Google is dominating the internet. The search engine now processes 40,000 search queries every second. That’s 3.5 billion searches a day!
With a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, you can help prospective customers find your company online. Without one, however, you’re missing out on a chance to improve sales and lower your ROI.
Improving your SEO can also help you compete with big corporations. At the same time you’re improving your brand awareness and becoming a credible resource in your industry. Setting SEO goals this year can help you build your business.
Here are nine ways you can achieve your SEO goals in 2020.
With these tips, you can get ahead of the competition and ensure your business grows in the new year. Get started with these tips!
1. Complete Keyword Research
The first step to accomplishing your SEO goals is to complete thorough keyword research.
An SEO strategy is built on the keywords your customers are searching for. Then, you can create content that revolves around these keywords. However, you want to determine which keywords have a high search volume and low competition.
You can use websites such as SemRush, Google Trends, and Google Keyword Planner to research a list of keywords.
As you develop this list of keywords, it’s also important to consider your customers’ search intent. What are they looking for when they search specific keywords? Matching your customers’ search intent will ensure you provide them with relevant information.
Relevance is important when building your SEO strategy. Google looks for web content that matches the users’ search intent.
Once you have this list of keywords, you can start creating unique, informative content for your target audience.
2. Know Your Customers
While you’re completing your keyword research, it also helps to understand your customers. What problems are they trying to solve? What issues keep them up at night?
Understand which questions your customers are asking, how they’re asking, and who they’re asking. The better you understand your customers, the more likely you’ll create content that matches their search intent. In time, your readers will learn to rely on you for the information they need.
You can accomplish your SEO goals this year by making a list of the problems your customers solve each day. How can you help them?
Then, use websites such as Mox and Ahrefs to bulk up your research.
You can also use the keyword list you created earlier, then type those keywords into Google’s search bar. There, Google will show you a list of related searches, so you can further build out your list.
3. Create Helpful Content
Now that you know what questions your customers are asking and why, start creating content!
It’s important that your content is unique. Otherwise, you might get penalized. Unique content is more likely to rank higher on search engines.
Your content can extend beyond blog posts. You can also create:
Videos
Lists
How-to guides
Live chats
Webinars
Articles
White papers
Infographics
Consider what content your target audience is looking for. Then make sure each piece of content you create accomplishes a specific goal. Why should your readers consume this content?
Don’t forget to consider which obstacles your customers are facing and how you can help.
That way, your content provides your readers with value. Finish your piece off with a call-to-action encouraging them to contact you as well. Then, you can turn each reader into a potential lead!
4. Update Your Website
In order to accomplish your SEO goals, you also need to update your website.
Make sure your pages include your target keywords in the:
Titles
Headers
URLs
Meta descriptions
Image tags (alt tags)
Your meta description is the summary that displays in Google. Make sure to use enticing language to encourage people to read your content.
Your page speed matters as well. Don’t forget to update your website security with an SSL certificate, too.
5. Build Your Links
A strong SEO strategy requires both internal and external links.
Internal links are links that send readers to other pages on your website. External links send readers to another company’s site. Both links can build your search engine ranking and encourage people to click throughout your site.
Make sure your external links send readers to high-quality websites. This will further improve your page ranking and credibility.
6. Consider Local SEO
To improve your SEO strategy, make sure to consider your local SEO as well.
Update your Google My Business listing with the correct information. Ask happy customers to reviews as well. Improving your local SEO will help you take up prominent space on Google to encourage more visitors.
7. Make Sure You’re Mobile
50% of searches begin with a mobile device. That number is only expected to grow this year as more people rely on their smartphones.
Google now uses mobile-first indexing to determine page rankings. If your website isn’t mobile-optimized, you’re missing out on potential traffic. Make sure your visitors can use your website on their smaller screens to improve your search ranking.
8. Update for Voice Search
Are you using Alexa, Siri, or Google to speed up your searches? Experts expect that people will complete 50% of searches through voice devices by 2020. In fact, 35.6 million Americans use voice-activated devices at least once a month.
Make sure your content matches how people search with mobile devices. Consider which questions your customers are asking and write out that question. Then, focus your content on the answer.
Writing for voice searches will help you cover more searches.
9. Capture Featured Snippets
Featured snippets also take up prominent space on search engines. Writing your content for featured snippets will help you increase your page ranking. At the same time, you’re showing readers you’re there to help.
Determine which pieces of content you can update, such as lists, to optimize for featured snippets.
Go for SEO: 9 Tips for Achieving Your SEO Goals in 2020
With these nine tips, you can achieve your SEO goals and attract more customers! A strong SEO strategy will help you extend your reach, increase traffic and sales, and build your business.
Explore our latest SEO posts for more ways to improve your SEO strategy in 2020.