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The Basics of SEO – Plus Tools to Get You Started

If you want to optimize your brand’s online presence, integrating fundamental SEO techniques into your marketing strategy is the perfect place to start. From increasing visibility to building brand credibility and trust, SEO is a key component of establishing a stronger brand position amid competitive online search results. 

Keep reading to learn more about SEO basics and how to incorporate these strategies into your marketing mix.

 What is SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process by which your brand will attract organic website traffic through the incorporation of content that ranks well with search engines.

How Does SEO Benefit Your Website?

Integrating SEO tactics into your website can elevate your brand’s online ranking, which determines its position on the search engine results page (SERPs) and ultimately amplifies visibility and reach. This translates to increased exposure for your brand, as it will appear more prominently in search results, offering more individuals the chance to click through to your website. 

It’s no surprise that a higher volume of website visitors allows for more opportunities to engage and guide prospective customers through the sales funnel. Additionally, organic traffic is free—meaning that your brand isn’t investing in paid ads or placements to reach target audiences. And while implementing a basic SEO strategy requires time, effort and content creation, it’s worth noting that your brand isn’t spending marketing dollars to ensure a ranked position. 

SEO Best Practices

Utilizing basic SEO best practices can help your brand achieve desired results. Here are some steps to keep in mind to create a strategy that will move the needle for your business: 

Keyword Research – A cornerstone of basic SEO, keyword research is important to 1) identify the specific words and phrases your target audience is searching for and 2) strategically incorporate them in your website content. 

Keyword & Phrase Inclusion – Be sure to research the latest industry recommendations around basic SEO keyword and phrase frequency to confirm that your content has the optimal number of instances of each targeted word or phrase.

Meta Tags – These are small text snippets embedded in your webpage’s code that describe the content. Meta tags help search engines know what is being covered across all pages of your website, which can influence when your page is delivered in search results. Despite being often overlooked in SEO basics due to their technical nature, meta tags are instrumental in facilitating search engine crawling and should be a core element of your brand’s overall SEO strategy.

Links – Remember to leverage outbound and inbound links to help build trust in your brand and associate it with other important webpages on the topic being covered. 

Content – Strong messaging that offers value to your target audience will always perform the best. This means taking time to create useful pieces of content that will be of interest to your desired customer base.  

Tools to Get You Started

Engaging in basic SEO means having the right data to make informed decisions. Here are some tools that can help: 

Google Analytics – The latest version of Google Analytics, GA4, helps brands better understand how their current website is performing by identifying strengths and areas for opportunity. 

Google Search Console – This tool empowers brands to improve website functionality by unveiling key performance insights and measuring data for search traffic.  

Yoast – This SEO optimization company offers plugins for both WordPress and Shopify, enabling you to maximize the effectiveness of your website content.

Optimized for Search

As a proven strategy for reaching organic audiences, integrating basic SEO tactics can help improve your ranking in search results, effectively capture the attention of your target audiences and offer a more seamless pathway for prospective customers to find and choose your brand. However, basic SEO work can be demanding work—so having an experienced SEO partner is always a good idea. Reach out to Beyond Fifteen and learn how we can level up your brand’s SEO strategy today!

Connect with a Beyond Fifteen Marketing Specialist today!

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