How to be an SEO Expert? By using the SEO Triangle!

There are so many hot topics right now, it’s hard to know where to start. One channel that’s in total flux it seems is SEO so let's use this week to take a look at what makes great SEO and how to stay ahead of these changes to deliver optimised and high performing websites.?

This week we’ll look at:?

???? The SEO Triangle?

???? Top Tools for SEO?

The SEO Triangle?

Ranking factors have always been divided into three categories and mastering each one is critical to SEO success. That’s why I designed the SEO Triangle to assist you to figure out where you should concentrate your efforts for the best results.?

Let’s look at each element of the SEO triangle in detail:?

1. Content – I think I have said way too many times, but I will say it again, content is king. Good content is like having good shoes to run in. You can run in any pair of shoes, but the right ones feel good, get you where you’re going quickly, look great and make you want to go running again. When we consider Content in SEO terms, we are looking for the right frequency of relevant keywords in your URL, page headings and copy. We’re looking for fresh content of a valuable length that answers questions, helps, entertains and informs. You should avoid using 'Black Hat SEO' practices like keyword stuffing (repeating keywords in a way that feels unnatural to the reader).? Writing great content is an art as well as a science.?
2. Technical – To continue my running metaphor (if you don’t mind), just like how you cannot win a race with an unfit body, you cannot win the ranking game with a weak technical structure. It all boils down to how your site is constructed and maintained. You cannot just create a website and forget about it; you have to work on it and keep it up to date and alive. There are numerous factors to consider, but we can categorise them into seven core measures that can help your website ranking:?

• Architecture - Your website should be straightforward, and your URL folder structure should be as concise as possible. Avoid /home/product/2019/primary-lines/fashion/shoes/brand/product-name and try to bring it right up to /shoes/product-name.??
• Speed – No one has the time or attention span for a website that takes ages to load. Your website must load quickly on any device. Your rankings will suffer as a result of slow loading as will your overall traffic numbers and user experience.?
• Navigation - Make sure your site is simple to use and clear about what actions users should take. Steer users down journeys that are relevant for them and meet your objectives.? Keep navigation obvious and help them on forms and complex processes with help and error messaging.?
• Security - Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is a security signal that is now essential. Make sure your website is HTTPS secure, as Google doesn’t support websites with potential security breaches.?
• Code - Make sure your coding is clean, clear and any unneeded code is removed. Check all header tags are precise, so you only have one H1 tag on the page that accurately conveys the page's contents.?
• Mobile-Friendly – With over 50% of web traffic coming from mobile devices, your website must be mobile-friendly. Not only because that’s how the majority of people will view it, but also because it’s a priority search engine set when ranking.??
• Schema Markup – This form of microdata provides greater insight into the content of your pages and is an advanced way to push up your website’s ranking. You can learn more about the Schema Markup techniques here.???

3. Links – To stretch the running metaphor even further (SEO is a marathon, not a sprint), links bolster the reputation of your website; just like an athlete can lose their career over unethical practices, a website can lose its credibility over low-quality or bought links. Link building is an extremely important part of a successful SEO strategy. Make sure the links you develop and encourage are quality and have a high domain authority on Google. By creating good quality content and managing your PR to develop a reputation you can attract links from top quality sites.? Do not buy them or aim to grow a huge number of links in a short period Organic, genuine, relevant, and authoritative links are where you should be focussing. If you do start to attract poor quality, high toxicity links, ensure you remove them if possible and disavow them if you can’t remove them.?

Read more on my blog???

Top Tools for SEO

Relax, you don’t have to do it all on your own. External tools are an essential part of SEO and thankfully there is a wide variety to choose from. Whether it’s performing keyword research, checking the authority of your website, or assessing, ranking, there is a tool for every SEO process.

Get help???

If you need any support with your SEO efforts, my team and I can help! Get in touch to get a free SEO audit!?

Share???

I hope you found this week’s newsletter insightful.? If you found it useful, I'd be really grateful if you could share it with your network. I’d love to grow a community of MM readers so we can all learn from each other and deliver our best results.?

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ABOUT ME?

I have been helping companies with their marketing from start-ups to global corporates for over 20 years and I’m also the author of 2 best-selling books in the field. Whether it’s growth, branding, performance, content marketing, SEO or many other areas, I have helped companies all over the world to deliver market-leading results. I’m also CEO of a global marketing agency, and a regular keynote speaker, trainer, consultant and contributor to industry publications.?