Op·ti·mize
Äptəˌmīz (verb): to make the best or most effective use of.
Sounds good, right? We all want to optimize what we’ve got, whether it’s our piles of money, our devastatingly good looks, our precious leisure time or– our websites. You’ve spent a bunch of time and resources on your website, and it’s important that the world takes notice. How do you make sure that your gorgeous website stays out of the digital black hole– the place where good websites go to die? (also known as page two on Google.) You stay on top by adopting the best known practices for SEO today, and use them as though your life (or at least your business website’s life) depends on them.
Here are a few tips to really, truly, optimize your SEO. (Yes, we said optimize your optimization.)
- Don’t try to take the whole pie. Give some serious thought to your keywords. For example, if you’re a management consultant in Indianapolis, specializing in the hospitality industry, you’re going to have a hard time getting to the top of the heap for “management consulting firms in Indianapolis.” Give up that ghost. There’s too much noise there. Instead, focus on your niche specialties and optimize the heck out of them. “Restaurant service consultants Indianapolis” or “Restaurant server sales training” might get you some traction. This strategy is commonly referred to as using “longtail” keywords. Essentially, that means that you’re not trying to own the whole pie, just a few tasty slivers of it.
- Publish or perish. Google is like that nosy next door neighbor who always notices if you switch up your daily routine. If you’re not constantly adding new content to your site, that “nosy neighbor” assumes you’ve gone on vacation and stops paying attention. Find new ways to tell your story and send your message (without ever forgetting the all-important, aforementioned keywords) on a regular basis. If you don’t have time to do it, hire it out. And our final piece of advice here is, don’t be tempted to simply re-post others’ content pieces, or worse yet, plagiarize them. Your nosy neighbor will also figure that out, and your customers might as well.
- Cheaters never prosper. Don’t try to stuff your keywords. It’s not a competition to see how many times you can get the word on the page. Consumers are smart– don’t underestimate your audience. Keywords will get them to your page, but if your content lacks focus, or doesn’t answer the age-old question, “What’s in it for me?” they’ll go right on to the next site. (By the way, your nosy neighbor is going to pick up on that too.)
To wrap this all up and put a bow on it, SEO is not something you can hope is happening. It’s something you have to tend to daily, weekly and monthly (much like your piles of money, devastating good looks and precious leisure time.) And if you need a little help optimizing your optimization, we’re here for you.
If you’re a small business, check out FuelGauge’s post “What DIY Small Business Marketers Need to Know About SEO”
MediaFuel is a digital marketing agency based just north of Indianapolis, in Fishers, Indiana, specializing in strategic and innovative message communication through video, VR, website design and content creation.