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*This post is a contribution by SEO expert, Cinthia Pacheco.
Hi there! My name is Cinthia Pacheco and I’ve been working with Vanessa for the last year on her SEO strategy. The below tips are real actions we’ve taken that have lead to results for Vanessa’s brand.
I’m really excited to share these tips and I hope you they help build the site + audience of your dreams!
Search Engine Optimization – the words that many bloggers and influencers tend to dread. Maybe it’s because it sounds technical, or maybe it’s because they feel so overwhelmed by all the crazy information out there, it’s better not to even open that Pandora box. But I want you to keep two things in mind as you read this: it doesn’t have to be scary and anyone can do it.
Let me guide you through three tips you can use to get some focus and break out of your stuck and overwhelmed state. These tips can be used by influencers, but also anyone who wants to attract more traffic to their site online.
To me SEO isn’t this scary mysterious monster, but instead a creative muse that gets you more in tune with who you are writing to. Sounds weird, but it’s true! And that is what leads me to my first tip:
Tip 1: Understand your niche and what they are searching
If you don’t know who your audience specifically is, maybe this is a great time to consider who it is you are writing to. Maybe it’s the tired mom who wants some quick ideas for a healthy meal for her family. Or maybe it’s the young college student staying up late to study and wanting some inspiration for her thesis. Maybe it is the corporate woman, who wants to refresh her wardrobe and feel confident in her next team presentation.
Take some time to really envision the person on the other side of the screen you are writing to. You can also think about specific “scenes” this person is finding themselves in lately that you can help them with. Grab a notebook, and free-form write down at least 10 scenes, not stopping yourself or overthinking it.
Defining a niche might feel scary because it can look like we are cutting ourselves off, narrowing our opportunities in terms of who can find us. But it’s the exact opposite: the more defined you look as a brand, the more attractive and clear vibe you will put out there into the world. Even if someone doesn’t initially jive with you, they will remember you! Because you are choosing a clear niche and that is memorable.
What does this have to do with SEO you might ask? Well, one you have your “scenes” you will have a great starting point to do keyword research. By taking the time to do this initial step, you have a better understanding of who your audience is in order to connect with what they are searching. This way, the searches and words you use are in tune with your ideal person. Before you start freaking out over who your ideal audience is, keep this in mind: if you are passionate about your business and blog, you are probably already naturally picking the right keywords. Actually, a lot of the time our ideal audience is ourselves. We start our blogs at times where we need a creative output and essentially, we are helping ourselves.
Nonetheless, spending some conscious time thinking about who are people are and how we help them can change the way you research keywords and approach your site overall.
Tip 2. Is your site Google friendly?
We search for keywords for our ideal audience but we also need to make sure that the basics of our site are working correctly. Being obsessed with keywords but not checking if your site is Google friendly is like decorating your house with beautiful curtains and paintings, but not having a strong cement foundation and wooden structure in place. The whole thing could come down at any minute!
All this means is that your site should be healthy and functioning well. Certain things that Google doesn’t like is:
- 404 errors
- Javascript errors
- Pages that take forever to load
- Massive images that take a long time to load
- Unfriendly design on a mobile version
You don’t need to be a tech geek to make sure your site is working well, (although a Web Developer will get the job done quicker! Let me know if you need any recommendations!)
Using a free tool like the Search Console (https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/home?hl=en) will help you become more aware of how your site is functioning. The Search Console has a set of “Crawl” reports that tell you of any errors that Google is specifically picking up on. You can use these to identify errors and pages that you need work on.
I recommend the Search Console for many things, including our next tip…
Tip 3: Track previous keywords with the Search Console
Now that you have the Search Console setup, you can discover keywords you are already using on your site that are bringing in traffic! No, you didn’t read that incorrectly. In the Search Console, there is a report called “Search Traffic” > “Search Analytics” that will give you information on the specific keywords you are already using that are leading to site click. I like to call these keywords “easy traffic” since we already know these keywords are working to attract site traffic. Once you identify these keywords, you can start using those more intentionally and enhancing your site content.
More specifically, these “easy traffic” keywords can be used to:
- Enhance existing posts (add keywords to title, url, and other pieces of the content)
- Create a “sequel” piece of content
- Convert to a video, podcast, or infographic
- Update home page, about page, or any other important pages
These are just some ideas you can use to “recycle” these keywords into your site. The most important is that you do it! With a little bit of attention and poking around in the Search Console, you can start getting more traffic to your site today.
Doing SEO doesn’t have to be a painful or frustrating process. It can actually feed into your creativity and get you more in touch with how you can help your target people. And if you want some extra support with your keyword strategy, I have some special SEO packages for bloggers and influencers. Go to my site: www.digimorphs.com/services and submit a form for your complimentary data discovery call.
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