What are the three strategies of SEO?

Search engine optimization is one of the best investments you can make in your brand’s digital future. An SEO strategy is a plan to optimize your website content to improve its ranking in search results. And it’s a vast field with both technical and content-based components. Let’s break it down into three strategies you can tackle one by one, until the organic traffic is flowing.

What are the top 3 SEO strategies?

Ready to superpower your SEO marketing strategy? Here are the top strategies to get you started.

1. Perform a technical audit and optimizations on your website

Many marketers think of SEO as part of their content creation strategy. But a great SEO foundation starts before you create a single piece of content - with technical SEO.

There are hundreds of optimizations you could make to improve your website, but here are a few of the most important technical SEO ranking factors. Here’s how to audit these factors on your website and make optimizations for SEO.

Website speed. Even if your content is brimming with creativity and insights… no one will stick around if it takes 90 seconds to load. Search engine algorithms know this, so your website’s ability to rank will be seriously impaired if you have slow load times. Run your site through Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool for a report on your core web vitals. Some common issues are large media files and unnecessary code.
Structure and navigation. Simplifying your nav as much as possible helps both human users and search engine crawlers. Keep every piece of content discoverable with a few clicks, and URLs short and descriptive.
Mobile-friendliness. It goes without saying that your digital content should be accessible on mobile devices. And for most brands, being “accessible” isn’t nearly enough; their mobile experience needs to be excellent. Simplifying your design and using larger elements warms your site up for mobile users.

2. Build a consistent, keyword-driven content strategy

When it comes to SEO, content is still king - and Google’s algorithm is better than ever at recognizing truly valuable content. To create consistently high-quality content, use these on-page SEO techniques:

Identify your content niche. Focus on solving your prospects’ problems, and don’t be afraid to write about topics outside (but related to) the scope of your product.
Perform thorough keyword research. Use keyword research tools and competitor analysis to identify what your audience is searching.
Create optimized, high-quality content. Your piece should be easy to read, educational or entertaining, and credible. Incorporate your keyword into your content.

3. Acquire backlinks

Once your content is polished up, it’s time to pursue backlinks. Earning backlinks means using off-page SEO techniques to get links to your content from external sites. This shows Google that other users have found your content helpful.

Here are some tactics to earn backlinks:

Craft your content specifically for linkability - incorporate data, quotes, and engaging media.
Identify sites popular with your audience, share your content with the publisher, and suggest a specific link location.
Contribute testimonials or charitable donations to your company’s partners so they have an opportunity to link to your site.

In the context of SEO, what does EAT stand for?

Just what marketers need, another acronym. Trust us, this one is essential for your SEO marketing strategy. Introduced by Google in 2014, E-A-T stood for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. In 2022, Google added another “E” to the framework - experience.

E-E-A-T is one of many guidelines that Google’s algorithm uses to determine content’s value and, therefore, its ranking. While it’s not a direct ranking factor, it’s a “green flag” for high-quality content. According to Google’s Search Quality Guidelines, high-quality content exhibits:

How to incorporate EAT into your content

By sticking with the three SEO strategies outlined above, your content will naturally include the E-A-T elements. But you can take things a step further to make sure your content is Google’s dream come true.

Here are a few unique SEO strategies that use E-A-T concepts:

Showcase the creator’s expertise by prominently displaying their bio and professional credentials.
Cite credible, third-party sources (and seek to be cited by them!)
Promote positive user engagement with your content with thoughtful social posts and micro-influencer collaboration.

Optimize with confidence

In the end, SEO is about creating valuable content that users can trust. To hit the quality bullseye with your digital content, start with technical optimizations. Create relevant, keyword-optimized content with plenty of E-A-T indicators, and then maximize backlinks with a focused strategy.