May 24th, 2010
Posted in In my last post, I discussed the importance of links, and how there is a trend towards focusing on them nearly to the exclusion of everything else. While links are crucial to a successful SEO campaign, they are far from the only thing. Effective on-page optimization can make the difference between a #1 ranking- and page 2.
With that #1 rank goal in mind, how can you optimize your site to help you achieve it?
Have a plan: If you’ve heard that before, you may have read previous posts. But it applies to to every aspect of SEO. Develop a strong keyword strategy. Know what keywords and phrases apply to you that people are searching for. Be aggressive. Have a strong, well written landing page optimized for each of your phrases. Make sure the page is between 200 and 600 words long, and your keywords account for at least 3% of the total word count- try to stay below 10%, though- be wary of keyword spam (there are plenty of tools around to help with this).
Start early: The reason a lot of people are gun-shy about spending time on-page is that they do not address it early enough. If you write solid, optimized content while developing the site, it’ll save you time after the site is launched- which allows you to spend time on things like link building.
Watch the competition: Odds are you’re not #1 right now, but you want to be. So take some time and look at who is there right now. What are they doing right? What are they doing wrong?
In the case of the former, do it better than them. For the latter, do it right! This obviously is broader than just on-page, but if your competition has great links but shoddy content, they’re neglecting a large part of their SEO, not to mention conversions. If they’re going to leave that open, take advantage of it!
Stay ahead: SEO is an ongoing process, and the competitors you pass on your way to #1 aren’t going to be content to slip- just as you weren’t. For most, looking at ways to improve off-page is standard, as it should be. But few examine their on-page to see where they can improve. Remember: your competitors are probably looking at your site in order to figure out ways to beat you- Don’t let them! If you find think chinks in your armor first, you’ll maintain your ranking. It’s often surprising the opportunities a simple on-page analysis will reveal.
Stay fresh: Offer something new? A new product or service? Time for a new landing page! Don’t cram it onto existing ones- this will water down the strength of your current landing pages. Maintain a blog, and update it regularly- at least once a week. Search engines are always watching for new content- give it to them! A blog is a great way to do that, not to mention it is awesome for conversions, and much more (which I may have mentioned once or twice).
That covers the basics of on-page optimization, and hopefully dispels the myth that you shouldn’t spend time on it. Tomorrow, I’ll address some methods for using your on-page optimization in conjunction with link building to seriously improve your SEO.
