Simple Search Engine Optimization

There are a lot of complicated ways to approach doing search engine optimization. You can find more SEO software programs and keyword search tools than you could possibly use in a month. One can read for DAYS on the proper technique and nuance of each area of the SEO spectrum.

Me? I’m a simple guy. I prefer things straight forward. One of my favorite movies of all time is RoadHouse with Patrick Swayze. Know why? Good guy comes into good town, and bad guy is ruining things. Good guys beats up bad guy….Swayze gets girl. That is simplicity at its finest!

So how can you make things more simple when it comes to making your website competitive in the search results? Here is my 3 step formula to headache free, clock out and go home SEO strategy.

Write content for people not search engines.

I know it’s sounds too simple to be true, but the search engines are setup to find results for people searching for answers. If you write about subjects and questions that are common in your industry, you will always have a chance at customers. Some people confuse SEO writing vs Non-SEO writing. There is no such distinction. If you are a business that is writing content then you should be using words and phrases that people are using to find you in everything that you publish. If you are not interested in writing with these disciplines, then you are writing for pleasure, not business. Therefore…

Use words and phrases that people type into search engines.

This is the famous keyword research arena that you’ve probably heard a lot about. It’s no surprise that you need to find out what people are actually typing in Google and Bing when they are looking for your product or service.

Don’t know what the exact things people are typing about your product? Let’s start with what they are NOT typing. Industry buzz words, jargon, one word searches or generic things.
Nobody cares about what you think about your product or experience in the industry.They care about how you can help them.

So this helps us get a better picture of what they ARE  typing.

Specific, longer phrases that describe problems or actions they want to take. These are what we call the money phrases. A whole ‘nother blog post in the future will address simple keyword research in more depth. So now that you have a great article with your star keyword phrase placed in a few spots it’s time to get moving.

Put Your Content Where the Right Eyes Are.

There are two basic schools of thought here. Put your content everywhere, and the people who like it will pick it up.

OR

Put it where your customers likely are and then spend time in those groups. I am very much a fan of the latter.

Relationships really are the basis of business. If you spend some time being strategic about where to place your content, the results will be outstanding. Focus on finding groups that can benefit from your posts, not just where you think there are a lot of people in your industry.

What else do you want to know about SEO? Let me know in the comments below what your biggest challenge around doing SEO currently is.

Jake on Google+>