Top 3 SEO Tips For 2018

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a long-term, never-ending strategy for getting your Website to show up well in the Organic section of a Google search results screen.  SEO is the area below the map in a Google search result.

SEO is like the tree analogy. The best time to plant a tree is 5 years ago.  While you cannot go back in time, you can today implement your SEO strategy for the next 5 years. Do these 3 things, and you will solidly position your business for the next 5 years in the Google search result screens.

# 1 Strategic Keyword Decision

Pick the top 5 keyword strings you want your business to show up for in Google. Examples for a lawn service company…….

1. “lawn mowing service”
2. “grass cutting service”
3. “lawn service company”
4. “lawn and landscaping”
5. “residential lawn care”

Once you have your top five SEO terms, never ever get distracted and spend time or money on other terms until you’ve done everything possible for these top five SEO terms. For example, it might be in the Fall when you decide to start doing SEO for your business. It would be very easy to spend money, and chase things like…. “Leaf blowing”, “Snow removal”, etc.   

Don’t get distracted by the short-term “now” terms. SEO is a long-term, never-ending strategy for your company. Stay focused on your top 5.  If you want to chase short-term things, think Google Pay-Per-Click (PPC), not SEO. You can start PPC in a day, and stop marketing for it a day later. Your SEO work can never end.

# 2 Website Content Consistency

Do you have a Web page for each of your top 5 SEO keyword terms? Do you have 300 to 500 words on those pages dedicated to how you provide that keyword service?  Do you have links on other pages of your Website linking to your top 5 SEO keyword pages? Are all your pictures on these top 5 pages named correctly, and have correct ALT tags? Do you have H1, H2, or H3 headers on each of these pages? Are your title tags for these pages set up correctly?  Your Website has to convince Google that you’re serious about your top 5 terms.

#3 Internet/Marketing Consistency

In all your marketing efforts, whether that’s on the Internet or not, does all your marketing content and messaging focus on your top 5 SEO keyword terms?  What Google is looking for are companies that present themselves as the Authority on a topic. They want to see, hear, and feel that you, as a company, are serious about being known for the things you want to show up for. 

If you do a television ad for “leaf blowing”, that’s not one of your 5 key word terms, BUT, in that commercial, do you say, “Leaf blowing brought to you by the best lawn service company in Kansas City”?  In your Facebook posts, are you trying to get conversations going about things related to the fact that you are a lawn service company in Kansas City?  It doesn’t really help you just to post stuff on Facebook if people are not commenting on or sharing your posts, mentioning that you are a lawn service company.

So, for your SEO efforts in 2018, focus on implementing a strategy that will carry you through the next 5 years. You will be more successful and happy with the results.

Side topic – Voice Search SEO is hot right now as well. Here’s a great article from an SEO company out in Colorado Springs about this hot new topic.

KC Web Specialists would be proud to be your partner in the development and implementation of an SEO plan for your Kansas City company. Please reach out to me at your convenience if you would like to discuss next steps.

(913) 489-7866 or info@kcwebspecialists.com

KC Web Specialists are your Kansas City experts in Web Design, SEO, Pay-Per-Click, and are WordPress Web Designer pros.