Search engine optimization is an elusive goal that changes constantly. What worked five years ago may hurt you today. There are some time-tested practices that can be used to continuously improve your chances of being found online. Recognizing the fact that most people now begin the buying process with an online search and taking the time to seriously look into your optimization strategy is of the utmost importance for companies in nearly every industry. So what are the first steps to take to improve your SEO?

Keyword Audit

The first step is to take a look at your current rankings and historical performance to determine your top performing keywords and those that may need to be removed from your strategy. Once you’ve done that, you want to take a look into your competition. Which keywords do they focus on and how are they ranking for them? Is there an opportunity with a similar long tail keyword that could help you gain an advantage? Once you’ve determined your relevant keywords, research their ranking difficulty and search volume. This will help you devise a strategy that will fit your budget and maximize your marketing dollars. A keyword audit may not necessarily be something you do everyday, but it is something that needs to be looked at on a consistent basis.

Content Creation

Creating content is the top everyday practice that will improve SEO. Not only does content allow you to improve the keyword density of your website, each blog post will add an indexed page to your site, both of which factor greatly into your rankings. In this day and age, content is a requirement for SEO. Essentially your keyword research is going to let you know how to rank and your content will fill the need. Utilizing a diverse set of content including video, infographics and written blogs will help you reach a wider audience with varied preferences. Visual content is the most shared content online so its inclusion is necessary to truly take advantage of current algorithms.

Social Media

Search engines have begun to take social media more seriously when determining rankings. Having optimized and properly used social media accounts indicates to search engines the credibility of your company. With profiles and even individual posts becoming searchable, social media has become a crucial means of improving SEO and growing organic traffic. Consistently posting to social media and optimizing your business page profiles are two things that can be done each day to improve your chances of being found online.

Founded in 1990, Winn Technology Group is a leading provider of global, multi-channel marketing solutions for the technology industry.   For both direct and channel sales, Winn supports demand creation, account-based marketing, channel management, digital marketing, social media, teleprospecting, lead nurturing, event marketing, database services, and inbound response management.