Strategy for market leaders in SEO

Improving SEO position is a challenge these days, especially if the website is already achieving excellent results. CMOs and marketing managers must continue to devise strategies. In this article, I provide insight into advanced SEO strategies for different parts of SEO – from local SEO to link building.

Analyzing current SEO performance

To improve SEO strategy, a comprehensive analysis of current SEO performance is essential. When doing this, don’t just look at basic statistics like page view or search result position, but dive deeper into the data to get a full picture of which aspects are working and which are not. Analyze user behavior, the performance of specific keywords, conversion rates and the performance of content with respect to engagement and link building.

Diving deeper into the data

Improving SEO requires thorough research. For example, see how long visitors stay on the website, how they navigate and at what point they leave the website. Advanced analytics tools like Google Analytics and SEMrush are suitable for deeper analysis and monitor bounce rates, behavioral flows and traffic sources, among other things.

Competitive Analysis

In addition, examine a website’s position relative to its competitors. Analyze which keywords they rank for and what type of content gets the best results. Also check out their backlink profile. Competitor information provides insight into market trends and potential opportunities within SEO.

Advanced on-page optimization

SEO that is already at a high level can be improved by advanced on-page optimization techniques. These refine every aspect of web pages to provide an excellent user experience and increase SEO rankings.

Create topic clusters

Topic clusters are effective for building domain authority. Create content around a number of linked topics or themes, demonstrating expertise in a particular area.

Building out existing topic clusters

Clusters are also built out of pre-existing content. Review this content and see if it can be expanded further. This can be done by writing more detailed articles, adding additional resources – think videos or infographics – or exploring sub-topics.

Creating new topic clusters

Find new topics within the niche and create topic clusters around these topics. These new topic clusters should appeal to new segments of the target audience and attract new audiences.

User experience optimization and technical SEO

To rank higher in Google, optimal user experience and excellent technical SEO are key. Web site load times should be high and users should be able to navigate easily. The optimization of these factors is an ongoing process. Also, the mobile version should be fine and technical problems such as crawl errors or broken links should be avoided.

Monthly optimization of technical SEO

Assess a website’s user experience thoroughly each month by analyzing user behavior. In doing so, see how visitors navigate, what part of the website they spend the most time on, and at what point they leave the website.

Tools like Google Analytics provide insight into user behavior. Especially page load time, accessibility and mobile viewing are important points to consider. If the figures show that the above factors are not working optimally, adjustments are needed.

Monthly user experience optimization

For continued good SEO, it is important to assess monthly factors such as website speed, mobile view, website structure and internal and external linking. Look for crawl errors or broken links on the website and unoptimized meta tags. Also check the website for security issues, including SSL certificate errors or other vulnerable components. For high-risk implementations, always do an A/B test to avoid a drop in visitors.

Expanding the content strategy

For companies that already have a high ranking, it is smart to expand the content strategy. SEO experts should not only create more content, but also use different types of content and keywords that increase reach.

Leveraging long-tail keywords

One of the components for an improved content strategy, is the use of long-tail keywords. These keywords are more specific and therefore often have less competition. Also, these keywords attract more targeted traffic. Not only does it increase the number of visitors, but it also increases the relevance and value of the website.

Longtail search terms also have a higher CTR in practice and thus will rank higher in Google. Moreover, long-tail keywords often ensure that a Featured Snippet in Google is achieved.

Keeping content up-to-date

The digital world is constantly changing. Content must also be continuously updated, especially content that is subject to industry changes. Not only does this keep the content more relevant, constant updating also contributes to website reliability.

Make sure key articles are never not updated for more than a year. The date an article was written and updated is an important factor in determining its search position in Google.

Supplementing well-performing content

Research which pages and articles are performing best and expand them with new data or information. This keeps the article relevant longer and ensures that users keep visiting the article.

Writing new articles regularly

Write new and quality articles daily or weekly to maintain a high ranking. Also, a continuous stream of articles keeps visitors engaged.

To ensure consistency, a good content calendar is crucial. This is also what the target audience is counting on.

Quality link building

Link building is essential in the SEO roadmap. The important thing here is not quantity, but quality.

Strategies for quality backlinks

A website’s backlinks should be relevant to its niche and have high authority. To do so, create relevant content that is naturally shared and linked or actively build relationships with other websites and influencers in the industry.

Collaboration with partners and influencers

Collaborations with partners and influencers have a positive effect on obtaining quality backlinks. Examples of these collaborations are joint content projects or guest blogs. Promotions can also be made through social media.

Make sure the collaborations are relevant to the target audience. Moreover, both parties must benefit.

Use only quality backlinks

In modern SEO, the quality of backlinks is much more important than quantity. Build a natural link profile with quality links and avoid questionable link building tactics. Dubious link building tactics are punished by the search engines.

Strengthening local SEO

Good local SEO is essential to achieve higher rankings in local search results. SEO specialists need to be more visible online to local users. This is especially important for companies that target customers in specific geographic areas.

Advanced techniques for local visibility

Use advanced techniques that fine-tune website content to local search terms and user intentions. Optimize the Google My Company listing and localize the content. Getting local backlinks is also necessary.

Creating a separate page for each location

For companies with multiple physical locations, it is smart to create a separate page for each location, with unique location-specific information. Examples include hours of operation, address, phone number and specific services or offers. See an example here.

Creating multiple location pages

Create a unique, detailed and optimized page for each location. Pages should feature not only basic information, but also site-specific content – think local news updates, links to local resources, testimonials from local customers and case studies.

Displaying local reviews

Local reviews and listings are of great importance in local SEO. Encourage customers to leave reviews on platforms such as Google, My Business and Yelp. This increases visitor confidence. Also, always respond to reviews, whether positive or negative.

Tips

For optimal SEO, it is essential to apply methods that have already proven to deliver good results. Don’t spend too much time and resources on experimental techniques.

No experiments

Use techniques that have already proven their success and produce consistently good results. So make use of relevant keywords and make sure you have a good mobile display. The user experience must also be optimal.

Focus on content and link building

Make the SEO strategy successful with high-quality content and effective link building. Make the content engaging, informative and valuable to the target audience and make sure you get high-quality backlinks for good link building. The links should be related to websites relevant to the industry.

Summary

The world of SEO is constantly changing, but for a successful strategy, good quality content and good backlinks are still most important.

Companies that already have good SEO should use advanced techniques and leverage previously proven successful strategies. They should also strengthen local SEO.