Are you attempting to tackle search engine optimization for your own website? Craig Kilgore, an SEO expert at Mainstreethost, an online marketing and business development company, offers these tips to help you get started:

• Don’t believe everything you read: You know your situation and marketing needs the best, notes Kilgore. If you are interested in learning and are willing to put the time into it, he recommends following some of these websites — Search Engine Journal, Search Engine Land, SEOmoz, Distilled and Google’s blog.
• Remember the basics: “It is easy to get caught up in what’s cutting edge and forget about the basics,” says Kilgore. “By no means am I implying that you shouldn’t test new ideas, just don’t forget about what got you to where you are.”
• User experience should be at the forefront: “You can have the best rankings and get traffic but if you aren’t capturing your visitors’ attention, you probably aren’t converting,” Kilgore notes.
• Measure conversions: “Next to user experience on the importance scale are conversions and measuring conversions,” Kilgore observes, adding: “What is the purpose of each visit? Is it to sell a product? Capture contact information? No matter what the reason is, make sure you have one! And once you have one (or more), MAKE SURE YOU ARE MEASURING THEM!”
• Content marketing is a must: “With the advancements in social media sharing and search engine rankings being influenced by this social data, a well planned, strategic content marketing campaign is a must,” says Kilgore.
• Social media marketing is a must: “Whether you need to tackle this on your own or have the means to develop a team of social media specialists, do what you have to do to get out there and engage with your audience(s),” Kilgore urges.
• Continuously conduct keyword research: Keyword research is not a “one and done.”  Rather, it is something that should be addressed fairly frequently (depending on your vertical), says Kilgore. “Keep track of your keywords, their search volumes and how well they perform for you. Revisit this from time to time,” he suggests.
• Study your competitors: “If you know what works for them and you can implement it (ethically) on your end, why not?” Kilgore poses. “To expand on this, don’t copy your competitors’ mistakes (yes, this does happen).”
• Don’t be afraid of data: When it comes to SEO, both on-site and off, there are massive amounts of data at your disposal, and too often we shy away from these hard numbers, Kilgore notes. “You should do what you can to familiarize yourself with the data out there and how you can use it to improve your marketing efforts,” he says.
• Be ready for change: “Don’t just be ready for it though; be willing to embrace it and adapt to it,” Kilgore adds. “Being able to adapt to changes while remembering the basics will make you a more well rounded SEO/inbound marketer.”

Source: @ckilgs Inbound Marketing Blog

Posted March 13th, 2012 under Intellectual Property Marketing

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