Earlier this month, I discussed what SEO was and was not. I also discussed how a prospect’s query can bring up your results in a SERP and why a title and description is important. Here I discuss how to maximize the components of an SERP (search engine results page).
How can one maximize the components of a SERP?
Honestly, it’s pretty difficult — unless you can get help to find out the keywords your customers are searching for.
Fortunately you can, and it is free to do so. Just create a Google Adwords account. Then under the option Tools and Analysis, click on the Keyword Tool.
In this tool, you can type in the phrases you have heard your customers say or that you imagine you might hear from them. Submit your list and you will receive instant responses on each phrase. The information will tell you how many searches per month, how much competition exists for each phrase and other phrases you might not have considered.
What are you looking for?
The longest phrase that is the most detailed, that received the most searches with the least competition. (Sometimes called a long-tailed keyword.) It should be your first choice.
Now take that keyword phrase and structure a blog post around it. Try to include the keyword phrase in entirety within the article’s title. If that’s not possible, try to keep it high within the article, the higher the better. Also try to include it twice more contextually in the article.
If your content management system (such as WordPress), is set up to include a description field, or if you can edit your META tag, write up to a 150-word paragraph that pitches your article. Make sure your keyword phrase is either in the title or META description.
PREMIUM CONTENT: Buyers’ awareness and use of online staffing
The last step is to post your article.
Once you have done your best to work the content, title and META description, all that is left is to post the article. Then “rinse, repeat, rinse repeat”….at least once per week.
MORE: The Dynamic Duo of Content and Social Media
