Part of success as an SEO professional is finding the right niche. However, as the years go by, finding a niche with no competition gets harder and harder. This means that effective, tested and long-term SEO strategies are increasingly necessary. For a site to compete and dominate in a niche, it needs to play the long game.
Strategy #1: Brand Out and Stand Out
For a site to succeed, it needs to stand out. This means it needs to bring something unique to the table. This is company branding. It means creating a unique image for the site and the company in everything it does. Maybe it involves the use of humor in a specific way, or a transparency regarding industry secrets. Whatever the source, the site needs a unique image to make it pop to audiences.
Strategy #2: Constant Content Writing
Content is a great way to show off the unique voice of a site. A blog is the best vehicle to display that content. This blog needs to be constantly updated with reasonable and thoughtful posts. They should be long, keyword targeted and cover a variety of topics related to the industry.
Strategy #3: Go Home
While not applicable to every site, if the business has a physical location, local marketing is critical. People search for local alternatives to big name businesses, and that is a perfect opportunity to stand out. A business in New Jersey needs New Jersey SEO to attract the locals, for example. Brand local to go global.
Strategy #4: Hit the Weak Point
A site will almost definitely have competition. This competition will be enacting an SEO plan of their own. This is an excellent opportunity to study what they’re doing. Monitor what their keywords are and what strategies they use. Look over their tactics for weaknesses and ruthlessly exploit them.
Strategy #5: Make Love, not War
While a site can easily exploit the weaknesses in other sites, it doesn’t help to alienate everyone. Industry relationships are an excellent source of information and value for customers. Guest posts, link swaps and mutual referrals are all benefits that come from networking with others in the field.
Strategy #6: Feed the Social Animals
A site that sells a product or service can benefit from social media interaction considerably. One primary way to draw in consumers is to reward them for their attention. Give out coupons or samples through Facebook. Hold promotions and giveaways for blog readers. Special deals for people who follow the company make those people feel special, even if they’re one of thousands.
Strategy #7: A Golden Reputation
Businesses get reviewed on other sites. Yelp, the Yellow Pages, Google Places, or even product review sites for consumer goods all find users posting their experiences. If reviews are good, the site can point to them as testimonials. If they’re bad, it’s a good idea to address the concerns both publicly and privately. Address the customer directly and work to make it right. Air the concerns publicly and strive to fix them. Reputation is the difference between a sale and a bounce.
Derek is currently blogging for a data management solution company.