Building a highly recognizable brand with a loyal customer base is rarely an easy accomplishment, regardless of how competitive your industry is. Still, finding ways to improve your online visibility - especially across different search engines - is one of the most effective methods for getting your brand to this point.
The challenge here, however, is that climbing the ranks in search engine results pages (SERPs) requires a lot of time and effort. And even if you dedicate your resources to planning and implementing various SEO strategies, there is no guarantee they’ll bring you the results you want.
However, there are certain SEO tactics you can follow based on how your content pages are currently performing in SERPs that are more likely to give you the best returns on your digital marketing efforts.
Common Misconceptions About SEO
Before discussing specific strategies, it’s important to debunk myths about the best ways to approach SEO. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation about where and how SEO methods should be applied. While certain tactics are definitely effective, how they are used makes all the difference.
Below are some of the common misconceptions about SEO and areas to avoid:
- Use as Many Keywords As Possible - While conducting keyword research and applying it to your website and content is a foundational SEO component, there is also a danger of using this tactic too much. Loading content with illegible paragraphs of strategically placed keywords and phrases can actually have a reverse impact on your SEO, leading to your website being penalized by Google for low-quality content.
- Get a High Volume of Backlinks - Generating backlinks to your site is a powerful method for establishing domain authority and improving your content's search engine ranking. However, while it might be tempting to acquire as many backlinks as possible, this approach often backfires due to search engines' strict guidelines against manipulative practices. In fact, excessive links from low-quality sources can harm your website's ranking.
- Put Most of Your Focus on On-Page SEO - Although on-page SEO is important, it shouldn't consume all your time and resources. Many people prioritize on-page SEO because it’s relatively easy and accessible. However, neglecting other crucial SEO types in favor of on-page SEO is detrimental.
SEO Strategies To Follow Depending On Where Your Content Ranks
Option 1. Not Ranking At All
Launching a new website can be exciting for most brands, but the real challenge lies in getting it noticed through all the competition. While getting immediate traffic is unlikely, there are essential steps you can take to improve your website's visibility and attract visitors more quickly.
Focus On Keyword Selection and Content Generation
To increase your website's visibility in search results, you’ll want to start putting some time into keyword research. This will help you to avoid using generic or irrelevant keywords in your SEO strategy. Tools like Moz or Google Keyword Planner are a great place to start this process.
When developing the content for your web pages, you’ll want to prioritize its quality and originality. Search engine crawlers regularly look for unique and informative content that recognizes and directly addresses user search intent.
While it might be tempting to lean heavily on AI content generation tools for high volumes of quick content creation, it's much more important to focus on providing highly original content and avoid plagiarizing other work.
Keep Your On-Page SEO Elements Updated
Once you’ve started creating new content, make sure that the title tags and meta descriptions of each page on your site incorporate your target keywords whenever appropriate.
Additionally, verify that your site's content uses the right header tags (H1, H2, etc.). These tags will help structure your content and give your readers (and search engine crawlers) more information about the context of your pages.
Option 2. Starting to Gain Traction (Pages 3-5)
It's exciting to see your website showing up on the first few pages of search results. This typically means you're already doing something right. However, getting to page 2 or 3 on the SERPs still doesn’t allow you to capitalize on much more significant traffic gains available if you were to move up the rankings.
Here's how to make that leap and start outranking your competitors:
Build a Strong Backlink Profile
While it requires time and effort, building high-quality backlinks is important for helping your search engine rankings improve. Backlinks are incoming links from external websites that act as endorsements for your site and help to build more authority online.
A well-planned campaign for sourcing new potential backlinks to your site will help you to gradually increase your link portfolio. A good place to start this effort is by offering to create new content for other websites in exchange for a link back to your own. This strategy can be highly effective and can also help you to form some new long-term partnerships.
Create a Unique User Experience
Creating a website that provides a positive user experience (UX) is critical for both helping your visitors and gaining better search rankings. While having a great-looking and easy-to-navigate website is important, there are other steps you can take to improve your UX.
A critical factor to your SEO is having a website that functions flawlessly on all devices, especially mobile phones. This, combined with fast loading times and intuitive navigation, can significantly reduce bounce rates and encourage visitors to explore your site further.
Option 3. Page 1 Positioning
Achieving a high search engine ranking is a significant achievement. However, the true difficulty often lies in keeping that position long-term. Here are a couple of strategies you can use to help preserve your hard-won top rankings:
Make Sure You Stay Consistent
To keep your website ranking high on search engines like Google, it's important to be consistent with the quality and frequency of your content creation. Search engines are always looking for signs that a website is actively engaging its audience. A steady stream of site updates and new content shows that your website is relevant and up-to-date, which can help you maintain your rankings over time.
Generate More Brand Signals
Once you’ve landed on the first page results, you’ll want to focus more on building up your online brand. A well-respected online presence across social media platforms can do wonders for your SEO.
Take the time to actively engage in brand-building strategies that increase your visibility and reputation. Key indicators like online reviews and the frequency of your brand mentions play important roles in this process. Over time, and with due diligence, these factors will all add up to significantly improving your online visibility.
Audit your Content Regularly
If you want to improve your website’s performance, you need to run regular content audits. A content audit helps you find gaps, improve underperforming pages, and boost your site’s visibility in search engines. Using the right SEO content audit tool can make this process easier and faster.
StoryChief’s proactive Content Audit keeps you ahead by discovering high-impact opportunities in real-time. The always-on system uncovers quick wins that boost traffic and rankings, and conversion rates—all from within the same app, where you can edit and publish instantly.
Start Making Smarter SEO Decisions
To get the most out of your SEO efforts, it’s important to think about what’s currently affecting your search ranking. Taking a more targeted approach helps you use your time and resources wisely, resulting in a steady climb up the SERPs and a more sustainable presence there.
