The Only 4 Elements you Need to Worry About for SEO

There may be over 200 SEO factors involved in determining search engine rankings.

That’s a lot.

You can’t possible hit every single one. Nor do you want to even try.

But you have to do something. And spreading yourself too thin will only be worse.

So you need to focus on the essential, and forget everything else.

The major SEO factors can be grouped into 4 categories.

Focus on these, and you’ll succeed.

These 4 areas have to work together. Only doing one is worthless.

It’s not hard, but it does take work.


Your SEO strategy must have these 4 parts
Image courtesy of Gary Henderson

1. Research the right Keywords

Any good SEO program is founded on good keywords. These are what you’re customers search for. These are how they’ll find you.

Keywords define your target customers intent. Use their language and pain points to figure out how they search.

Focus on keywords that are specific, but match your competitiveness. This is called a long-tail strategy.

You may not be able to compete with “auto repair shop”, but you can compete with “SEO for auto repair shop“.

Now look up specific keywords that have strong search volume.

How competitive are they? Are the sites that currently rank for that keyword much bigger and more established then you?

Do you think you can outrank them?

That’s the essence of good keyword research.

2. Optimize your pages and posts

Now it’s time to optimize your website.

This means placing keywords in specific areas to make your website more targeted.

This gets you the right, qualified customers, not just random people.

Now make sure each page on your website has one topic. That topic should be a keyphrase you just researched.

Does your copy fully explain each topic? Will it give your customers an answer to their search?

Make it easy for people to find what they’re looking for.

Happier customers buy more stuff.

3. Always look for backlink opportunities

In the online world, links are considered votes. The more votes you have, the more trustworthy you become.

Links pointing to your website from other people are huge for SEO.

But only if they’re the right kind of links.

That doesn’t mean buying or swapping links. That isn’t good enough anymore.

You need to get real links from real people who like, appreciate and recommend what you offer.

4. Get social and make connections

Social media presents a unique opportunity. But only if you know what you’re doing.

It’s the best way to build an audience and increase your influence.

Audience + Influence = Success

So you need to be active and make connections with other people in your space.

Where does your target market hang out online? Where do they go for answers?

Who influences them?

Find those people slowly build a relationship with them.

Overtime, they’ll recommend you. And their community will recommend you too. That’s word of mouth.

If you want to avoid an SEO ranking drop, build a community and make more money, then focus on these 4 simple things.

Forget everything else. It will just slow you down.

4 Common SEO Mistakes that Will Hurt Your Rankings this Year

Enter your name and email below to get a free on-demand video about how to fix these four common mistakes:

  • Mistake #1: Relying on a “Head” Keyword Strategy
  • Mistake #2: Over-Optimizing Your Pages and Posts
  • Mistake #3: Acquiring Easy, Low Value & High Risk Links
  • Mistake #4: Not Using a Combination of Tactics to Boost SEO
 

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