Story: Purpose of SEO

*Update: October 1st, 2019

SEO (Search engine optimization) is the process of affecting the online visibility of a website or a web page in a web search engine’s unpaid results—often referred to as “natural”, “organic”, or “earned” results.

Recently, 75 % of my work is web projects. A client knows the word, SEO. However, they don’t know how to apply SEO on their website. I’m going to offer SEO as a service. I create a website, but a launch is not our goal. A goal is to increase a client business growth. For that, I have to find keywords, analyze insight carefully, modify a setting.

This Digital Marketing 101 is a note of my study at Udemy.com. 

Subject: SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

You built a beautiful website. A client satisfied your work. Has your work done?

Let me remind you again, designer’s work does not provide a website. A website is a tool. The goal is a client business growth. It’s meaningless if a website doesn’t generate a client customer. I sometimes see that a poor design website (unresponsive or looks 20-century website) still works rather than a beautiful website. I cannot deliver an unuseful website to a client. Of course, I can hire an SEO professional if a budget allows it. I don’t expect it. Therefore, we have to know a general SEO, at least.

SEO (Search engine optimization) involved these works below:
– Keyword research(persona, customer journey)
– Competitor research(ranking factors)
– Web analytics(understand the impact of your strategy and efforts)
– Mobile-friendliness(Responsive, loading speed)
– Local optimization(Google my business, apple maps and any local business listings)
– On- & off-page optimization(updated and your business information included hours of operation. Apply contents strategy with organic keywords. SSL certificate)
– Writing a blog about a client(story, process. or for portfolio and case study)
– Social media(active social media profiles will attribute to additional traffic and assist in the ranking)
– Link building(Where are your potential customers visiting on the web? How can you partner with those sites to link back to yours)
– Tracking & optimization(Monitor your analytics on a monthly basis. Look at what content is ranking organically and how it is attracting visitors)

What customers should get in the end.
– Conversion-focused website
– Professional online presence
– 1st-page organic rankings
– A steady flow of targeted traffic
– Dynamic content
– High-quality leads & new customers

SEO in 6 months

I am working with clients for helping SEO. I submitted a report how traffic increased. However, client didn’t feel the effect. Because client has not been acquired a new client through the website(or Google Ads). I have to solve this issue. Therefore, I would like to keep notes of the procedure of SEO.

Goal: Increase online presence. The result is to get new customers or inquiries through the website.

1. Research
Before starting a new project, you have to understand what potential problems are. Analyze the client’s website, compared to a competitor, keyword research, check Google Ads. You can use pay tools below.

Tools:
SEMrush: Online Visibility Management Platform
ahlefs.com: SEO Tools & Resources To Grow Your Search Traffic

2. Analyze
Functional website has to:
– Structure: Understand customer pain points.
– Copy: Include organic keywords.
– Backlink: Be able to buy, but so expensive. Very last option.

A website should be applied value proposition on the very top for the customer. Then, website has to solve a customer’s pain point at each panel on top page. Generate trust through design.

3. Execute
Update the website through embedding organic keyword in contents. Setup and link to each social media platform. Keep flesh website update the latest work, blog or news.

4. Optimize
Use Google Search Console. Check the result and optimize keyword. Apply it to contents effectively.

Tool : SEMrush

SEMrush: All-in-one Marketing Toolkit for digital marketing professionals
SEMRush Review: Step-By-Step Guide to Using SEMRush

SEMRush: How To Steal My Competitors’ Traffic? *This is real..

How to find organic competitor keywords, the most profitable keywords.
– Left menu(LM): Organic Research > Competitors on the map(keywords and trafic)
– LM: Organic Research > Competitors on the list(Competision level, common keywords, SE keywords)
– LM: Organic Research > Competitors > Common Keywords on the list
– LM: Organic Research > Positions with competitor’s domain(export list and find potential keyword)
– LM: Organic Research > Pages(keywords and contents idea)
– LM: Keyword analytics > Overview > Phrase match keywords / Related keywords on the list(view full report for long tail keywords idea)
– LM: Domain analytics > Domain vs. domain(domain competition)
– LM: Keyword analytics > Keyword difficulty tools and SEO keyword magic(determining keyword difficulty)
– LM: Keyword analytics > Keyword difficulty tools and SEO keyword magic(determining keyword difficulty)
– LM: Keyword analytics > Keyword difficulty tools and SEO keyword magic(determining keyword difficulty)
– LM: Organic Research >Position changes(Monitoring changes in search engine ranking)

How to find link building opportunities.(25:43)

Discover the best keywords.
How to conduct an SEO audit.
How to generate report.

Tool : Yoast

Yoast: Helps you with your website optimization
Yoast is a search-optimization firm based in Wijchen, Netherlands. It develops and supports a popular Yoast SEO WordPress plugin that had over 5 million active installations.

I searched for SEO plugin for WordPress and checked an evaluation. Yoast is an industrial top runner, I felt. The both, Google and YouTube, mention a Yoast quite a lot. I believe this is a fundamental plugin.

Tutorial: Yoast Seo Tutorial 2019

Purpose: Reach to a potential client. Clearly tell a visitor what my website is.

I updated a website by WordPress. I registered Google My Business. I installed MonsterInsights (and Google Analytics). I can see traffic and bounce rate. I have a few visiter daily.

However, how many potential customers are there? I couldn’t a response to this question. In the first place, do potential client really look at my website? I didn’t think so. That’s why I completely polish my website setting from the bottom.

No one search “Open Bookmarks Co.” or “Takashi Hirakimoto”. I used SimilarWeb and Google search. A potential customer would search “Graphic Designer” “Web Designer” “Freelance” “Need or Hire” etc.  My current longtail keyword is below:
Takashi Hirakimoto | Freelance | Graphic/Web Design & Branding | Vancouver, BC, Canada

Currently, I am listed Page 4 on Google. To be honest, I was glad to see it. Just 2 weeks since I’ve considered SEO. It’s a good start. I will update progress in 3 months later.

Conclusion: Tiny step daily

I knew I have to learn digital marketing for achieving the mission, “Building Trust Through Design”. It was clear. However, I didn’t have enough time to work for clients. I cannot see the result overnight. The effort may make a fruit 6 months to 1 year later. I told myself I’m on track, but I felt anxiety. What I can do right now is only try and error. Tiny step daily.

Reference:

MOZ: Everything You Need to Know About Using Yoast SEO for WordPress
Kinsta.com: How To Use Yoast SEO On WordPress: Complete Tutorial