Quick-Start Guide to SEO in 2017

Implementing an effective SEO strategy and achieving top ranking results is generally a long-term investment. It may take months before businesses see an improvement in rankings and traffic, so it’s important to commit to a solid long-term strategy. However, there are some effective techniques that don’t take a lot of time to implement, but can produce real results. Here are some quick tips, some even an SEO novice can utilize:

Website Optimization

1. Optimize page title tags. Include your most important keywords and keep it under 70 characters.
2. Review site structure. Make sure your site is easy to navigate and be sure to use internal links to connect relevant information.
3. Install plug-ins specifically designed to optimize your blog.
4. Create and submit an XML Sitemap to all major search engines. A sitemap is basically a list of the pages on your website that you want the search engines to crawl.
5. Make sure your website is mobile responsive. More and more visitors are cruising the internet from mobile devices. According to StatCounter, 54.77% of internet traffic was via a mobile device or tablet, compared to just 45.23% from desktop in February 2017. Add the fact that Google now uses mobile-friendliness as a ranking factor and it’s a no brainer. Your site MUST be mobile responsive.
6. Make sure you don’t have any external duplicate content archived. Using an online tool such as Plagium or Copyscape ensures your content is unique.
7. Examine your backlinks and remove any paid or low quality links. If you believe your site’s ranking is being harmed by low-quality links to your site from external sites you don’t control, try Google’s new Disavow Links tool.
   Don’t forget your social media profiles. Be sure you have working links to your website on all social media platforms.

Produce & Distribute Great Content

1. Create interesting content relevant to current events that people will find valuable, such as the recent changes in tax laws.
2. Write for authority sites within your niche. Offer to provide content for Avvo, The National Law Journal, or another leading authority website.
3. Mix it up with different formats. In addition to the ever-reliable blogs, consider publishing slide decks, videos, and case studies.
4. Answer common questions asked within your industry on platforms such as Avvo.
5. Put your efforts into producing one piece of great content, instead of four average ones.

Build Relationships

1. Don’t forget that everything you do to market your firm can be beneficial for SEO, if repurposed properly. Even offline events can generate links!
2. Market your public seminars and client events online. Publish a blog on a related topic. Invite your fans, followers, and connections via social media.
3. Ask your Centers of Influence to add your site to their resources pages.
4.  Sponsor a local sports team or community event.
5. Reply to comments left on your blog and social media platforms to help build relationships.
6. Follow two or three relevant industry blogs and make it a habit to comment on the content. Your comments should add value to the discussion.
7. Strengthen your reputation by leveraging the audiences of well-respected industry blogs.

Maximize Presence in Local Search

1. Establish a listing on all key local sites:  Google+ Local, Bing Local, Yahoo Local, EZLocal.com, ReachLocal, etc. Moz.com offers a free tool that allows you to check your local listings.
2. Be sure that all contact information is identical in every listing, including any abbreviations.
3. Design and distribute marketing materials that encourage clients to review your firm on Avvo, Google, Merchant-Circle, Yelp!, etc.

Keep an Eye on the Competition

1. Check out your competitors’ websites, blogs and social media accounts to gain insight into their content marketing strategy.
2. Use a free tool, such as opensiteexplorer.org, to discover where your competitors are building backlinks from.
3. Examine your competitors’ websites to determine which search terms they’re targeting.
4. Investigate the on-page elements your competitors are using.  What kinds of forms, databases, and widgets do they use on their sites?

Don’t just build a website then leave it alone. To build and maintain a strong online presence, you need to constantly publish fresh, original content, consistently expand your reach and persistently engage both your offline and online communities.

Rita Chaires
Director, Web and Online Marketing Services
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (800) 846-1555
www.aaepa.com