue from content marketing expenditure divided by spend. For example, if you have spent $1000 and earned $1,500, your ROI is ($1500-$1000) /$1000) x 100= 50%

Thus, your content marketing ROI is 50%.

Calculating ROI is essential to determine where you must put your investment and secure buy-ins from stakeholders. 

Wrapping Up!

To achieve the best results from SEO content writing, you must have a straightforward approach and a clear insight into your marketing goals, target audiences, and distribution channels. Creating high-quality content and sharing it is hard work. It requires a team of spontaneous writers and SEO experts. Content marketing alone cannot do wonders until you combine it with SEO. Content without SEO will be far less visible, with less engagement, fewer reads, and insignificant conversions.

Similarly, SEO with thin content will be uninspiring and attract less traffic. Blending the two becomes your secret weapon to a successful business. While SEO attracts traffic, content encourages lead generation. When you combine both of them, you will have audiences coming back for more!

So, are you ready to plan your content marketing for SEO?