SEO TRICKS INCREASE SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
Trick #1: 404 error pages can lead to more indexed pages
A 404 error page tells you and search engines that a “page is not found.” This happens because you may have changed your URLs over time or removed a few pages when you overhauled your design. Instead of using a generic 404-error page, try to design something that is also entertaining
TRICK #2: Product Showdown pages
TRICK#3: Infographics: Does your infographic move? Is it 3d?
Trick #4: Build Skyscrapers
The skyscraper technique leverages content marketing for link builders.
- Step 1: Find content that other people have already created that got tons of links. You can accomplish this by doing a few Google searches and by using Open Site Explorer. Find link-worthy content: First, find a site that tends to generate tons of links from their content. Put their site into OSE, Click on the “Top Pages” tab. And look for content with at least 100 linking root domains. Topsy is an awesome site that can help you find heavily shared content in your niche. Choose “All Time.” So make sure to sort by links. Use Google search to look for articles that already rank for competitive keywords. Enter a keyword related to your niche. If they’re ranking for tough terms then they probably have a lot of links pointing at them. Just pop each of these into your link analysis tool of choice and see which ones have links from at least 100 referring domains.
- Step 2: Copy the concept you found, but you make sure what you create is a lot better. For example, if someone created a content piece called “11 SEO changes that will give you big results” that gained hundreds of natural backlinks, you may then create a content piece titled “101 SEO changes that will give you big results.” Make something even better: Make It Longer, More Up-To-Date, Better Designed. Check out Help Scout’s Customer Acquisition Strategies for Entrepreneurs will do the trick. Beat the existing content on every level: length, design, current information etc.
- Step #3: Reach out to the right people. By manually sharing your content with the websites you mentioned within your blog post and by asking people to tweet about it, you’re more likely to get more traffic and backlinks. Instead of emailing random people, you’re reaching out to site owners that have already linked out to similar content. When you qualify prospects like this, you know that: They run a site in your niche, They’re interested in your topic, and they’ve already linked to an article on that topic. Now it’s just a matter of giving them a friendly heads up about your clearly superior content. Use ahrefs.com (or your link analysis tool of choice) to export all of the links pointing to your competitor’s content into a spreadsheet.
Best Link Building Tools
BuzzStream, Ahrefs, Majestic SEO & Open Site Explorer, Google Search & Google Webmaster Tools, Followerwonk & Link Prospector. One of the fastest ways to find content with a track record of attracting quality links is to use Open Site Explorer.
Trick #5: Use personas to drive relevant SEO traffic
Trick #6: Optimize for click-throughs
Through Webmaster tools, you can see your rankings and click through-rates for specific keywords. By analyzing keywords you are ranking for, your average position, and your click-through rates, you can figure out where you have room for improvement. Typically, if you are getting 30% click-through rates for a particular keyword, you are doing well. If you are getting above 40%, you are doing exceptionally well.
Another way to maximize your click-through rate is through authorship. As of August 2013, Google retired their keyword tool and replaced it with the Keyword Planner, which isn’t as useful. Use the Bing Keyword Tool. Google focuses on raw data, but it doesn’t tell you how you’re doing versus your competition, how you rank for each keyword, nor does it give you a plan for moving forward.
- From the Dashboard, select Add New from the Plugins menu.
- Search for the Google Analytics for WordPress plugin. WordPress will display a list of plugins that fit those criteria. Make sure you select the one by Joost de Valk.
- Install the plugin by selecting Install Now. WordPress will install the plugin, displaying its progress on your screen.
- Start the plugin by selecting the Activate Plugin. WordPress will display the Plugins screen, showing the installed plugins on your blog. Scroll down to see your plugin and any instructions you need to follow.
Alternatives to Google Analytics
- Clicky
- Performancing Metrics
Backlinks to your site, both from your own site (called internal links) and from other sites on the web (called external links), give your site credibility in the eyes of search engines. If you can get a backlink from a high-ranking site it improves your search engine rank even more.
OTHER WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR SEO
- Guest post on a popular blog with an infographic and ask that they link back to your site. USE http://www.opensiteexplorer.org/ to see who is linking back to you. If you plan on writing a guest blog post, first do your research in Google’s keyword tool to see what people are searching for surrounding your topic. Select a subject that has keywords with good traffic but low competition. Pitch your idea to multiple blogs, being brief and offering to give them more information if they’re interested. Once a blogger accepts your pitch, write a brief bio for the end of the blog post, linking back to your site. Be sure to use your keywords in your link text. Send the completed post to blogger.
- Develop a blog tour to get backlinks
- Create an Infographic: Get a graphic designer to create your infographic from oDesk or Fiverr. Pitch your infographic to multiple bloggers, requiring that they link back to you once they publish it. Install an SEO plugin like All-in-One-SEO or SEO by Yoast to help you target your keywords and make sure your blog posts get better search engine rankings.
- Create a short, authentic video introduction to your business with a FlipCam or Canon pocket camera. Use a tripod so you can put the camera on a steady base. Record your video and Upload it to YouTube; creating a channel that uses your keywords. Add a title, tags, and description, making sure to include your keywords in each. Copy your website URL and paste it at the front of your video description.
SITE SPEED
First, benchmark your site speed by visiting Google Analytics or your website analytics tool and research how quickly your site is loading. The higher the content quality and site loading speed, the higher their ranking in search results. In GA, select Content, Site Speed, and finally Page Timings:
Easiest: if you have a WordPress blog, install the WP Super Cache plugin. It makes your site much faster without much hassle.
More Difficult: Move to a faster server with your current hosting company, or move to a new hosting company offering faster server speed.
Expensive: Ask your developer to install a Content Delivery Network (CDN) on your site. A CDN is a faster routing system for the content on your site, using point-to-point servers instead of a single server routing all of your content.
- gShift Labs: Gives a 360-degree view of my SEO, my tactics, and how well my efforts are paying off. It’s a strength is that it’s not a bunch of raw data like Google Analytics, but actually gives you a more comprehensive view of your entire SEO
- effort without overwhelming you. They also have outstanding customer support where you actually talk to a person.
- WordTracker. An excellent tool for keyword research. Their webinars and whitepapers are solid resources for learning about keywords, SEO, and backlinks.
- SEOBook is an extremely popular tool, but I find it overpriced. It offers excellent resources, but it’s really for SEO geeks who have their own firms and do SEO for clients.
- MarketSamari is another SEO tool that is popular.
Linkbuilding tactics
Provide valuable resources to the people we find through our linkbuilding efforts. It is up to them whether they provide the link or not.
ANATOMY OF LANDING PAGES
A Landing page is a website page designed to convert visitors to leads. This could include things like a free social media analysis. “I’ll tell you all the things to turn your website and brand into a social media marketing machine and make you a small business rock star and blow all of your marketing goals out of the water. The conversion process is a call to action->landing page->thank you page.
Elements of landing pages:
- Offer
- Buyer’s Journey
- Buyer personas
- Landing pages best practices
A landing page offer-something offered by an organization that has perceived value to website visitor others than the core products or services the organization sells. How to Optimize Landing Pages for Conversions?
Anatomy of the landing page:
- Write, clear, concise, compelling headlines
- Explain the value and importance of the offer to your persona
- Use bullet points to make information easily digestible
- Select the appropriate number of form fields
- Remove navigation and all links
- Include an image, video, or gif
- Add Social Media Share Icons
- Add testimonials when relevant for social proof
- Use industry awards and recognition
What You Can (and Should) Ask for on Your Landing Page Forms? Analyze the type of information that you are asking for. Before and After: 3 Real-Life Landing Page Makeovers are crucial to refining to make landing pages the best you can.
PERFECTING THE CONVERSION PROCESS
You can use Hubspot’s 16 Ways to Simplify Your Prospects’ Decision Making Process and 5 Steps to Creating the All-Important Thank You Page.
CTA BEST PRACTICES
- Encourage click with clear, direct words, and brevity
- Try contrasting colors for an attention-grabbing design
- Make CTAS EASY TO NOTICE, Up top above the fold
- Test, Test, Test
THANK YOU PAGE OFFER BEST PRACTICES
- Deliver the offer
- Guide them further through the buyer’s journey with another CTA
- Include Social networking options
OPTIMIZE CTAS BY RUNNING A/B TESTS
- Design
- Text and Copy
- Call-to-Action Placement
- Positioning
- Offer