{"id":16909,"date":"2019-01-25T08:00:43","date_gmt":"2019-01-25T13:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/honeybook.site.strattic.io\/?p=16909"},"modified":"2022-07-14T14:18:04","modified_gmt":"2022-07-14T21:18:04","slug":"your-2019-plan-for-seo-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hbbadmin.dev.reliablepenguin.com\/blog\/your-2019-plan-for-seo-success","title":{"rendered":"Your 7-Step SEO Plan for Search Engine Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

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When you\u2019re planning your marketing and business strategy for a new year, it\u2019s an energizing time to dive into learning something new.<\/p>\n

So if you haven\u2019t ever worked on your website\u2019s search engine optimization, now is a great time to start.<\/p>\n

Fair warning, though: SEO can be a technical and overwhelming subject.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever thought, \u201cI need to do some SEO\u201d and then immediately got lost on where to start, I feel you.<\/p>\n

Before you dive into the wilds of Google, let\u2019s talk through an easy-to-follow SEO plan that will get you on your way to search engine success.<\/p>\n

Step 1: Understand the SEO basics<\/h2>\n

Before jumping into SEO tactics, it\u2019s helpful to understand how search engines work. Having a basic idea of how the machine operates makes it easier to figure out which tactics are worth pursuing and whether you\u2019ll get the results you expect.<\/p>\n

Search engines like Google make their money (billions of dollars, in fact) by selling ads at the top of search results. Therefore, making money depends on having lots of people use their search engine.<\/p>\n

But Google only gets lots of searches if their search engine is useful to people. That means Google must return content that\u2019s relevant to the user\u2019s search. As a result, Google has spent decades refining its algorithm, adapting to the ever-changing needs of searchers and navigating the twists and turns of evolving web content.<\/p>\n

And because Google\u2019s algorithm is always changing, so is SEO. Therefore, an SEO tactic that may have worked years ago may be considered spammy these days. Make sure you\u2019re getting your SEO advice from a recent source.<\/p>\n

Okay, so what is SEO all about then?<\/p>\n

In short, it\u2019s making your website appealing to both search engines and your website visitors by creating content that\u2019s highly relevant to the searcher\u2019s intent and easily readable and navigable. This can be accomplished by creating high-quality, keyword-optimized content.<\/p>\n

So how do we get there? Any good SEO plan should start with an understanding of where you are now.<\/p>\n

Step 2: Understand where you rank now<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s hard to follow directions if you don\u2019t know where you\u2019re starting from.<\/p>\n

To see what keywords your website ranks for right now, I recommend creating a free Moz account and using their Keyword Explorer tool<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the Keyword Explorer, type your website URL into the search box.<\/p>\n

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What you\u2019ll see on the results is your Site Overview, including the number of keywords ranked. Make sure to click over to \u201cSee all ranking keywords\u201d to see the top 50 keywords your site is ranked for.<\/p>\n

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Look through the keyword list to see any keywords you\u2019d like to rank higher for and make note of them. You can also save the results by exporting them to a spreadsheet, so you can monitor your improvements later.<\/p>\n

Step 3: Make a list of keywords you\u2019d like to rank for<\/h2>\n

To start better optimizing your site and improving those rankings, you now need to brainstorm a list of keywords that are relevant to your website and business. These are the keywords you\u2019d like to show up for when they\u2019re searched on Google.<\/p>\n

Here are a few places to look for inspiration:<\/p>\n