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Write exceptional content and you’ll earn links with the best sites rather than having to beg crappy ones to backlink to you. Search Engine User Optimization I wish we could dump the term SEO and, instead, focus on Search Engine User Optimization. How does one do that? You measure the behavior of your organic traffic down to every detail, incorporating events, funnels, campaigns, tests, and conversions to see what is resonating with your target audience and what isn’t. I can’t believe the number of consultants that will proudly proclaim they got their client ranked… but it’s not producing any end result for the business. Rank doesn’t matter if it’s not driving business results.
Rather than constantly publishing low-value content, you develop a content library that your target Fax Lists audience is seeking. This is in-depth, multi-medium, rich content that’s kept fresh and updated. This article, for instance, was originally published 12 years ago and I continue to enhance it. I often retire old content and redirect the URLs to new content that’s relevant. My theory is that having a site full of unranked, low-value content is going to drag down the rest of your rankings (since it’s a poor experience). Get rid of it! I’d rather have a dozen articles ranking in the top 3 than a thousand articles on page 3. You perform all the technical aspects of site optimization. The analogy that I draw on this is that you can build an amazing store… but people still have to find you. Search engines are your road and you must help them get you on the map by following their best practices. You monitor your site continuously for issues – from pages that aren’t found, to toxic backlinks that may have been published to hurt you, to site performance and mobile experience issues.
I’m constantly crawling my client’s sites and have dozens of audits and reports automated with Semrush. I monitor search consoles and webmaster tools and work hard to diagnose and correct issues that may be hurting their rankings. You monitor your competitors’ sites and content. You’re in a race against your competitors and they’re investing in beating you on rank… you need to do the same. Stay one step ahead of them by keeping your sites running beautifully and continuously improving your content. You deploy local SEO efforts by publishing on your Google Business page, collecting reviews, and keeping good directory listings up to date. You deploy international efforts by using accurate translations of your site, offering multi-language support, and monitoring your ranking in other countries and their dominant search engines. You look for opportunities to rank well on keyword combinations that are highly relevant and don’t have a lot of competition. This may include pitching your content to publishers (like me), guest writing on industry platforms, or even hiring influencers and compensating them (with full disclosure).
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