What is SEO (Search Engine Optimization)?
SEO is the process of improving the quality of a site, based on Google’s algorithms, to help it rank on page one of the search engines.
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about the important stuff.
There are many different factors involved in SEO, over 200 in fact, but not all of them carry equal weight in determining a site’s rank.
People have written entire books on the subject, but it is our aim here to create a simple guide to get you moving in the right direction.
Too many get stuck in the small details that have little effect on moving the needle. With SEO your time and energy are best spent on the areas of greatest impact; content and backlinks. These are the two most important factors in the game of SEO.
Content
“Content is Queen….or King.”
Remember that phrase!
Content is the most important factor in ranking a website to the top of the search engines. Websites with high-quality content consistently outperform their competitors.
Google’s goal is to provide searchers with the most relevant, high-quality information it can offer. This translates to websites with poor content quality being left behind in the rankings.
Creating quality content might seem daunting, but here are a few tips to help you along the way.
Tip #1 – Content Type (Know It)
Are you selling a product, offering a service, promoting a cause? Being clear on your purpose will allow you to create the appropriate type of content for your website.
As obvious as it sounds if you are selling products you want to build a product sales page. Your content should focus on product specifics; dimensions, ingredients, colors, flavors, nutritional facts. Give your customer a clear picture of what they are buying.
Likewise, if you are offering a service, you want to create educational content around your service, how your company operates, and what solutions you bring to your customers’ problems.
Knowing your purpose will lead you to the appropriate type of content.
Tip #2 – Keywords (Gotta Have Them)
“Cannabis Tinctures”
“Cannabis Gummies”
This needs to be said. If you are trying to rank organically for a specific keyword/search phrase then you must have that keyword included in your content. Businesses often make the mistake of excluding their highest value keyword(s) in their content. If you want to rank for it, it has to be in the content.
DO NOT start stuffing keywords into your content in hopes of ranking for them. Your content should answer questions for people who arrive on your site. Once you start cramming keywords into your content it becomes difficult to read, sounds stilted, and will drive most searchers away from your business. Not to mention, Google will penalize your site for keyword stuffing which will hurt your organic rankings.
Tip #3 – Google Search (What Is Currently Out There)
People often run into the problem of not knowing what to write. This is where the important skill of googling comes into play. The easiest way to get ideas for your content is to see what is already out there.
Google the keyword(s) you want to rank for and read the search results. These websites have achieved the result you are looking for, page 1 Google rankings, so how did they do it? Reading the results will show you what content Google is currently rewarding. You can take this information and use it to create a content plan for your own site.
Now, we’re about to get real salty….
DO NOT COPY YOUR COMPETITORS’ CONTENT!
We are very serious about this, though. Use the top results to give you inspiration for your content, but do not copy what they have. Be original and create fresh content around the product/service/topic you are writing about.
Tip #4 – People Also Ask (Use This)
Another great spot to find inspiration for your content is the “People Also Ask” feature in the search results.
This feature will give you direction for additional content creation ideas. By addressing the relevant questions in this section you are able to create additional valuable content for your site. This will lead to visitors spending more time on your site, and Google will reward you for that interaction.
Tip #5 – Related Searches (Find Gems Here)
At the bottom of most Google searches, you will come across the “Related Searches” feature.
Like the “People Also Ask” feature, this can be a great place to find additional content ideas that will help you in your journey to create quality content. Follow these links and see what treasures await you.
Bonus Tip: BLOG
Blogging is a very powerful tool in your SEO strategy. Using the above tips, you can build a powerful blog strategy that will allow you to rank for different keywords in your industry. Blogs allow you to access your audience at the very important information stage of their journey. “How to” and “Review” content might not work for your home page or product pages, but a blog is a great spot for these types of content.
Creating quality content requires effort, but it is well worth the extra time spent. As we said before, Google’s goal is to give its users the best experience they can. That means they want to serve the highest quality content, and the previously mentioned tips will give you a pathway to creating that.
Backlinks
Coming in at a close second to content is backlinks. Aside from quality content, a strong backlink profile has shown to have the greatest effect on ranking position.
“What is a backlink?”
Great question.
Simply put, a backlink is a connection between two different websites. You see them all the time online, those blue words on a web page that if you click on them take you to a different website. That connection is what we call a backlink.
The purpose of these links is to connect your visitors to additional high-quality content online. Google uses these links to determine the quality of your site content, and by extension, your site as a whole. Generally speaking, the more of these high-quality links you have the more Google will trust and reward your site, which translates to higher rankings.
This leads to the next question, how do we acquire them?
This is a process known as link building, which has several key factors. We will cover the major factors below.
Factor #1 – Content Quality
If you want other brands to link to your content, you will need to create content that is worth linking to. The reason we started with creating quality content is that before you can develop a strategy for acquiring backlinks, you need something other brands would consider linking to. Once you have developed high-quality content, you can move to the next step of the process, link outreach.
Factor #2 – Link Outreach
Once you have your content lined up, it is time to create a list of websites that you think could benefit from the content you have created. Once the list is made it is time to reach out to these sites informing them of the content you have created and asking them to link to it.
Warning – with Cannabis still not being federally legal, many sites will not link to sites promoting or containing anything cannabis-related. Partnering with a team that understands the cannabis industry, and has experience with SEO for cannabis brands is the best way to maximize your outreach efforts.
Partner With An Experienced Team
While this guide is not comprehensive, it is a great starting place for anyone looking to learn more about creating an effective SEO campaign. SEO is a long-term marketing strategy with a big pay-off if you stay consistent.
The Conceited Marketing team has experience helping Cannabis brands develop their online presence. We understand the legal hurdles associated with the industry, which gives us a strong foundation for building a successful SEO plan for our partners. If you are ready to partner with a team that focuses on results, click here for a complimentary consultation.