SEO MADE SIMPLE
SEO = Search Engine Optimization
SEO is the language used as a communication tool between your website and Google. Your website is your storefront. Just about everyone turns to Google, or a search engine on the internet, when researching a product or service, even when referred by a friend or family member.
In order for Google (insert your preferred search engine here) to find your website, it must contain words that speak to the Google search engine to tell it what is on your website.
KEYWORDS AND KEYPHRASES
Keywords and keyphrases are your website’s main words and phrases that describe what you do, the services you provide, and the products you sell.
Keywords and keyphrases are the words and phrases people type into the search bar for a product or service.
When a person types words into the search bar and hits enter, Google sends out spiders or bots to crawl your site (millions of sites) and save a copy to their index. An algorithm checks if the indexed copy of your site matches a search query. When your site matches the query, it appears in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Page).
See how that works? You (or your webmaster) are in charge of entering keywords and keyphrases on your site. People type in keywords and keyphrases that match those words, and voila! Google finds a match, and your ideal client visits your storefront.
Easy peasy.
However, there is some work on your end to set this up, but it is worth the time. After all, you’ve likely spent thousands of dollars or hours building a website; don’t just let it sit in the graveyard of sites that never get found.
HOW TO CREATE A KEYWORD AND KEYPHRASE LIST
- Brainstorm a list of words that come to mind when thinking about your services, products, brand, and ideal client. For example, headshot photographer, headshot photographer near me, headshot photography, actor headshot, best headshot photographer in Milwaukee, executive headshot photographer, professional headshot, headshot for a book cover, headshot for a speaking gig, headshot for website, etc.
- Use Google, Quora, YouTube, Amazon, Wikipedia, Bing, etc. to expand on that list. Type the keywords from your brainstorming list into the search bar of the aforementioned search engines and pay attention to the list of related searches in the pop-up window at the top and bottom of the page. Add these suggestions to your list.
- Use keyword research tools:
- Ubbersuggest.com (free or paid)
- Keywordtool.io (free)
- KeySearch.com $17/mo to $34/mo
- LongTailPro.com $297/year to $1177/year
- MOZ.com $179/mo
- SERPed.net $79/mo to $379/mo
- SeoProfiler.com $69.95/mo to $999.95/mo
- Answerthepublic.com (free unless you go Pro)
- App.kwfinder.com (free)
HOW TO CREATE A GEO-TAG LIST
- You must have a physical address for your studio or home on your website in the footer and on your contact page so Google bots can find it while crawling the source code. Don’t use a PO Box.
- Create a list of locations: city, suburbs, and surrounding small towns.
- If you’re an on-location photographer, create a list of parks and venues you shoot at.
- If you’re a high school senior photographer, list surrounding high schools.
- If you’re a headshot photographer, list a few big corporations and popular businesses.
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH ALL OF THESE KEYWORDS/PHRASES?
UTILIZE KEYWORDS & KEYPHRASES EVERYWHERE.
Don’t keyword stuff, but use them interchangeably everywhere.
- ON-PAGE OPTIMIZATION: Title Tags, Meta Tags, Heading Tags, Content, Images
- OFF-PAGE OPTIMIZATION: Blog Articles, Social Media, Directory Listings, Reviews
- LOCAL OPTIMIZATION: Google Business, Google +, Bing Business, Yahoo Business, etc.
- Rename your images: personal-brand-photographer-milwaukee-001.jpg (don’t use an underscore)
- Make sure your images are sized properly so your website loads quickly.
- Create an export preset in Lightroom.
- Can use the WordPress plugin EWWW Image Optimizer.
- Mac users – resize images using Preview >> Tools >> Adjust Size.
- Make sure your images are relevant to the topic, genre, content, service, keywords, hashtags, products, services, and geo-location across all online platforms, including social media.
- Enter keywords and keyphrases in the following areas in your media: Alt Text, Title, Caption, Description.
INSTALL AN SEO PLUGIN ON WORDPRESS
YOAST
Fill out the Focus Keyphrase, SEO Title (65 characters), and Meta Description (155 characters):
- On every single page
- On every single blog article
- On every single blog category
- On every single product
- On every single testimonial (depends on your template – mine creates a page for each testimonial)
Dig into your website and look for unexpected areas where you can add your keywords/phrases
SQUIRRLY
- If you have the budget and want to dig deeper into your SEO practice, I recommend purchasing the Squirrly SEO Plugin (WordPress). You can start for free to try it out—you can even set up a mock website to try it out so you don’t have it on your live website—and then it’s $20.99/mo, $71.99/mo, or $75.99/mo thereafter.
- Using an A.I. assistant, this plugin guides you through the process of ensuring that SEO is done properly on every page and blog post—it’s in-depth. When you install it you’ll see what I mean.
While SEO is not the most glamorous job in the world, and it will not grant you instant gratification, if you spend at least 10 minutes per day on your SEO, you’ll begin to see results in just a few weeks as your ideal clients come knocking on your virtual door.
It’s kind of like exercise. You would see results and could more easily maintain your weight and strength if you exercised for 20 to 40 minutes per day versus once per quarter.
A little bit goes a long way when it comes to SEO.
Click HERE for a helpful SEO checklist to help keep you on track. And if you really don’t want to spend one iota of a second doing anything related to SEO, I’ve got you! Set up a free consult or send a message through my CONTACT form, and let’s get this party started!