Welcome to the second of two parts in our SEO guide for 2013. Let you business make the impact it is supposed to! These tips are especially useful to those starting out in business.
1) If you are thinking of rebranding now is the time to do it. You will need to be quick off the mark though as this can take quite a while. You need to find the right fit for you. Your website designer and graphic designer should be able to lift your ideas off the page and you should feel like they get your business.
2) Do or revisit the research you did on keywords when first looking at your business idea. You may find they either need adapting or changing completely. Why not drop me a quick email if you are unsure and I will guide you through. You may have thought that some keywords have worked better than others but you will no doubt be surprised at some of the searched bringing clients or customers to your site. If you are a trend based business you will need to evaluate you keywords quarterly to ensure you are on top of your game. Think of it like keeping your skills fresh. Check your site analytics and get used to how to read them.
3) Make a plan of action by month or even week. Spin your keywords into blog posts and come up with a content management strategy. This can really help if you feel like you are drifting away from your target audience and also prompts you when having writers block. Make your plan now so you have content ready to go as soon you need it. If clients or customers ask questions it may be that others have the same ones too. These make perfect customer focussed blog content and shows you care.
4) Sign up to a competitors newsletter or blog RSS feed. This isn’t so you can copy what they are doing but keeps you fresh on what they are so you can show further innovation and lead your field. It is always really good to keep an eye on the competition so they don’t over take you. Use it as a incentive to keep going and to be better than them
5) Send you clients/customers an end of year survey. I would recommend survey monkey as it is free. Or if you use newsletter than do that this way. Ask them to feel free to post on your social network accounts so you can publicly share your expertise. The more you interact the more you will gain and of course the odd links to relevant data on you site won’t go a miss either.
6) Think about where your links come from by running a link check on your site. Which links draw clients in. Is there a pattern to date or time? A particular theme that people are searching for. When you look at rebranding or future content these will make part of that strategy planning up. You need to focus on what the client is looking for.
7) Your content is the key to your success. Plan in advance and think about themeing your weeks/months to encourage people to keep following. If they see a pattern forming it is likely they will start to feel part of your site and then when relaxed they will comment. It may be worth asking friends to comment so that others feel confident to do so too. Remember to always reply to the comments as well. This will ensure your prospective clients know you are there for them and others.
8) Social media is a must for any business. As in 2012 social media will gain pace in 2013. Give yourself a social media MOT. Make sure you are giving the output you need and check if they are providing good link backs to your site. Incorporate social media into your marketing plan so that you know you must spend time on giving consist output from your accounts.
9) Is the content you are outputting enough? Remember to be consistent in your output, you need to have a regular pattern of updating your blog and pages. But also remember good quality and lengthy content is the key for your site to grow. We suggest between 500 and 1000 words for each blog post. A punchy introduction is really important to pull the reader in as in great easy to follow content.
10) Finally as always you want to be respected in your profession. Making sure everything fits together well, reads well and engages will make your business a success. Don’t start something that falls flat in a few months, you need to make that plan, stick to it and revisit on a regular basis. Don’t go all guns and lose momentum. Only you can make your business have the success it deserves in 2013.
Do you agree? Or would you like to challenge anything I have said here?
