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Intent on DIY-ing Your SEO? Some Tips from Experts to Get You Started:
Because of the labor required, it’s not recommended, but if you must do your own Search Engine Optimization, read on for some helpful (and free-ish) tools.
You’ll find lots of information online, but assess each source carefully as there is a lot of misinformation out there. Also, keep in mind that SEO success takes time, and a technique that worked for another industry may not work for yours. With those caveats, let’s lay out a plan.
To know where you are starting:
Decide if it makes sense to fix what you have rather than starting from square one. To determine what needs fixing, do an SEO audit to see what your strengths and weaknesses are. We offer a free SEO audit here at Sprocket Websites.
To do thorough search term research:
Start by pretending to be your own customer and searching online for your service or product. If you are using Google to search, check out the sections “People also ask” and “People also search for” to inspire you.
Several organizations offer keyword tools with varying levels of complexity and price points. The Keyword Planner at Google Ads provides a lot of useful information for search term research and it’s free to use. You don’t need to actually run and pay for advertising, but you do need to start an Ads account to use the tool.
To write SEO-rich content:
People search online with different intentions, from learning about a product to purchasing the product. Experts identify four intentions that your content should answer: Informational, Navigational, Commercial, and Transactional. We discussed this last year.
AI tools can help with content writing, but you can’t rely on them to do it all for you. Many tools will correct your grammar, and some analyze for clarity or pizzazz. Plugging in your chosen search terms is also possible, but the main drawbacks to online tools are AI’s uninspired prose and some outright mistakes. If you commit to double-checking and rewriting for humans, you can try Marketing Muse or the Writing Assistant at Google.
To optimize the tech side of your website:
Beyond content, SEO applies to your website’s structure, meta tags, internal linking, and other “under the hood” techniques. How difficult it will be to address these depends on the platform on which your site was built and your level of expertise.
Of course, Google has an SEO Guide that you can follow and Moz has their Learning Center. Both of these are free to peruse and provide extensive information to learn more about what SEO is and tips for optimizing your website to compete.
To support your website:
Online directories, review websites, and social media add to your business’s authority and trustworthiness. And if you’re a local business, don’t forget to claim and optimize your Google Business Profile.
To measure your success:
You can’t know what’s working and what’s not if you don’t measure. Your website platform may provide some evaluation tools, but you should consider installing Google Analytics and Google Search Console. We’ve discussed both GA4 and GSC in previous posts, if you want to review what they offer.
With so much information available online, the question really isn’t whether you CAN do your own search engine optimization, but whether you SHOULD. Business owners often find that knowing the steps is very different from completing the steps because, after all, their expertise is in a different field. A common reaction is to consult an SEO checklist and do all of the tasks, but do none of them well. “Analysis Paralysis” is another reaction, ensuring that no tasks get done.
A helpful by-product of DIY SEO is a better comprehension of the process. By knowing the basics, you can steer clear of scammers and understand what a professional is working to accomplish on your behalf.
When you are ready to turn your SEO tasks over to a professional, the Sprocket team is ready to help. Give us a call today to learn more.
Photo by Nadin Sh
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Kate Gingold
I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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