SEO tactics have morphed again over the past year, including the many Google updates we’ve seen.
For nearly any type of business, keeping up with these changes can be
a challenge, but if you prioritize the tasks necessary for success in
search and social media marketing, the efforts can pay large dividends.
Below are my picks for the top SEO tactics to focus on in the coming
year. These tactics can bring you more relevant traffic and conversions
for improving your bottom line in 2013.
- Optimize your pages using SEO best practices
- Implement social media tactics
- Build mobile pages and/or mobile apps
- Build local pages
- Optimize map listings with local landing page URLs
- Optimize IYPs & data aggregators for consistent data validation & relevant backlinks
- Improve SERP visibility with semantic markup
Optimize Pages With SEO Best Practices:-
The best guide to SEO Best Practices is the
Google 2012 Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide, which includes the following topics in its Table of Contents.
- Unique, accurate page titles
- Description tags
- Improved site structure
- Improved URL structure
- Easy navigation
- Optimized content
- Offering quality content and services
- Writing better anchor text
- Optimizing images
- Proper use of heading tags
- Dealing with crawlers
- Elective use of robots.txt
- Using rel=”nofollow” for links
- SEO for mobile sites
- Submitting mobile sites to search engines
- Guiding mobile users accurately
- Promotions and analysis
- Promoting your website appropriately
- Using free webmaster tools
If you take the time to implement these tactics as time allows, you
will get gradual improvements in your rankings along with increased
conversions.
Implement Social Media Tactics:-
Today’s consumers are increasingly going to social media sites like
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for information, influencing their
purchasing decisions. They also share their own retail experiences with
others on these sites. This results in brand mentions and
recommendations from friends and strangers alike.
As a result, consumers have been turning to social media for product research before purchase.
- 76 percent of consumers recommend companies they trust to a friend or colleague (Edelman Digital)
- 62 percent of all online shoppers read product-related comments from
friends on Facebook, and 75% of these shoppers click through to the
retail site.
- Customers who participate and/or interact with you on YouTube, Twitter or Facebook are 150% more likely to buy merchandise.
With increased social recommendations influencing product search and
discovery, it is important that Web merchants take advantage of these
touch points, creating opportunities for consumer engagement.
You can encourage your customers to share positive experiences on
social media sites, and you also have the opportunity to defend yourself
from complaints on these sites. Some brands can benefit by using social
media advertising to target their audience and drive new customers to
their sites.
Build Mobile Pages And/Or Mobile Apps:-
Optimized mobile pages and mobile apps provide a great user
experience for consumers on the go. In fact, shoppers expect to find
them when searching on their mobile devices.
Optimize your mobile site and apps with the following features:
- Location Specific Calls to Action
- Location Phone Number, Address, Hours
- Driving Directions
- Local Store Promotions
- Local Store Pictures
- Company YouTube Videos
- In-Store Offers
- Social Network Sharing
- Links to Promotions
- Click to Call Features
Build Local Pages:-
In addition to the most basic local business information, aggregators
wish to acquire as much “enhanced data” or local business details as
possible. The more enhanced your local business data is, the more value
it has for display to searching consumers.
Enhanced data can include, but is not limited to:
- Additional business category types
- Business descriptions
- Operating hours
- Web page links
- Images and logos of the business
- Images and descriptions of products your business offers
