Want To Create An Effective SEO Strategy in 2021? Read This!

If you own a business and you’re trying to rank higher on google, you must know how to make an effective SEO strategy. It’s one of the most important things that come into play while trying to rank higher on search engine results pages.

SEO is a sure-shot way to grow your business, if you know what you’re doing. You don’t need to be all too tech-savvy to nail an SEO strategy, but it helps. It requires lots of dedication and time, and research. So, it’s always best to leave it to the experts. If you want to organically grow your business through SEO, consider hiring digital marketing agencies in London for the best local SEO services in London. Explosion Digital has a team that is fully focussed on just SEO, so we’ll be able to help you grow efficiently.

But, if you’d like to tackle SEO yourself without hiring an SEO agency in London, read this article. We’ll run you through the process of creating an effective SEO strategy in 2021.

What Is SEO?

Before we highlight the key factors of an effective SEO strategy, we’ll give you some context into what SEO is. SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization”. It’s the process of increasing your website’s visibility through keyword research. By using the right keywords, you can rank higher on search engine results pages because google is able to read your content better. The better visibility you have, the more likely you are to grow your business and make more sales.

When your website’s SEO is on point, your conversion rates hit the roof and you rank higher on Google, making it easier for people to find you.

How to Create An Effective SEO Strategy

 Now that you have some context, we can move on to how you can go about creating an effective strategy for you! Here’s an overview of what we’ll touch upon in this article:

#1 Make a list of keywords
#2 Go through Google’s first page
#3 Create something new or better
#4 Add a hook
#5 Optimize for on-page SEO
#6 Optimize for search intent
#7 Focus on content design
#8 Build links to your page
#9 Improve and update your content

#1 Make a List of Keywords

Keyword research is the first and most integral step of building a proper SEO strategy. One of the best ways you can find keywords that your audience searches for is through Google suggest.

Start typing a prospective keyword into Google’s search section and it’ll give you many suggestions to choose from. The best thing about doing this is the fact that it comes straight from Google itself. This makes it clear that people are actually searching for these words.

Remember that longer keywords (“long tail keywords”) are less competitive than short tail keywords.

Once you’ve made a list of at least 10 keywords, you can move on to step 2!

#2 Go Through Google’s First Page

 Now that you’ve found a good chunk of keywords, it’s time to see who ranks for said keywords. Type in your keyword onto Google and scan the top 10 results. Look at the patterns and jot them down. For example, the search engine results page for “SEO Tools” is full of lists of tools.

So if this is a topic you wish to cover on your site, you’ll need to note that the top results are all list posts. This means that you’ll probably want to try doing the same and make a list post on your blog for better visibility.

#3 Create Something New or Better

 This stage is where you have to focus on making good-quality content. You have two main options when it comes to SEO content:

1. Create something new/different
2. Create something better

You may want to create something better and bigger than what’s already available on the first results page. You may also be better off making completely new and different content too, because it will make your site stand out more.

Say you want to write an article based on “Mobile SEO”. You may notice that there are popular results that are titled “10 Ways to Mobile Optimize Your Site”. You could piggy back off that and write an article that adds more to the list, like “20 Ways to Mobile Optimize Your Site”. But, that would be a little boring. So, try writing something fresh and new. You could write an article titled “The Ultimate Guide to Mobile Optimization”.

That’s just an example of what you can do. The more engaging your content, the better results you get.

#4 Add a Hook

 In order to improve your search engine ranking in 2021, you have to use backlinks. They’re a key ranking factor for Google. So, how do you do this? First, you need to find out why people link to specific pieces of content in your industry (AKA “The Hook”). Then, use that Hook in your content.

For example, a Hook that’s been in play recently is “Ultimate Guides”. When you post an ultimate guide, your content itself becomes the Hook.

People search for ultimate guides and share them with their friends because they see an “ultimate guide” as something that has all the info you need!

#5 Optimize for On-Page SEO

 This step is all about optimizing your content with Keywords. Here are some SEO techniques we recommend for 2021:

1. Internal Linking:

You’ll want to link from high-authority web pages to pages that need more authority.

2. Short, Keyword-Rich URLs:

When it comes to SEO, short URLs are usually better than long URLs.

3. Semantic SEO:

Find words related to your target keyword and use them in your content for better visibility. Google your target keyword and you’ll be given a list of similar keywords. Sprinkle them into your content for best results.

#6 Optimize for Search Intent

When you look up a keyword you’re targeting, pay close attention to the results you see. If the keyword you’re targeting has a lot of content in list-form, try to do the same with your article. This will help you match your audience’s search intent better, so they’ll get to see what they want to see while clicking on your article!

#7 Focus on Content Design

 Oftentimes, people are more attracted to what the content looks like rather than the content alone. So, if your content looks like long paragraphs, people will most likely click away. Try to make your content look better by breaking it up into shorter paragraphs and sentences.

You can also make your content look better by adding graphs and charts, pictures and screenshots, and even banners. This makes your content stand out more, and also makes it much easier to read.

#8 Build Links to Your Page

Now you have to actively build links to your content.

There are 3 strategies that work well in 2021:

1. Broken Link Building:

In this method, you find a broken link on someone’s website and offer your content as a replacement.

2. Competitor Analysis:

This is a more old-school strategy. Find a site that ranks well for a keyword you want to rank for. Then take a look at their backlinks. If you see many links from different domains, you can get your hands on a few for sure! Go through their backlinks one by one and find out where your content would add value.

3. Evangelist Method:

This method is less about links and more about setting your content in front of the correct people. If people run blogs in your niche, use this to your advantage. You can use an app (BuzzSumo) to find out who shares blogs that are similar to your content and then reach out to them with promotional emails. If they respond, you can send them a follow-up email with a link to your blog. This way, you’ll get lots of shares.

#9 Improve and Update Your Content

 SEO is all about keeping up with the times and staying relevant. So, make sure to put effort into your content and share relevant content with your audience. You can also go back to old articles and “re-launch” them! Of course, don’t just share the same old article and call it new. Make needed changes to fit the time you’re in. For example, you can update an old post with new statistics to match the year 2021.

Make sure to be regular and engaging with your content so people keep coming back for more!

Conclusion

We hope this short guide helped you understand how you can create an effective SEO strategy in 2021. A lot of work goes into building and maintaining an SEO strategy. You’ll need to dedicate a lot of time and energy into it, which is time you could be using to focus on your business goals instead.

So, consider hiring an SEO agency in London or a digital marketing agency in London to help tackle all your SEO needs.

Don’t settle for less, when you can go for the best. With years of experience, Explosion Digital can help your business explode into the digital world!