One month ago, a small business reached out to me about fixing their site's SEO. They didn't have much of a budget, but I wanted to help. #SEO#blog
By fixing their site structure and improving their on-page SEO, they started the process of climbing the rankings. I did:
1/12
I mapped the existing site structure into a spreadsheet, documenting all URLs and page titles. I documented which pages were sending and receiving internal links and the anchor texts used. I made a note for any pages that have thin content, poor on-page, and poor permalinks.
2/12
I carefully studied the intent of each page and created a draft for a new site structure. For each page, I re-built the titles and permalinks, using carefully selected keywords pulled from Ahrefs and Search Console. All new URLs received 301 redirects and were documented.
3/12
I went back to each page and started optimizing for headers, images, and internal links (now that we have new URLs). I used Jasper AI to help with producing some filler website content so pages wouldn't have thin content.
4/12
I updated the site's primary navigation to reflect the site's new structure. I also added footer navigation and that included the business' name, address, and phone number.
5/12
There were a lot of plugins that were installed that did just 1 thing, which could be easily replaced by adding some custom CSS or just by knowing where to add snippets (removing the need for the plugins). This removed a lot of bloat from the site.
6/12
Some images were high-resolution PNG, making the file sizes huge and causing long load times. I swapped them out for lower-res JPG. I made sure to use keyword-rich alt tags.
7/12
I added a sitewide schema for local business that included the name, address, phone number, category, and more. I added breadcrumb schema to any pages that were part of a silo/hierarchy.
8/12
I added a lengthy pillar article that explained the purpose of each page on the site, linking to the pages using carefully selected contextual anchor text, making for powerful internal links.
9/12
I optimized their Google Business Profile to include all their services, services areas, and business information. Again, I used Jasper AI to help with creating this filler content.
10/12
I paid a service to create 100 business listings that would include their name, address, phone number, logo, link to their website, and links to their socials. This will help them rank better locally as time goes on.
11/12
I've been monitoring their keyword rankings on Ahrefs and Search Console to track the growth. Many new keywords started to appear. Existing keywords have begun to improve. Irrelevant keywords are dropping off. Google is starting to better understand this site now.
12/12
There is no cookie-cutter solution for fixing a site's SEO. Each site poses its own unique set of challenges. When done properly, a site's traffic can begin to grow.
If you have questions, feel free to DM me.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
In February, I was asked about creating a local business website for a new company. They had no interest in doing any SEO and just wanted a website. #seo#blog
I built the site and optimized it in case one day they wanted to get down to business. 1/5
Fast forward to August, they wanted the site to start getting traffic. They asked what it would take.
My answer was simple: Citations
You see, even though their website was optimized, there was no proof anywhere on the web that their site existed. Citations will fix that.
2/5
A citation is any mention of your business. As a minimum requirement, you'd include your business Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP).
Ideally, you'd also get a link pointing to your homepage.
These can be built across hundreds of free local directories. 3/5
One month ago, I walked into a store that was under new management and didn't seem to be doing so well. I asked to speak to the owner and offered some simple tips to drum up business for them. #seo#blog
In just 20 minutes, my SEO tips helped them have a great first month. 1/8
First, I had them set up a Google Business Profile on the spot. I walked them through how to do it on their Google Maps app.
This took 10 minutes and they were verified instantly because we included photos of the interior and exterior of the business.
2/8
Next, I wrote a business description (with their phone in my hands) about who they are and what they're offering.
I took a look around their store and came up with keywords that might help them. I used those keywords in the description.
3/8
Some of the biggest wins are just sitting there waiting to be taken. Take your page 2 keywords and throw them into Google. Page 1 results will show you what your page is missing. #seo#blog
There are a few things you can do to win page 1 for these keywords. 1/
Better match the intent - You might have misunderstood what the search meant. Make sure you're delivering on what the person is actually looking for. Page 1 results will have better matching intent. See what they're talking about.
2/
Covering missed topics - I guarantee you will find at least TWO topics you didn't include in your content. This gives you more keywords to target and you'll also get to double-dip on the next tip, which is keyword density.
3/
Websites that have featured snippets share a few commonalities. You can check how each site weighs in by looking at the knowledge graph for each site. #seo#blog
tl;dr: e-a-t 1/4
In this example, there are only 2 sites that are competing for the featured snippet for this query. There seems to be some detailed information about both.
The third site, which doesn't come up as a snippet, has almost no information about it. 2/4
One of the easiest ways to improve this result for a site is to create a high-quality about-us page. You can read more about this here: support.google.com/websearch/answ… 3/4
I'll find keywords by accident because I'm often exploring new opportunities. I've always loved writing my thoughts in a notebook, so stationery seems like a worthwhile niche to pursue one day. #seo#blog
One keyword idea I wrote was "writing equipment"
here is what I found 1/8
Doing this alone has opened the door to several micro-niches. "Adaptive writing equipment" is a niche that can stand on its own two feet. The products don't look like they're worth much, but it's interesting enough.
Let's look at expired domains. 2/8
I entered the word "adaptive" to see what comes up. Clearly, this niche has been scoped out and people see some value in it. If you look near the bottom, there is a great .com domain name that isn't taken, adaptivechild.
Let's pop it into ahrefs to see if it's any good. 3/8