Smart SEO Strategies that Avoid the Punishing Silences of Uncertainty

Updated 4 January 2021

Last year our business decided to hire an SEO provider to boost our online presence. The process of hiring one was relatively easy - we knew enough to avoid anyone who told us PPC is the same as SEO (it's not, but they try it on).

We settled with paying a premium of an Australian based company. After they didn't deliver (99% of effort in getting our money, 1% in any actual optimization assistance), we were back at sea without a compass, paddle and lacking morale. It all felt a bit hopeless - we told clients how they should do their SEO, but doing it for ourselves as a web design agency was very different. It was competitive, it was daunting.

So we invested our time in getting smart. Putting aside distractions, and giving this the time of day it really deserved.

It was only after being befriended by another provider who wanted to help us that we realized that we probably had a Google Penalty - we'd put our footer on hundreds of local clients which all shared one server, thus one IP. What's more, we were linked out to websites that were as varied as they could be - from Pest Control to Psychology to Managed Funds to eCommerce. We had a personality disorder in Google's eyes, and our relevance in search queries was, well, zero.

We dug deep. We went back to basics. We got traction. We then started to make it work.

We found a lot of quality advice, from MOZ, Brian Dean, AHrefs and Majestic. In addition to learning from the best in the business, we adopted our own methodology specific to the web design industry.

Today, our websites in Australia and New Zealand are KILLING it. Thousands of views every month from the RIGHT traffic. Hundreds of enquiries every month from local businesses wanting our services. We now charge more for our services, have a dedicated team of project managers (five!) and support staff, and we have much more time to invest in making better websites and improving processes.

This page is about getting results.
It’s about working smart, not wasting time on nonsense and making your website an authority.
This page has the basics to demonstrate EVERYTHING you need to get YOUR website ranking.

SEO comes with a lot of feelings and emotions – frustration, anxiety, jealously and anger. With this page, you can learn from someone who has developed framework that WORKS on top ranking websites in highly competitive fields.

We NEVER sell SEO as a service, and we believe SEO is best done by the website/business owner. Outsourcing it to “providers” is really like taking a Rolls Royce to any old service station. Your business is the Rolls Royce and too important to just hand over the keys. You will be offered all sort of amazing deals, “5 keywords top ranking for $99 per month!” but they are not worth even a dollar. Or with bad linking, losing you money in the short and long term.

What we outline on this page doesn't focus on the numerous Google updates – we are instead ahead of the curve ball, getting authority instilled in your website. We focus on NOW and the future, not scrambling around to game the “system”.

We’ve really seen and heard it all when it comes to SEO, and we want to publish the ultimate guide that is 100% relevant for web design and related businesses.

SEO Introduction – Our Views

The only objective SEO is more money. The more eyes on your website, the more money you receive. Everything on this page is compiled on that belief.
A Blog is a WASTE OF TIME. The articles don’t get traction, over-use the same keywords and are likely to do nothing but misallocate resources. AVOID.
SEO is best done internally. Paying someone else to do SEO is a mistake – no one will have much as passion for your business as you do.
Make sure your website has all the Basics (see below) before embarking on ANY SEO efforts – driving a new vehicle with flat tyres is all too common.
Indiscriminate “Link building” as a strategy is a joke. If you’re an IT consultancy in Boston, having links to cat and dog websites in Japan is pointless. So many costly “expert” providers do this –and it’s disastrous.
Linking to your business “neighbourhood” is the way to go – relevant business links are far more powerful than irrelevant connections.
Google Disavowing is crucial – it’s likely your website has some bad links, so just get rid of them.
Creating Authority content is easy, effective and brings in money. So your focus ongoing should be on having an edge, and letting it be known.
Wasted efforts include random link building, manual SERP checking, guest blogging, citations,
Powerful SEO efforts include Youtube videos, authority pages, a strong home page and relevant social media engagement.

What we WON’T be doing

Creating random links to our website because it sounds good. “Link Diversity” is about as useful as a lemon and a walnut in making music.
Trusting SEO “gurus” or any random provider with our website’s SEO – it’s way too important.
Wasting time on social media efforts that don’t yield any results.
Misplacing effort in areas of SEO that simply have no effect, and shouldn’t even be considered SEO.
Getting frustrated or anxious about results – this page means that’s simply not necessary! You WILL get results, and they’ll be solid and long-lasting.

What we WILL be doing:

Strengthening your website with a solid base of industry relevance and authority
Quickly removing dodgy links that you may have created via Google Search Central
Localizing your business with a target area and solid online presence
Creating momentum by publishing industry-leading content
Getting more eyes on your website with easy and effective Secret Weapons
Outsourcing your Social Media efforts for as little as $10-20/week

Step 1 - Warming Up – Keyword Targets and Setting up Ranking Checkers
SEO is less about keywords and more about relevance. However, as a base, we need some perimeters to work within, and use the Google Adwords Keyword Tool as the source. Log into Adwords, or register a new account (no payment method needed).
Go Get Your Keywords - This Youtube Video explains it all

Search with a competitor URL, or type in your specific keyword, and select your country.
Identify a range of keywords, and download them as a file.
Highlight the keywords that best work for your business, and shortlist them.

Keywords for Life

You’ve now got about 10-15 keywords you can work with.
There is no point in overkilling on one – use all of them, naturally, in your content.
Only a FOOL would use just one – it’s completely unnatural.

Using Ahrefs to Track Your Results

Set up a free trial with Ahrefs (14 days) to get life-long keyword monitoring.
This avoids the temptation to do (pointless) ad hoc searches yourself.

Sign up to Ahrefs, setting up the free 14 day trial.
Insert your website, keywords and geographical location.
Set up the frequency.

Summary

Now, you have one of the most TRUSTED SEO provider alerting you to ranking changes.
Your efforts can now go 100% into ranking, not checking and hoping.

Step 2 - Nailing SEO Meta Tags
There is no science to Meta tags. However, with the right tool, your website reads better to searchers and will be better positioned and presented by search engines.
What is meta, and how can it help my website?

Meta refers to the title, description and keywords a website presents to search engines.
Your title and description
Keywords – inserting keywords into the meta fields to make your website specific formerly used by search engines before the invention of page rank, are best ignored as no SEO or ranking value is placed on them.

Outline

How a user using Search arrives on your website will be driven by their reaction to your meta tag title and description.
To ensure the highest conversions, i.e. hits, you need language that is straight to the point and engaging, while including 1-2 keywords and all contact details if applicable.
This procedure makes it easy to roll out quality meta titles and descriptions for EACH of your webpages.

Procedure

Load up http://www.submitshop.com/seo-tools/meta-tag-analyzer and submit your homepage.
Your focus is on “Title” and “Description.
Title – include your primary keyword + secondary keyword + business name (option), i.e. Plumber New York | Emergency Plumber | Ranstead Plumbing or Web Design Chennai | Wordpress Website Design | Jebel Designs
Description – in 175 characters of less, your description needs to include your primary keyword, business name, your location and a unique point about your business and why you’re worth CLICKING on (if possible).

Examples of good meta (keyword coverage, professional writing, specialisations covered):
“Web Design London”:
Web Design London | WordPress Website Design Agency
Web Design London Agency | TWK, a full service Website Design and Development company based in Marylebone London. Professional Web Design.

“Interior Design New York”:
NYC Interior Design
NYC Interior Design is a full service firm specializing in high end residential by designer Erika Flugger. Specializing in renovations and redesign.
Examples of BAD meta:

“Freight Forwarders Delhi”
Axis Freight Solutions Private Limited, New Delhi - Service Provider
Service Provider of International Relocation Services, International Freight Forwarding Services & Sea Freight Forwarding Services offered by Axis Freight.

No keywords in title, no location in description, long sentences. No contact details.

Suggested meta:
Axis Freight Solutions | Freight Forwarding New Delhi
Axis Freight provides seamless freight forwarding. 25+ years of experience in International Relocation, Freight Forwarding & Sea Freight. Call our New Delhi team: +91 12345678

“Window Repair Chicago”
asc window chicago
window repair and screen repair, local chicago same day service available.

No keywords in title, lower case/no calls to action, no contact details.

Suggested meta:
Window Repair Chicago | Window Replacement | ASC WINDOW
Window Repair, Window Replacement and Screen Repair Chicago. ASC Window has Served Chicago for 20+ years. Same-Day Service. Contact (555) 1234 567.

Summary

Having great meta is a perfect way to establish your website and get is ranked – it all starts with having the right keywords for the search engine to display it AND having persuasive content for the user to click!
Replicate your meta on each page – make sure the content in your meta is reflected in your page to ensure consistency.
Need inspiration for YOUR business? Type in your keyword and take inspiration from the Google Ads you see – these have been polished and proven to convert!

Step 3 - Broken Links – Identifying and Replacing for a Seamless Website Experience

Broken links can hold your website back – a lower quality user experience, search engine robot issues and authority loss are just some of the reasons to invest the time in a broken link check.
http://www.brokenlinkcheck.com/ is a leading authority and tool for discovering, and self-correcting, broken links.
In less than half an hour, you can tackle all of your broken links and clean your website to be fully operational.

Why find and fix broken links?

Broken links stop search engine crawlers – if they hit a broken link, the page either won’t be indexed correctly and/or have lower authority. This means a lower ranking.
Broken links also lead to lower website traffic – a user will likely be discouraged from continuing to any other pages and exit your website altogether, sending a signal that your website is low value.

Procedure

Run http://www.brokenlinkcheck.com and identify you broken links – if you don’t have any, great – but set a reminder to check your website every 1-3 months.
With your list of broken links, go page-by-page and either remove the link, or replace the link with a new reference point.

Summary

Broken link repairs are a quick win, and give your site the highest level or usability and authority when it comes to trusted traffic flows.
Search engines will properly index your website when you have 0% broken links – ensure to schedule regular quarterly checks and fix any issues.

Step 4 - Directory Listings – General and Specific

Directory listings are a great way to categorize your business and make it relevant in its field.
Search engines detect the listings and place value in the links.
Directories can be classed into two types – general, and industry-specific.
But, it’s best to avoid PAID general directories – largely the traffic flows of directories is low and not worth the upgrades. You may receive sales calls to convince you otherwise, which can be ignored.
You may find specific directories charge a one-off fee to be listed – you can assess these directories on a case by case basis.
Directory listings cement your website as a real business, and give it authority.
Ensure you accurately select your business list categorisation.

Suggested GENERAL directories

The best way to find general directories in your country is to do a search “business directory” in your local Google homepage.
The results will differ per country – i.e. Yell (UK) vs Yellow Pages (USA) vs Yellow (New Zealand) are just some of the differences.
The aim is to generate a list of 10-20 directories where you can list your business.
Get straight to it, making sure that each directory meets the listing essentials….

General Directory Essentials

Offer a free of charge listing
Allow a link to your website
Offer a specific category that apply to your business

Selecting and Listing in Industry Specific directories

Specific directories have great SEO value, because they associate your website to the professionals in the business.

It’s worth making an investment in specific industry directories that have authority. A reasonable budget would be $100 for life, or $10-15 per month.
Google “industry name” + directories – you’ll get a lot of results.
Spend time looking at one, looking at if it’s local, national or international (local or national is always better) and evaluate the fee (if applicable) and benefits.

WITH ALL WEBSITE LINK ADDITIONS, make sure of two things:

The overall website has a Trust Flow > 10. You can make exceptions if it’s a relevant website and is measured at 8 or 9 – it comes down to judgement.
Only link to RELEVANT websites – this is so IMPORTANT. It’s too easy to build a link, but Search Engines want to see your website as an authority, not as “friends with everyone”.

Summary

Directory link building is a quick win with lasting effect.
This is a one-off exercise if you perform it diligently, adding 20-30 directories in total (general and specific combined).
You shouldn’t expect any significant traffic flows – the objective is to simply position your business on the web.
You may receive spam and sales upgrade emails/calls from the listings – all are best deleted/ignored.

Step 5 - Hompeage Essentials (Address, Schema, Phone number etc)

Structured Data – Getting Google
https://search.google.com/structured-data/testing-tool
Overview

Less than 0.01% of websites have input "structured data" on their website.
It’s a very simple process, and this lecture outlines what you need to do to get the "All Good" tick from Google.

What is Structured Data?
As MOZ outlines, “Structured data is a specific vocabulary of tags (or microdata), also know as Rich Snippets that you can add to your HTML to improve the way your page is represented in search engine ranking”.

OK. Why use Rich Snippets?

By adding "tags" to your webpage, you can LOCALIZE your website, and MARKET your business more specifically to the customers you are trying to target.
All you need is the best code snippets to insert into your website, and your website can benefit from better click-through and search results.

Structured Data Options

Google offers a fantastic tool, developers.google.com/structured-data/testing-tool which offers real-time accuracy.
By inserting a URL, you can see the results - the more "All good" results, the better for your website.
The optimal number of snippets is 3-4, covering WebPage (covers your business description), Organisation (covers your business contact details), WebSite (covers your business name and alternative name) and Product (outlines your product(s) by a star rating).
To make sure your website has LOCALISED and RELEVANT search engine tags, we recommend inserting rich snippet tags for WebPage, Organisation and WebSite.
There is less urgency in Product as its true effect is unproven at this time.

How to Insert Your Structured Data

Simply modify the code in the RESOURCES section, where it says "Insert" simply enter in the business details. You can place all of this in your FOOTER section of your HTML fields.
Google will recognize the code instantly - simply run the structured-data/testing-tool to check your website and make sure you've got the "All Good" sign.

Summary

Structured data has tremendous benefit localising your website. Unless your business contact details, it doesn’t need to be updated.
Keep this simple – don’t over complicate the details, and make sure you perform the Google Structured Data test afterwards to ensure your data passes without issue.

Step 6 - Google Search Central – The Essential Friend of Your SEO Efforts

See our dedicated Google Search Central guide.

Step 7 - Cutting Back on Your Website’s Pages

Your website content will harm as much as help your website’s search optimiziation.
Search engines focus on presenting QUALITY; your website’s QUANTITY may dilute the quantity.
Over time, it’s natural for a website to grow out.
The decision to “prune” pages is essential, and needs to become a routine.
What is important for your business is accuracy and quality, not an overbearing mash of words.
Once pruned, the true nature of your website (and business) is going to shine.

Take an example:

Mike runs a company which creates logos.
Over the time, he has blogged on logo creation, creative tools and software, as well as unrelated topics such as mountain biking (his passion) and the architectural projects of the firm that designed his office building.
Such content confuses Google!
Is the website about architectural design, logo design or mountain biking?
Seemingly good intentions to publish creative content can be bad for business.

Assessment Framework – Keep of Delete?
The decision of what to keep and what to delete can be made objectively. A suggested framework is that if you can answer YES to at least three of these, the page can stay.

A theme that relates to my core business service/product?
At least two keywords in the content?
The ability of extending the content to 1,000 more words if needed?
Content that you believe, personally, of being high value to a reader (i.e. not filler)?
A narrative that’s neutral and not self-promoting?

Your core pages (home, about us) will be exempt from this test, as they are crucial to your business.

What is the best process to remove pages, and how do I go about it?
Once you’re comfortable with removing content, you are going to be benefit tremendously.

Run a sitemap – don’t look from your back-end, you’ll get distracted.
Load up each page, and make the assessment above for EACH page. Get a second opinion if you can’t decide.
If your page is to be deleted, ensure you set up re-directs to avoid dead SEO links (Yoast SEO etc)
Delete the page, and move on to assessing the next page.
Repeat steps 1-4 a couple of times, running a new site map. You can be sure more and more will be deleted the more you see it.

Our Tips

Search engines don’t like HIDDEN pages. If you have any, apply the same test – keep or delete.
Don’t worry about the short term effects of a mass delete – loss in traffic from non-core sources, the long term effects are what matters.
Copy your content into a Word document if you’re attached to it – this means you’ve still got your own copy.

Summary

Cutting back on content is essential for a website of true authority.
Heavy worded websites confuse Search Engines and bring traffic with no money value.

A clean, refined website positions your business above your competition.

Step 8 - Removing Your Blog Page
In a continuation from the previous lesson, a smart business owner will evaluate the business blog page and decide if it’s worth the resource allocation.
Benefits of a blog:

Let’s a browser know the latest information about the company.
Has some SEO value, especially if the content is unique.

Disadvantages of a blog:

Content is likely to be general, and not value-adding to a potential customer.
It’s impossible to establish authority with each blog post, so their value is minimal.
An infrequently updated blog gives an appearance the website/business is no longer operating (i.e. “last blog post 6 months ago).
What interests your customers may not convert to a good blog post.

Case example:

Jane owns a law firm in New York.
As part of her SEO strategy, she publishes legal case decisions on her blog that relate to family law, her speciality.
However, the content is best suited to fellow legal peers, and has limited applicable to her target audience – potential litigants.
Her efforts would be best placed composing useful family-law themed resources, i.e. videos and authority pages, which engages with potential clients.

Summary

If you don’t have a blog, then that’s a perfect situation to be in.
In you DO have a blog, letting it go may be emotional, but necessary, so you can focus your resources on your website’s authority.
A blog will hold you back in the long run. Don’t look for quick wins at the expense of big business.

Our Tips

Don’t worry about the short term effects of a mass delete – loss in traffic from non-core sources, the long term effects are what matters.
Copy your blog posts into a Word document if you’re attached to it – this means you’ve still got your own copy.

Step 9 - Majestic/Ahrefs and Trustflow

Trustflow is Magestic’s signature SEO metric, which we believe is superior to “Page Rank” and “Domain Authority”.
Trustflow measures the trust of the website, out of 100.
Example: TMZ.com, which is cited by news media worldwide, has a higher Trustflow (77) than the relatively unknown Miami Hurricane (37).
The more TRUST your website has, generally, the more authority the website has and is likely to be shown in Google results.

Using Trustflow to Rank Your Competition and Beat It!

Step 10 - Google My Business
Google My Business is an ESSENTIAL element of SEO. Not matter what your business is, even if it’s virtual, it needs to be on the Google map.

Be the LOUDEST on the Google Map in 6 EASY Steps:

Brand your business with the industry keyword + location, i.e. “Electrician New York – Jones Electrical” to identify your business.
Use a business address that is CENTRAL in your city (use a virtual office provider for 1 month if needed, or ask a friend who lives centrally).
Upload your logo and photos – the more you have, the better. Team photos, office photos. If you don’t have any, find relevant STOCK images.
Write engaging content – look at your highest competitor and mimic their content, and improve it!
Insert ALL Contact details – phone, website, email – everything! You NEED to be as visible as possible.
Get Reviews – write to clients using our SUCCESSFUL script to attract reviews – incentivize them, and ALWAYS reply to their feedback.

Our Tips

It may take 1-2 weeks for your Google listing to go live, so be patient and focus on other SEO work.
Use my script in the RESOURCES section to reach out to existing clients and get reviews without hassle.

Secret Weapon 1: Reddit
Reddit is a massive source of influence, traffic flows and overall good karma for a website. A simple link can attract thousands of views.

Benefits

High user numbers sit on Reddit, ready to read and engage
Anyone can post a link
Flows of traffic to your website are immediate
There is potential for good links to be upvoted, respected and shared beyond Reddit.

5 Easy Steps

Select a page you wish to share. It must be something useful, relevant or unique, otherwise it will be dead in the water.
Contract a Reddit poster on Fiverr – this is the preferred method to ensure link posting diversity.
The Reddit poster will take between 1-3 days to select a sub-Reddit (i.e. category) and post it.
Once it’s live, you’ll be notified. You won’t be able to answer any questions/comments, but if the content is good, it will be upvoted.
Google indexes Reddit frequently, so it’s a good link if there is traction on it.

Summary

Don’t over-use Reddit as a method of sharing links – I’ve been guilty of this myself, and the Reddit community gets angry!
At most, post 1 link every 2 weeks. If your thread has been upvoted a lot, use this as proof of relevance when you promote your Authority page.

Secret Weapon 2: Google Search Central and “DISAVOWING” Bad Links

Google knows you’ve been bad (linking), but it won’t punish you forever.
Often bad links are stuck – you can’t contact the website owner, so there’s no hope.
The Google Disavow tool allows you to manually remove BAD links, unrelated and spammy links in one simple step.
Along the way, you’ll see all the links that Google recognises as linking to your website!
With the power of information, you can have a much healthier website and be free of any Google penalties
Our useful Youtube video outlines everything you need to know, and you can even download a mock disavow file you can use today!

Part 1 - View the Links Google Indexes in Your Website

Log in to your Google Search Central home page, and select the website you want.
On the Dashboard, click Search Traffic, and then click Links to Your Site.
Under Who links the most, click More.
Click “Download Latest Links” – you now have a record of EVERY link, in sequential date order. Powerful stuff!
Review this list, line by line. Look for bad links, unrelated website links, spammy website links – basically EVERYTHING you don’t want to be associated with. A manual review is essential – do not rush this.
Remember – the focus is on RELATIONSHIP. If you have a link from dogs.com but your website is about Mars, the link is worthless. Be BRUTAL and DISAVOW as much as you can.
Once you’ve itemised your “bad” links, save them into a CSV file. We want Google to not recognize the entire domain, not just the link.
The Resources section has a sample .TXT file of a real life Disavow file – you can use this as a base.

Part 2 - It’s Disavowing Time

Once you TXT file of domains is prepared, it’s GO TIME.
Log in to the Disavow page and confirm to proceed (Google shows lots of warnings)
Select your file, and press SUBMIT.
You’re done. The bad links are melting away now.

Summary

Often websites with a lot of bad links are being held back.
This procedure lets you take the plunge and wipe away the bad links, and benefit yourself in Google.
While this doesn’t map to Bing.com or other search engines, the Google effect on your business will be significant.
Even if you didn’t find bad links, having an oversight of what links Google recognises regarding your website is very valuable.

Secret Weapon 3 - Social Media – Media Marketing and SEO

Your efforts in Social Media are rewarded in two ways – instant brand awareness, and longer term SEO benefits.
Avoiding the trap of “too much social” is essential, and this page outlines a detailed plan for your business that can be largely outsourced.

Hiring a Social Media Manager

Social Media isn’t that social, and for a business, can be very boring and expensive.
We believe this is best outsourced, quietly, to a specialist provider.
$4/hour for 5 hours/week is an estimated time and budget allocation (post on Upwork).
You can still be “social” when you need to be, but the grunt work should be performed externally.
Having Social Media performed in the background means you don’t need to worry about what you’re not doing, and focus your efforts on bigger fish.
We focus, in order of priority, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Linkedin, Instagram and Pinterest.

The Social Media process can be best broken down into the following goals:

The expansion of your local (or global) reach through quality, original contributions
The engagement and excitement of relevant business influencers, locally or globally
An improved understanding and identification of potential customers, and their needs.
The successful and ongoing sharing of your in-house content with key partners

The Process – 5 Ways to Boost and Sustain Engagement over ALL Social Media Channels

Networking – reach out to authorities in your industry, and follow them/like their page
Commenting – comment on authority posts with meaningful contributions – not “well done, nice post” but something value-adding.
Liking – a spray gun to liking gets your business noticed, and “professional liking” is not to be snared at.
Sharing – find good content, and re-tweet it or share it.
Grouping – join Linkedin and Facebook groups which operate in your industry – this is an EXCELLENT venue for sharing your original content.
Photographing – Pinterest and Instagram have big followers. Create a Pinterest board with your keyword, and fill it with relevant images.

Remember
The UNDERLYING Goal is to have a lot of engagement and networking.
Please only connect with relevant industry companies and individuals – time is wasted on anything else.

Smart SEO Strategies that Avoid the Punishing Silences of Uncertainty

NO CONTRACTS, NO HASSLE.​Contact Australia's best-rated web designer for a free quote

NO CONTRACTS, NO HASSLE.

Contact Australia's best-rated web designer for a free quote