Search Engine Optimization is evolving very fast from a traditional SEO that overly focuses on keywords and links into one that is more holistic and integrated. In other words, SEO is not just optimizing your page for search engine ranking, but also optimizing everything from the user experience, keyword research, link building, and content marketing to social media. I like to compare SEO to building a house that will last for decades if not centuries. You need to build your SEO on a firm foundation that will last the test of time—one that will not be shaken by any form search engine algorithm changes in future.

If you fail to build your SEO campaigns on these key pillars, your business will greatly suffer as a result of low visibility in search engines and competition. Of course, SEO is still going to change drastically over the coming days, but if you focus on building your house on long-term foundation stones, you can expect to dominate your niche for many years to come. Without much further ado, here are six key areas to focus your SEO campaign.

  1. Good Quality Content

What is quality content?

 You have definitely heard the phrase “content is king” for umpteen times. However, if you were to ask any random marketer what quality content is, you would get varied answers.  For some, quality content is one that has x number of words where x can be anything like 400, 500, 700, 1000, 1500, 2000 or 5000 words. For others, quality content is relevance. But what really is quality content?

Quality content is simply content that is evergreen. It should be useful to the users who will in turn keep coming back for more. It should stand the test of time. A website with great content will always be ahead of the competition when it comes to search engine rankings. In order to produce top-notch content, follow the guidelines below.

  • Understand what makes your followers tick

There is a reason why some marketers struggle to market their products. The best marketers know whom they are marketing to. They know what makes their audience tick. Therefore, they speak the language of their audience. Writing something that your audience does not care about is a waste of time. Do a proper research before creating content for your website. This will ensure that your content will resonate with your audience and persuade them to buy from you.

  • Get feedback

Once you have produced the content, encourage your readers to make comments, react, as questions, add on the content, or even disapprove of the content. Some marketers make the mistake of turning off commenting.

  • Provide real value

The best way you can differentiate yourself from the competition is by providing real value to your audience. When users come to your website, they expect to find unique, original, actionable and resourceful content.

  • Provide easy-to-read content

Did you know that Google hates content that isn’t easy to read? People have way too many things to do and if your content isn’t easy to read, they won’t read it. Do not create content that looks like it belongs to a scientific journal. If it isn’t easy for a 5th grader, then your content needs to be redone. Follow the following simple rules to increase readability of your articles.

  • Ensure your sentences are short. Paragraphs should also be short.
  • Break up content into headers, sub-headers and bolding.
  • Font size should not be too small or too big. I prefer size 16.
  • Include images, charts, videos and other graphics that act as visual aid
  • Create lists (like this one)

It does not matter how great and valuable your content is. If it is not readable, you will get high bounce rates. Make it as easy as possible for your readers to find the information they are looking for.

Content with titles that grab readers’ attention result in more shares and are read more. Your title is what sells your content. Certainly, titles act as your content’s sales representative in social media, search engine and in email campaigns. So it is no surprise that titles tell half of the story.

  1. Linking Strategy

Links act like streets in the search engine universe. They give search engine bots clues on how content is interrelated within pages. Although links aren’t everything in SEO, they are very important because they not only determine the popularity index of a website, they also determine metrics like spam, trust and authority. You can also compare links to votes. If you are getting links from trustworthy sites, it is a good sign even to the search engines that your site is also trustworthy.  It is imperative that you get your link building right if you want to build a Google-proof link network.

Here are five quick tips to ensure that your link building strategy is right

  • Avoid low quality guest posting. Google is harsh on thin, rehashed or unauthentic content that does not give value. Cookie-cutter guest post still fall in the category of scraped content as far as Google is concerned
  • Avoid scarping content from popular website. There is nothing wrong with using content from other well-established and authority website so long as you modify it to suit your audience such as including relevant stats, views, opinions or data. So, do not just copy paste everything including links.
  • Concentrate on link quality instead of link quantity. If you were sick, an advice from one qualified doctor is better than 100 advices from 100 random individuals. The same applies to link building in SEO. It is better to have one or two links from relevant, high authority website than having thousands from irrelevant sources. If your website is about dog nutrition, a link from the National Dog Health Association would carry more weight and relevance than one from a blog about fashion.
  • The more quality links you have the better. It is a great thing if you are or can get many links from different quality website.
  • Beware of link anchor text. The link anchor text says a lot about what you are good at. The text link tells the search engines what your website is all about. Most importantly, make your anchor text relevant to your content. For example, if you are talking about child toys, a link text like “horse racing” will send wrong signals to both users and search engines
  1. Responsive web design

Responsive web design has become an integral part of search engine optimization. With more people using their tablets and smartphones to access the internet, it is very important for marketers to create websites that can be access across multiple channels. Therefore, responsible web design (RED) means that website pages are able to render seamlessly depending on which devices they are being displayed on. This means that irrespective of whether you are accessing the website from a desktop, tablet or smartphone, the website will remain user-friendly.

Google loves RWD

Google is the divine being in the web universe that makes commandments. What Google wants is what you give it. Google favors responsive websites when it comes to search engine ranking. As a matter of fact, mobile-friendly sites, all factors held constant, generally rank higher than non-responsive sites. What this means is that Google is effectively penalizing sites that are not responsive.

  1. Passion for the brand

It is difficult do anything without passion. This is one item that many business owners do not take into consideration, yet it is the most important one by a mile. You must have a passion for your brand; otherwise, you will soon burn out. Before you jump into keyword research, content and web design, first make an assessment of how passionate you are with the niche. Are you willing to go an extra mile to create an extraordinary business? Are you willing to learn? Start with passion and you will build a very successful online business.