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A sustainable, long term SEO strategy is vital for success in the SEO sector. It should encompass both relevant on-page and off-page factors and be specifically catered to the business aims of the company.
Many businesses and website operators make the mistake of trying to conduct their SEO without a specific target, focussing merely on increasing the visibility of their website and seeking to ensure that they rank highly for certain keywords. This is not an SEO strategy. Authentic SEO is much more elaborate and complex. This article is all about on-page SEO strategies which also affect the off-page sector.
Forward:
In order to generate website traffic relevant to your target audience, there are a few key questions which must be asked:
What target audiences are there?
- How does the search engine interpret already existing content (the status quo)?
- What level of technical SEO know-how is available?
- What are the most important KPIs for your SEO strategy?
What target audiences are there?
Website operators generally want to sell a product or service or cater for the needs of their target audience. This means that they must know both the needs of target group as well as the group itself. Target groups should be categorized and clustered so that they can be addressed via different online marketing channels. In the SEO sector, it is essential to determine for instance which target group accesses the website via the search engine. Ask yourself a few questions here, too:
- How should I best address this target group?
- How do members of this target group behave on the landing pages?
- Is SEO traffic concerted at all?
It is vital to determine which target groups access a page via the SEO channel in order to know how best to talk to them.
How does the search engine interpret already existing content?
If you are using XOVI it is safe to assume you already operate a website or online shop containing content which is already interpreted and processed by the search engine. In order to even begin to implement an SEO strategy, you first need an overview of your current rankings, backlinks which already link to your site as well as the technical and content structure of your site. Of course, it’s recommended to take these things into consideration before establishing your online presence but it’s still possible to optimise and make changes retrospectively.
What level of SEO know-how is available?
Given the constantly changing online landscape, strategic search engine optimization is no easy task and many website operators lose track of the general picture after a certain amount of time. It is therefore important to recognize when the time has come to fall back on an SEO tool which is suited to both on-page and off-page and provides direct, clear instructions and tips on individual improvements which can be made. This is where XOVI comes in. The XOVI on-page analysis tool identifies areas in need of optimization, leaving the webmaster free to concentrate on other matters such as producing content. XOVI doesn’t just identify problems and errors, it also reports directly to website operators as to what exactly should be optimized or adjusted.
What are the most important KPIs for your SEO strategy?
KPIs – key performance indicators – help both businesses and website operators to keep an eye on important SEO figures concerning their online presence. So what are they? KPIs should be individually determined, meaning that webmasters must know exactly which SEO factors are most relevant for them in order to reach their objective. Which KPIs could be relevant, then?
- Number of keywords relevant to the target group
- Positions of keywords relevant to the target group
- Number of backlinks
- CTR
- Bounce rate
- Load times
- Monthly traffic figures from organic searches
Reach specific SEO targets with XOVI
Once you have determined your SEO strategy, you can implement it using the new XOVI Suite V3. The new version features new and improved settings, enabling webmasters with even the least SEO knowledge to get the best out of their websites in search engines.
Your project:
In the new XOVI Suite V3, you have the possibility to create projects. These projects focus on your website in particular allowing you to keep an eye on developments and opportunities for optimization. Projects feature the following options for analysis:
- Competitors
- Keywords (and when their positions should be calculated)
- On-page analysis
- Alerts
When you create a project, it is possible to investigate competitor websites which rank with keywords similar to your own. In the “own keywords” section, you can add keywords which are relevant to your individual business aims. (Keyword: KPIs). The on-page analysis supports webmasters with little or no SEO savoir-faire. Alters can also be set to automatically inform you of certain changes.
Overview of relevant SEO on-page features in XOVI:
- Keywords
- On-page
Each of these two categories is divided into numerous sub-categories. Here, we are going to discuss the categories most relevant to the SEO strategies presented in this article.
Generate more target group orientated traffic with the help of keywords:
Keywords are vital for any SEO strategy as it is via keywords that target group orientated traffic is generated. XOVI analyses all the keywords for which the analysed website can be found. If a website operator wants to attract more visitors to a site via a search engine then it is essential that he carries out some keyword research. Keyword research reveals the keywords for which the site already ranks highly and keywords which offer potential. Website operators also acquire a detailed overview of the development of a website’s keywords.
To this end, the following options are available in the keywords sector:
- All keywords
- Monitoring
- Chance keywords
- Winners and losers
- Won and lost
- Keyword research
Using these options, webmasters not only gain a detailed overview of keywords for which the site is found, but also the way in which the individual keywords develop.
How to proceed strategically
As mentioned above, the best keywords to analyse are those which generate traffic which is genuinely relevant to the business’ or website’s target group. The step in the “all keywords” section is to reveal which keywords for which the website already ranks highly. Pay particular attention to the search volumes of these keywords and their positionings. The filter tools and sort functions can help you with this. The ultimate aim is to produce a table with the following headings:
- Keyword
- Position
- URL
- Search volume
This list represents the results of your keyword research, highlighting which keywords already boast high rankings and search volumes. Other keywords are classed as “lost” keywords. In the “Won and Lost” sector, keywords for which the site is no longer found should also be analysed. Keyword research should be conducted as thoroughly and extensively as possible in order to build up an effective long-term SEO strategy which can also be used for content editing plans.
Using keyword potential even when pressed for time
Webmasters frequently just don’t have enough time on their hands, so XOVI offers the “chance keywords” function which is perfect for generating traffic relevant to your target group quickly. Here, keywords are listed which already have a high ranking but which could perform better with a few minor adjustments. It’s also important to ensure that search volumes are relatively high, that the keyword is indeed relevant to the target group and that the URL which already ranks for this keyword is noted. Don’t get to review and edit the document later.
The On-page Sector
Most webmasters are well aware of the factors taken into account by search engines when evaluating a website, yet not all know how to best take advantage of this, for various reasons. Usually it comes down to a lack of a general overview or a basic lack of time or knowledge. Nevertheless, on-page factors ought to be a priority and if a webmaster doesn’t recognize their importance, it’s hard to even get started. For this reason, XOVI is there to shoulder the responsibility for on-page analysis, delivering clearly categorized results which take the whole picture into account. Set up your website as a project in XOVI, and have the software analyse the on-page factors.
The main advantage lies in XOVI’s step by step identification and solving of problems, analysing the following sectors and enabling users to filter which areas are to be displayed. Webmasters also receive explanations of individual problems.
Recommendation
When conducting on-page analysis, beginners should first concentrate on the following sectors: server, meta, content, architecture, images and internal documents. These sectors have particularly great potential.
So, to make the most of your on-page analysis, focus on the following points:
Server
The correct status codes must be used so that the search engine can optimally interpret content. Here it is important that websites are easily reachable not only for users but for the search engine too. (Status code 200). For redirected content, ensure that content is redirected using status code 301 so that important link juice is also redirected. This is not the case with status code 302, leading important backlink juice to be lost. For this reason, the key focus in the server sector is status codes. Through on-page analysis, XOVI can determine which status codes are attached to individual documents.
Meta
Titles and descriptions should be optimised. Titles should not be longer than 65 characters and should contain the relevant keyword. The description should also be meaningful and informative and contain key words. Descriptions should not contain more than 156 characters. To ensure that both of these meta-data are optimally displayed, avoid using up the whole allocation of characters, but rather keep titles and descriptions as short and concise as possible. It is also advisable to include a so-called call to action in the description, such as “click here to find out more”.
Content
Priority should always be given to H1 content. Just like the title and description, H1 content should also contain the keyword and be and concise as possible.
Architecture
Complicated link structures within a website can cause problems for search engines, as crawlers find it harder to reach documents hidden behind multiple links. To guarantee that the crawler can access and interpret all content, crawlability is important. The ‘architecture’ function in the XOVI suite helps to identify how far the search engine is able to reach to access relevant content. Documents should be accessible in the fewest number of clicks possible. If documents are buried too deep in a webpage behind numerous clicks, make sure correct paging is in place.
Images
‘Alt’ tags are important if a search engine is to be able to recognise what an image shows. An ‘alt’ tag is basically a description of an image which allows the image to be correctly categorized. Images can generate substantial traffic and should therefore be optimized to their full potential.
Internal documents
Internal linking plays an important role in prioritization within a website. With internal linking, website operators can help the crawler to identify which documents are the most important. To do this, make sure that the most important documents are linked more often than less important ones. Furthermore, internal linking also contributes to the optimization of the flow of the link juice, allowing relevant backlink power to the redirected to targeted, important sites.
Implementation of SEO strategy
Now that we have identified and explained the relevant on-page factors, it’s time to see how best to bring these factors and optimizations together to improve the quality of the website and increase the ranking of the site and its sub-pages for target group specific keywords in search engines.
What do the factors for optimization described above being to the website?
- Identification of keyword potential relevant to target groups
- Optimization of technical components such as titles, descriptions and H1
- Optimization of images for identification by the search engine
- Guaranteed link juice flow through optimized redirection and internal linking
- Accessibility of relevant documents for both users and crawlers
- Establishment of priorities within the website (internal linking)
- Easy crawlability
With website content now optimally and qualitatively processed and displayed for search engines, the focus now shifts to generating more traffic relevant to your specific target group. Here, there are several possibilities:
Chance keywords
Chance keywords refer to keywords which are already categorized as lost but, with a few minor adjustments, could allow documents to rank higher in the search engine. One way of achieving this is to review, edit and expand existing content so that they provide greater value for both the search engine and the user.
Conceal long tail keywords
Long tail keywords offer a great opportunity to generate target group relevant traffic for your website, especially when a specific sub-page exists for them. When keyword research reveals keywords which have not yet been concealed but nevertheless show a high search volume, it is advisable to create a detailed, internally linked document for them.
Create new, unique content
Search machines and users are constantly on the look-out for unique information and new points of view. The more unique and valuable a contribution, the better. For this reason, XOVI has developed its unique WDF*IDF formula which makes it possible to create content which is as unique as possible for search engines. So what does it actually mean? Whilst previously competitor density played an important role in SEO, nowadays there are must more efficient ways of determining the value of a document. Modern search engines now place much greater emphasis on context and semantic relevance. These changes must therefore be taken into account in a consistent, long term SEO strategy, meaning that not only must documents be optimized in terms of keywords, but also that a text is relevant in terms of the wider context. The WDF*IDF text editor from XOVI facilitates the identification of terms upon which search engines place the greatest emphasis when categorizing documents in relation to specific keywords.
Zusammenfassung
Sustainable SEO means the construction of qualitatively high value foundations upon which further optimization can be carried out in the longer term. Firstly, it is vital to ensure that search engines can interpret existing content as easily as possible before thinking about adding new content. Website operators who have not engaged with detailed SEO before are strongly advised to familiarize themselves with the basics in order to save themselves time, effort and expense in future. XOVI on-page analysis is absolutely ideal to carry out this process of learning and implementation as efficiently as possible, since it combines optimization with knowledge of the subject. Website operators can use the results of XOVI’s analysis to optimize website content whilst simultaneously improving their understanding of SEO with the help of the explanations provided (see the ‘help’ section), learning why these aspects of a website should be optimized and what exactly the process entails. Having organized existing content correctly, this can then be optimized (key word: chance keywords) and new, unique content can be generated.