Search Engine Marketing

Step by Step: How Search Engine Marketing Works

Your guide to online Success

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a critical process for ensuring that a new website gains visibility in search engines like Google. It helps attract organic traffic, improve search rankings, and drive targeted visitors to your site.

1. Keyword Research

Keyword research is the foundation of any SEO strategy. It involves identifying the search terms and phrases that potential users are likely to use when searching for content related to your website.

Here’s what we do:

Identify Seed Keywords: Use brainstorming or tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to identify basic keywords related to your industry.

Analyse Competitors: Research what keywords your competitors are targeting and their search engine rankings.

Long-tail Keywords: Focus on long-tail keywords (more specific phrases) to attract niche traffic. These often have lower competition and higher conversion rates.

Keyword Research

2. Technical SEO

Technical SEO ensures that your website is accessible to search engines and provides a seamless user experience. For a new website, it’s crucial to address these technical aspects:

Website Structure: Plan a clear, logical site structure with an organised hierarchy of pages (home page, category pages, subcategories, etc.).

Mobile-Friendly Design: Ensure your website is responsive and mobile-friendly, as mobile usability is a ranking factor.

SSL Certificate: Secure your website with HTTPS to ensure data security. This is essential for user trust and SEO.

URL Structure: Use clean, descriptive, and keyword-friendly URLs. Avoid using random numbers or characters in URLs.

Create and Submit XML Sitemap: Generate a sitemap to help search engines understand the structure of your website. Submit it through Google Search Console.

Robots.txt File: Configure your robots.txt file to control which pages search engines can or cannot crawl.

Technical SEO

3. On-Page Optimisation

On-page SEO involves optimising the content and HTML source code of your web pages. This process is key to making your website relevant to the keywords you want to rank for.

Title Tags: Craft unique and descriptive title tags for each page. Include primary keywords naturally.

Meta Descriptions: Write concise meta descriptions (up to 160 characters) that include keywords and encourage clicks. Header Tags (H1, H2, H3): Use header tags to structure your content. Use H1 for the main title and H2 or H3 for subheadings.

Image Optimisation: Use descriptive file names, alt text, and compress images to ensure fast loading speeds.

Internal Linking: Add internal links to guide users and search engines through your content. This helps distribute page authority.

Keyword Placement: Integrate keywords naturally within the content, including in the introduction, conclusion, and body.

On-Page SEO

4. Content Strategy

Creating high-quality, valuable content is central to SEO success. It helps attract and engage users, encouraging them to stay on your website longer.

Content Planning: Develop a content calendar that covers blog posts, articles, videos, and other content types.

Focus on User Intent: Understand what users are looking for when they search for your target keywords and create content that meets their needs.

Content Types: Include a variety of content types, such as blog posts, product pages, service pages, guides, FAQs, and videos.

Quality over Quantity: Focus on producing well-researched, in-depth content rather than churning out a high volume of low-quality articles.

Update and Refresh Content: Regularly update old content to ensure its relevance and accuracy.

Content Strategy

5. Off-Page SEO

Off-page SEO is about building your website’s authority through backlinks, which are links from other websites pointing to yours. This is crucial for establishing credibility and trustworthiness.

Build Quality Backlinks: Focus on acquiring backlinks from reputable and high-authority websites in your industry.

Guest Blogging: Write guest posts for industry-related blogs to get links back to your site.

Local Citations: Ensure that the business and website are listed with local directories Monitor Backlink Profile: Use tools like Ahrefs or Google Search Console to monitor your backlink profile and disavow any spammy links.

Off-Page SEO

6. User Experience (UX) Optimisation

Google considers user experience when ranking websites. A well-designed, user-friendly site encourages visitors to stay longer, reducing bounce rates and improving overall rankings.

Page Speed: Optimise images, leverage browser caching, and use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to improve page load times.

Mobile Usability: Ensure the website is easy to navigate on mobile devices.

Clear Navigation: Use clear menus and calls-to-action (CTAs) to guide users through the site.

User Feedback: Regularly collect user feedback to identify areas for improvement.

User Experience

7. Monitoring and Analytics

Tracking your SEO performance helps you understand what’s working and where adjustments are needed. Setting up the right tools and monitoring metrics is crucial for continuous improvement.

Google Analytics: Track user behaviour, traffic sources, and conversion rates on your website.

Google Search Console: Monitor your website’s performance in Google Search, including indexing status, keyword rankings, and errors.

Set Up Goal Tracking: Define goals (like form submissions or product purchases) and track conversions in Google Analytics.

Monitor Keyword Rankings: Use SEO tools to track your keyword rankings over time and adjust strategies accordingly.

Monitoring and Analytics

8. Local SEO

For businesses targeting a specific geographical area, optimising for local search is crucial. Local SEO focuses on increasing visibility in local search results.

Google My Business: Create and optimise a Google My Business profile with accurate information and regular updates.

NAP Consistency: Ensure your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) are consistent across all directories.

Local Keywords: Include local keywords in your content and meta tags (e.g., “best coffee shop in Cape Town”).

Customer Reviews: Encourage customers to leave reviews on Google and other platforms to build trust and improve local rankings.

Local SEO

9. Content Outreach and Promotion

To gain more visibility, promote your content actively. This helps to attract traffic and signals to search engines that your content is valuable.

Email Marketing: Use email campaigns to share new content with your audience.

Social Media Sharing: Regularly share your content on social media channels.

Influencer Outreach: Collaborate with industry influencers to promote your content.

Press Releases: Issue press releases for important updates or launches to generate buzz and backlinks.

Content Outreach

10. Regular Audits and Continuous Improvement

SEO is an ongoing process, and regular audits are necessary to adapt to changes in search engine algorithms and user behaviour.

Quarterly SEO Audits: Review your technical, on-page, and off-page SEO to identify any issues..

Content Audit: Regularly assess your content for outdated information and make necessary updates..

Competitor Analysis: Keep an eye on competitors to identify new opportunities or threats..

Stay Updated with SEO Trends: Follow SEO blogs and resources to stay informed about new updates, such as Google algorithm changes.

Audits and Improvements

Conclusion

Building and maintaining a strong SEO strategy for a new website requires a systematic approach. From keyword research and technical setup to content creation and link building, each step plays a vital role in achieving higher rankings and driving traffic. By consistently monitoring and refining your SEO efforts, you can create a sustainable online presence that attracts users and meets your business goals. SEO may take time to show results, but with persistence and dedication, your website will gradually gain visibility and become a valuable asset in the digital space.