Five Things You Should Do Before Adding SEO to Your Website

Research and Understand Your Keywords

Before you can optimize your website for search engines, you need to know which keywords and phrases your target audience uses to find businesses like yours in Northwest Arkansas. Take some time to conduct keyword research. There are many tools available, such as Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush, that can help you identify relevant keywords.

Make a list of these keywords and phrases, focusing on those that are specific to your products or services. For example, if you run a restaurant in Fayetteville, keywords like “Fayetteville restaurant,” “NWA dining,” and “Northwest Arkansas cuisine” should be on your list.

Check Your Current Ranking

Once you have your list of keywords, it’s time to assess your website’s current performance in search engine results. Conduct a generic Google search for the goods and services you offer in Northwest Arkansas and see where your own website ranks. Are you on the first page of results, or are you buried deeper?

Knowing where you currently stand will give you a baseline to measure your progress as you implement SEO strategies. It will also help you understand how competitive the market is for your chosen keywords.

Analyze Your Competition

To gain a competitive edge in the world of SEO, it’s essential to study your highest-ranking competition. Look at the websites that appear at the top of the search results for your target keywords. Pay attention to the following:

• Number of Pages: Take note of how many pages these top-ranking websites have. Do they have a vast amount of content, or is their website relatively concise?

• Website Organization: Analyze how their websites are organized. Is the navigation user-friendly, with clear categories and menus? Consider how you can improve your own site’s structure.

• Content Length: Examine the length of the content on their important pages. Longer, informative content tends to perform better in search results. Think about how you can expand and enrich your content.

By understanding what makes your competitors successful, you can develop strategies to surpass them in the search rankings.

Optimize Your Content Strategy

Quality content is the backbone of successful SEO. Before you start making changes to your website, assess your current content strategy. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Is your existing content valuable, informative, and engaging to your audience?
• Is your content up to date, or does it need refreshing?
• Are you targeting the keywords identified during your research?
• Do you have a content calendar in place to consistently produce high-quality content?

Plan your content strategy to align with your SEO goals. Create a content calendar that outlines topics, keywords, and publication dates. Focus on producing informative and engaging content that addresses your audience’s needs. Make sure your content is not only optimized for search engines but also provides real value to your visitors.

Establish a Strong Online Presence

SEO extends beyond your website. To maximize your online visibility, it’s crucial to establish a strong presence on various online platforms. Start by creating and optimizing your profiles on social media networks, business directories, and review sites.

Consistency in branding across all these platforms is key. Ensure that your business name, address, phone number, and other important information are consistent everywhere. This not only boosts your website’s credibility but also makes it more appealing to both users and search engines.