SEO Tune-Up Checklist
In the infinite landscape of digital marketing, SEO stands as the cornerstone of online success. With a career spanning 29 years owning DaGama Digital Marketing Agency, I’ve continually witnessed the evolution of SEO firsthand. I’ve developed SEO strategies that withstand Google’s changing algorithmns. This is not just a theoretical benefit; it’s a practical reality for my clients, who enjoy top 3 and top 5 positions, translating into increased online visibility and business growth worth hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of a year; and millions over several years. But how can you make sure your SEO is tuned-up and humming along properly? Just read today’s helpful blog post: The SEO Tune-Up Checklist, a comprehensive guide to keeping your website in top form for having the best possible chance of ranking high on search engines like Google and Bing – depending on your competition, of course. Why You Need a Quarterly SEO Tune-Up You need a positive reputation with omnipresence because consumers research brands/companies more now post-pandemic than before. And what they find about you has to be positive, of course, or they won’t call you, contact or connect with your company. They will go somewhere else. Forrester Research did a study on post-pandemic consumer behavior. Here’s the most interesting observation: The Number Of Buying Interactions Jumped By 10 Although the number of buying interactions has been increasing slightly every two years (e.g., from 16 to 17 between 2017 and 2019), the number of buying interactions during the pandemic jumped from 17 to 27! The number of buying interactions reflects one individual’s buying journey to obtain information about competing offerings or providers. In the total number, we include self-guided interactions (mostly done by research via the internet) and personal interactions, which refer to a conversation with a person, from either a provider company or third party. Almost all of these conversations took place virtually last year. -Source: https://go.forrester.com/blogs/three-seismic-shifts-in-buying-behavior-from-forresters-2021-b2b-buying-survey/ SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the art and science of improving your website’s visibility on search engines like Google and Bing.This means your website needs to be found in the top three positions for multiple keywords that your prospects are using in searches. Consumers do more research nowadays than ever before while in the process of searching on Google. They have to find you first; and then they’ll decide to call you, contact you or connect by coming in to buy something from you. Without that visibility high up in the search results – especially on mobile searches – you’re basically invisible. SEO, when done right, gets your business visible. Let’s dive into the essentials. SEO Basics At its core, SEO revolves around keywords. These are the words and phrases your target audience uses to find information online. Conduct thorough keyword research to understand what terms are relevant to your business. Many free and paid keyword research tools exist. Many people use the following: Ahrefs Keywords Explorer Moz Keyword Explorer SEMrush Long Tail Pro Google Keyword Planner (You have to set up a Google Ads account to use this but you don’t have to buy any ads.) Technical SEO Ensure your website is mobile-friendly. With the majority of internet users on mobile devices, this is non-negotiable and should be well-known by now but sometimes I still meet new clients who’ve never looked at their websites on mobile. And sometimes the mobile presentation is hurting their business. Another important technical SEO thing you should check is your website’s loading speed. Slow sites can turn visitors away. You only have 2.5 seconds to hook your visitor into staying and exploring more pages. So make sure your website loads fast. Here’s the Google Page Speed test you can check your site with now. Lack of Structured Data (Schema Markup): Missing out on structured data can result in lost opportunities for enhancing search listings and improving click-through rates. Broken Links and 404 Errors: Having a high number of broken links or 404 errors can damage your site’s usability and trustworthiness in the eyes of search engines. Schema Markup Do you have a WordPress website? For managing schema markup on your WordPress website, there are several tools and plugins specifically designed for this purpose. Schema markup helps search engines understand the content of your site better, potentially leading to rich snippets in search results. Example: star symbols (indicating a 5-star rating) appearing in the search result is due to a rich snippet of code being used. Here are some good Schema Markup tools: Schema Pro: This plugin automates the process of adding schema markup to your WordPress site. It supports a wide range of schema types and allows for easy customization without needing to write any code. Schema Pro can automatically apply relevant schema markup across your site, enhancing your site’s presence in search results. More about Schema Pro can be found on their official website. Yoast SEO: While primarily known for its SEO capabilities, Yoast SEO also includes features for adding schema markup to your posts and pages. It simplifies the process of integrating basic schema types like Article, Breadcrumb, and Person. You can learn more about Yoast SEO’s schema features on the Yoast SEO website. All in One Schema Rich Snippets: This plugin is focused on providing a straightforward way to add various schema markup types like reviews, events, people, products, recipes, and more. It’s user-friendly and helps improve how your posts look in search results. More information is available on the WordPress plugin repository. WP SEO Structured Data Schema: This tool provides extensive options for schema types and is suitable for those looking for more control over their schema markup. It’s a bit more advanced but offers greater flexibility. Check out more details on the WordPress plugin repository. Rank Math: Rank Math is another SEO plugin that includes schema markup functionality. It offers a simple interface to add schema markup and supports a wide range of schema types. Rank Math’s schema module is quite intuitive and easy to use. Find more about