The term SEO comes up in any discussion of online marketing. Search Engine Optimization has grown from a topic in the 1995 book, Net Results, to something that every business is scrambling to gain today.

SEO is when your business shows up in a higher position on sites such as Google and Bing. It may not seem like a big deal, but site traffic comes from being at the top of search results. The first result has been shown to receive 53% of the clicks, and second place gets only 15%. These numbers continue to dwindle as you travel farther down the list, until the results aren’t being clicked at all.

If you want success in your online marketing adventure, you need to take advantage of smart SEO practices. This may sound intimidating for a startup business. While the specifics of search rankings are always changing, there are plenty of basic tips you can use to get the greatest benefit and put your website near the top in search results.

The 5 Steps to Startup SEO Success

1. Get a Handle on Keywords and Concepts

It may take a bit of research, but knowing what keywords people are looking for is a huge part of being seen. It can be helpful to make a map showing your concepts. Think about what you offer, and then start brainstorming about the types of people who would be searching for those services or products. A coffee shop, for example, can appeal to everyday coffee drinkers, those who enjoy occasional tea, people shopping for beans to brew at home, and occasional shoppers. Each of these categories offers unique advertising angles.

Google’s Keyword Planner is a useful resource for digging up the right search terms to reach specific groups. The results produced by this tool come directly from searches. AdWords also provides a compatible feature that suggests words for the site with which it’s connected. Look for terms that:

• are frequently searched
• are relevant to your site and products/services
• have less competition

Be aware of the “long tail” phenomenon. This is when lots of related but low-traffic keywords add together to be more successful than the more popular words. To illustrate this, think about “video games.” Although the term is broad, it’s not searched as often because it’s so vague. Specific titles, such as “Call of Duty” or “The Last of Us,” on the other hand, can add up very fast. Always take advantage of as many specific keywords as possible.

2. Plan and Design Your Site

Determine the content that will be most helpful for people who search for your business. Each of the groups we listed above (coffee drinkers, tea drinkers, etc.) will have something that can be marketed specifically to them. The daily drinkers may be interested in rewards cards or other special discounts, while those who come in on occasion may be looking for new flavors to try.

Once you know what kind of material you’ll be including, don’t forget to optimize it for the internet. Titles, links, headings, bullets, uniqueness, and non-duplicative works will improve your site the most, and be more pleasing for your readers. Learning code (or hiring someone who is familiar with it) can be vital here.

It’s important to cultivate the right environment for this content. You need to have proper menus and pages that are technically flawless. Be concise but thorough so your visitors will always get the information they need.

3. Build a Page that Works

Once you’ve crafted the blueprint, you can start creating your website. Focus on the domain name. It should be memorable, but not complicated – something users can recommend to friends without having to type it out. Having one or more of your keywords in the name means having that sought-after higher rank.

Other pages need to have thoughtful names, too. They should be neat and tidy while remaining useful. Keep things short and simple if you can, using options “/home” and “/shop”. You also should skip over extraneous characters and underscores. Dashes rank better and are easier to communicate.

4. Use Links

Links are probably, in truth, the single most important aspect of SEO. Engines such as Google rank your page largely based on the number of other web pages that lead back to it. When others are referencing your page, it appears more reliable, and therefore, better. Likewise, having strong, trustworthy links placed within your content will boost your own numbers.

Choose citations that come from related sites, if you can. Place them directly within your material – don’t use sidebars or footers. This is called anchor text, and it should always be used to emphasize links. For example, “According to Kissmetrics” with a link, should read “According to Kissmetrics.”

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5. Be Mobile and Local

Most Americans have smartphones. In fact, people are more likely to view pages from their mobile device than from their desktop now. Google and other search engines take this into account when they’re ranking your pages. Optimizing for mobile viewers can be a fantastic help.

You need to cater to your location, too. Millions of searches have the city, state, or zip code tacked onto the end of them. This helps filter relevant results for the user. When you use your town and surrounding areas as keywords, you’re going to generate more local traffic and better SEO.

The world of marketing is always changing. Customers and interests shift, and good SEO tactics keep you proactive and relevant. Following these tips will help you make the most of your website and put you on track to achieving a No. 1 spot.

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