![\"Keyword](\"https:\/\/www.capitalnumbers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/keyword-research.jpg\")
<\/div>\nThe first step is to do your keyword research.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t have to focus on ranking for an entirely new keyword. That\u2019s almost impossible in a crowded niche. Instead, focus on ranking higher on your existing keywords.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re around rank 4 on most of your keywords, it might seem like the search engines are ignoring you altogether. By targeting these keywords and bringing them up, you\u2019ll be able to show up in more searches and achieve \u201ctop of mind\u201d awareness in your target audience. Again, you don\u2019t necessarily have to rank \u201cfirst\u201d in any of them. The goal here is to cast a broad net.<\/p>\n
While doing your keyword research, you\u2019ll also want to check on your competitors. Certain SEO tools<\/a> exist which allow you to discover which keywords your competitors are using, and target them. You\u2019ll be expanding your reach, competing for rankings, and possibly even taking their customers.<\/p>\n As any content marketer knows, your written content should be more than just stuffing a page full of keywords and hoping Google picks up on it.<\/p>\n Instead, write your content to help a specific set of your customers based on the questions you see and hear them asking.<\/p>\n (We\u2019ll build out a customer avatar below).<\/p>\n The vast majority of your keywords come from questions customers are asking Google in the beginning and middle of the buying cycle \u2014 before they\u2019re ready to buy. The more content you devote to answering these questions and becoming an authority in your space, the more search engines will like you.<\/p>\n For example, your potential customers might asking, \u201cHow should I market my business online?\u201d<\/p>\n If you write some content answering this question, search engines will then direct potential customers to it. Not only does this make you more visible, but it naturally positions you as an authority.<\/p>\n To know exactly which questions to address, and how to address them, you must create a client avatar. There is a very specific way to determine your perfect audience and understand exactly what you should write before you write it.<\/p>\n First define who you WANT to work with.<\/p>\n Think about your absolute best clients. You probably want to work with more people like them, right? You don\u2019t want to work with the bad clients\u2026 the ones who refuse pay on time or who micromanage everything.<\/p>\n So we\u2019re only going to target the good clients with our content.<\/p>\n What do your good clients already know about the process? What do they still need to learn?<\/p>\n If your customer base is wondering about media buying, write an article on everything they need to know before starting. Follow it up with an article the most common problems people have in a traffic campaign. This will work for almost any subject and it can be a powerful tool.<\/p>\n You can also go back through your consulting calls and figure out what your ideal clients are asking. Produce content that addresses those questions. Figure out what made them pick up the phone to get on a call with you in the first place. Then figure out which pieces of content they read and liked. Produce more of that.<\/p>\n Not only will you attract more of your ideal client\u2026 but they will actually be readier to work with you, resulting in a shorter sales cycle.<\/p>\n Link building has come a long way since 10 years ago\u2026 the best practices for link building<\/a> are more stringent than they were in 2008, but it is still the most effective, measurable, trackable way to improve your SEO. It\u2019s true that spammers have given link building a bad reputation in the past. But the best way to do it is not only more ethical, but also more practical.<\/p>\n First, start with maintaining a strong brand and a diversity of links. It should probably go without saying, but the best best is to use only natural anchors, and not \u201cexact match\u201d anchors as this will signal to Google that your site is over-optimized. Make sure your social media is running smoothly as well (to let the search engines know that you\u2019re a real business or brand). Push your site content to your social media when you publish it on your blog as well.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve signaled to the search engines that you are in fact legitimate, and not just trying to spam them, you can start focusing on \u201chigh-power\u201d links with exact match anchors. Generally you\u2019ll do this by seeking out other publications in your industry and guest posting on them. The more high-quality and \u201ctrustworthy\u201d these publications are, the more the search engines will trust you.<\/p>\n SEO takes months to really see results, and when you do, you will undoubtedly notice a disparity in where your efforts are going and the results you\u2019re getting. Double down on what works and leave behind what doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n The best marketers don\u2019t just follow one plan forever. They\u2019re always tracking, optimizing, and changing what doesn\u2019t work. By optimizing not just your keywords and pages, but your efforts overall, you\u2019ll have a foundational SEO strategy<\/a> that works for you month after month after month.<\/p>\nContent Building & Avatar Creation<\/h2>\n
![\"Content](\"https:\/\/www.capitalnumbers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/content-building-avatar-creation.jpg\"){kind=avatar}
<\/div>\nLink Building<\/h2>\n
![\"Link](\"https:\/\/www.capitalnumbers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/link-building.jpg\")
<\/div>\nTesting<\/h2>\n
![\"Testing\"](\"https:\/\/www.capitalnumbers.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/testing.jpg\")
<\/div>\nConclusion<\/h2>\n