How to Get Started With SEO on a Limited Budget

The search engine landscape is constantly changing to deliver better and more relevant results. An algorithm update from Google was recently released to prevent poor quality sites from ranking. This is good news for the end consumer but creates challenges for business owners and marketers.

Attempts to manipulate rankings through questionable tactics is likely to be met with ranking penalties. The updates then are designed to reward websites that actually provide value and useful information. And this will continue to be the case as search engines focus on delivering better results.

Ranking high in the search results for relevant keywords is at the heart of a strong search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy. It can mean the difference between growing revenues each year or struggling to stay afloat. But what if you only have a limited budget to work with?

The following are ways to implement a strong marketing strategy with minimal cost.

1. Optimise On Page Factors

A website with poor on page optimisation is likely not reaching its full potential. Despite algorithm changes, on page factors continue to carry a significant amount of weight in terms of rankings and can be broken down into the following:

• Page titles: Titles are immediately noticeable in the search results and should be written to include target keywords. This helps to improve the visibility of your pages.
• Header tags: Using headings is ideal for breaking up sections of content and improving on-page SEO. They also improve usability by helping visitors find what they are looking for.
• Multimedia: Multimedia from images to videos should be used to keep visitors engaged. These can also be optimised to further improve on-page factors.
• Meta descriptions: A well written meta description can help to improve click through rates. These should include the target keyword and why visitors should click.
• URLs: A URL with a long string of random characters looks unappealing. Optimising URLs to include target keywords is good SEO practice.
• Site speed: Every effort should be made to increase site speed as how fast pages load has an impact on rankings. The Google PageSpeed test offers a detailed analysis and suggestions.
• Content: Perhaps the most important on-page factor is content. This does not mean stuffing in as many keywords as possible but genuinely providing useful and engaging content.

Every page should be properly optimised for each of these factors to improve search engine visibility. But caution also needs to be taken as over optimisation can lead to ranking penalties.

2. Develop a Strong Social Media Strategy

Social media is becoming increasingly important for SEO. Research indicates that social signals (i.e., how many times a page gets shared) has a direct correlation with higher search rankings. But being active on networks such as Facebook and Twitter is also useful to:

• Increase brand awareness
• Attract new visitors
• Reach a larger audience
• Run new promotions
• Generate subscribers
• Conduct market research
• Provide customer service

Developing a strong social media strategy should be a priority from the start. It not only drives business objectives but complements SEO. Activities from sharing new posts to engaging with the target market can have a strong impact.

3. Maintain a Blog With Fresh Content

Blogging is a powerful tool. Each blog post is an opportunity to not only rank for new keywords but to also attract new customers. But simply posting new content is no guarantee that it will generate a return.

The key is to produce content that provides value for your target market. Gathering topics can be as simple as browsing through social media networks or even asking your audience directly what kind of content they want to see. Maintaining a blog is an effective way to increase search rankings.

And to differentiate your brand from your competitors.

Conclusion

Search engines continue to remain an excellent source of targeted traffic. Getting started with a strong search engine strategy is entirely possible even with a limited budget. The most important aspects are to optimise on-page factors, develop a social media strategy, and to engage in blogging.

Implementing these aspects can be done in-house but hiring an agency can take your efforts even further. Contact us today to schedule a consultation with one of our professionals for a digital marketing strategy.