Ten Things to Do Before You SEO!
Ten Things to Do Before You SEO!
Ten Things to Do Before You SEO!
So many people talk about spending time and money on SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, but many people forsake the basic steps that need to be taken before optimizing their content for search engines. Follow some of these basic steps in ensuring your Search Engine Optimizing efforts have a the best return on your investment.
1. Build a blog
This is one of the best ways for people to learn to know you and trust you. Be honest, authentic, candid and exciting through your blog. It doesn't have to be perfect, professional or pristine... but it does need to create value to your readers. One of the best ways to create value to your readers is to update it on a daily basis with quality, relevant, interesting information for your readers. Also, make sure you've got a blog that enables RSS. Almost everyone these days reads RSS feeds, and you are missing out on an opportunity for your own syndication if you aren't using this powerful tool.
2. Brand yourself
Almost every service that you have a username has a profile these days. Develop all of those profiles with a similar theme, and have a section completely dedicated on your blog to your profiles on other sites. For example, I have my public profiles from more obscure sites like Hulu, Tripit, Yelp, LinkedIn, Amazon, among others on my website. Those are just other websites that lend credibility and a timeline to who Hal Wilkerson is as an individual. My Amazon Profile, for example, dates back to 2001. I've heard it said that Internet Years are like dog years... so my Amazon web presence is like 63 years old!
3. Create a Facebook Fan Page
Most everyone has a Facebook page these days... but if you are serious about branding yourself, you really need to get a Fan page. On it, put some information about who you are as a person, what you are interested in, and then place a link to your blog on it, and a link to it from your blog. Make sure, however, that you provide information of value on your page. Another great thing about having a fan page, is that whenever someone becomes a 'Fan' of you, it shows up in their public profile... just more visibility for you or your company! Take the time to 'suggest' to all of your friends to be a fan of your page. Be careful not to oversell this one though. I'm of the opinion that if you oversell this too much, especially without adding any value, people will start getting tired of it. For example, I have a friend that is the coach of a girls tennis team at my alma mater. She's 'suggested' that I become a fan like 3 times now. Sorry... no offense to girls tennis at Evangel College, but I'd rather be a fan of something else that adds a little more value to my life. If I was still in my old college town and was a true fan of going and watching their games, sure maybe, but otherwise, I really don't care to be a fan since it's not really relevant to me...
4. Develop a Twitter Following
There are literally thousands of strategies out there to accomplish this, and millions of ways that people will tell you to do this, but at the end of the day, your Twitter relationships are what you make them. If you aren't investing time and effort into building and adding to the dialogue on Twitter, you will quickly find you begin losing followers. Take the time to develop relevant, useful, interesting and humorous data for your Twitter feed. Again, there are tons of resources for developing Twitter out there, but the bottom line is to just do it!
5. Develop and maintain a relationship with your Facebook friends and Twitter Followers
If you want people to care about you, you've got to care about them. I've also heard it said that people don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care. This can be done a variety of ways, but it takes work... take time to follow your Facebook feed and as you see people post personal stuff that you may not feel is important, remember that it may be important to them. If you can encourage or support or comment or make someone laugh through a follow up post to something they wrote, you'd be amazed at the type of dividends you can reap. Just care about people. And show that you care through using the same medium they are to express it!
6. Post your website in the signature of your emails.
But don't overdo it. Also, people read RSS feeds. Post a link to the RSS of your blog as well. A simple signature block with your name and your website are quite effective in communicating who you are as a person. I'm amazed at how many people don't do this. Anytime you communicate with someone, it's just like an autopilot that puts it in there. And of course, if you email something out that is good... what are the chances it will get forwarded? This just increases your presence even more. Also, make sure your website is set up for an RSS feed. Most are by default, but it's good to check. And in addition to your web address, if you add the RSS feed address to your signature line there is a good chance it will be picked up on as well.
7. Publish articles about subjects which you are smart on.
This article is a fine example, if I may say so myself. Seriously, though, there is something that you are smart on... it doesn't have to be Internet Marketing, it may be Tango Dancing, Fantasy Football or raising Weimaraner puppies. The topic is really irrelevant. The important thing, is that you include your name in the article so when people are looking for you on the Internet, they come across this topic... see your email address, and it's just one more way to shore up your legitimacy as someone who is an online contributor and participant. They are more likely to trust you, and when they are more likely to trust you, they are more likely to do business with you. So, in my opinion, one of the biggest pieces about branding yourself online, is being yourself online. We all have personalities and interests, and the more of that you make available for others to learn about, the more likely they are to trust you. Which is what is really the most important thing.
8. Publish News Releases about your company.
There are lots of ways to do this, but the most important thing is to just DO IT! I publish a Press Release every time a significant event happens in my life or my company. The important thing though, is to make them as professional and thorough and factual as possible. Fabricating a Press Release solely for the purpose of generating Key Word traffic to your website is a foul, in my opinion. Consistent, factual, interesting and honest Press Releases, however, will eventually convert to quality traffic to your website. The best kind.
9. Comment on blogs that are associated with your subject of interest
This is a great, easy way to add value to others information gathering experience, as well as establish yourself as an expert. It's just another open dialogue for others to see who you are. But be careful, don't get goaded into a flame war by some wayward commenter. And make sure you protect comments on your own blog. There are various bots out there that will try and spam your blog (among many other things) and they are very easy to spot... stay on topic, relevant and don't stoop low if someone tries to start a flame war.
10. Become a forum contributor for a specific forum around your industry. Establish yourself as an expert.
Forums are some of the best sources to develop your following online. Google common usernames that you use, and you'll be amazed at what you can find that you may have forgotten about from years past. I just found an old post from CNET from 2006 that I forgot about. Take the opportunity though to go through and find all of your old profiles and update them with your website address. The more links you have to your website scattered around the Web, the higher Google is going to place it in its page rank when people are looking for you.
So that is just a start on the steps to take before starting your SEO process. Ensure you've got your ducks in a row first, then begin your SEO process. This will ensure that the folks that are looking for you and finding out about you will get a go
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