Fantastic SEO is more than meta tags, headings, page speed, and missing alt image tags. An engaged audience is crucial. A network of those willing to share and link to your products and content is critical. If you are starting on this journey, here are seven tips that can make an impact right away:
Start writing – now.
You want to build an audience around keyword-rich content but have nothing to share. It is worth the practice of putting ideas on ‘paper.’ As you stretch to articulate your expertise in your area, you will generate new ideas, hone your voice and have something to share along the way. As Seth Godin would say, do the generous work of sharing your thoughts with the world.
Link to others’ websites, and ask others to link to you.
Building a network of links is huge in signaling to Google that your digital presence is relevant. Moz.com found that 99.2% of to result websites have at least one backlink – so yeah, this is important!
Social profiles.
Make sure you have at least a business page on Google and Facebook. Twitter and Instagram can be useful, but it depends on your business. These don’t have to be some highly curated profiles. Just fill it out with the basics and get friends and family to follow along. Make sure to post your new content there.
Run a giveaway!
Organically building an audience takes time. You can give it a little kick start by running a giveaway. Last year we gave away a pair of Airpods Pro and had over 1200 engagements. We plan to run more this year! It is challenging to get that kind of return for $250 with any other method.
Use Press Releases – for actual news.
Press releases can be an inexpensive way to get backlinks from media outlets. But it is no longer automatic. The Sky Floor once released an EP for a music artist, and the backlink from that still shows up eight years later.
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“If your press release is unique, eloquent, valuable, and attention-grabbing, then a newspaper, media outlet, or other blog is more likely to pick it up and champion it. When they do so, your company gets that golden link, mention, citation, buzz, referral traffic, etc. from all of these outside sources, not just from the submission site. (v9digital.com) “
Use HARO or Source Bottle.
Some services help connect reporters and sources for articles. Help a Reporter Out, and Source Bottle comes to mind. Some things to consider, you will submit to a lot of stories and never hear back. Try this strategy in short bursts so that you do not get discouraged. We have been featured several times in short articles, and it has built our digital network.
Some examples below:
Say yes to opportunities.
Keep your eyes open for new opportunities to grow your digital presence. I have missed a chance to be interviewed on TV about our business because I didn’t check my messages. That kicked me in the gut to keep an eye out for new chances. You don’t have to say yes to everything that comes along, but you can’t say yes at all if you don’t recognize the opportunity!
None of these are overnight strategies. But in the long run, they will pay off. The best way to execute a long term strategy is to start now and then stick with it!
