Organic SEO is a powerful way to gain authority in your industry. But how do you improve something that happens naturally?

Contrary to what the name implies, there are many ways you can influence the organic search traffic that comes from search engine optimization. If you’re trying to boost your SEO strategy, you want to keep organic SEO techniques in the mix.

What Is Organic SEO?

Most people are familiar with the term “organic SEO.” But coming up with a definition can be a bit confusing.

We prefer to define organic SEO by its results. Organic SEO strategy engages in activities that help your online content show up in search engine ranking. In other words, when you have good organic SEO, Google search and other search engines place the links and metadata from your content higher on their search engine results pages.

Why Is Organic SEO Important?

Organic SEO is a critical behind-the-scenes element of any effective digital marketing campaign. Once again, when done properly, organic SEO leverages the power of things like hyperlinks, keywords, search intent, and Google Analytics data to optimize your web assets.

Many people talk about organic SEO in terms of website traffic. But it also includes related items like CTR (clickthrough rate — that is, how often people who see your links click on them), heat mapping (where a person navigates to on a web page), and dwell time (how long a visitor spends on a site). 

Higher CTR means more traffic. Heat maps can help you position on-page content for optimal conversions. Higher dwell time means your giving visitors the content that they’re looking for.

When you track and optimize all of these organic search engine optimization elements, you can dramatically increase the impact of your digital marketing investments and your position in a search result.

What Are Organic SEO Techniques?

As you might expect, organic SEO happens organically. At least, that’s how it appears when compared to something like PPC (pay per click) advertising, where you pay for each click that your google ads and links generate. 

In contrast, organic SEO happens simply because you’ve optimized your content marketing enough for search engines to find it and offer it to searchers as a potential answer for their related queries. That means a search engine like Google is directing visitors to your content not because you paid for that traffic, but because of the content itself. 

While this appears “organic” on the surface, organic SEO is actually powered by fantastically sophisticated algorithms. These use certain indicators, such as user behavior, a keyword phrase, and backlinks, to decide what content to offer searchers. 

That means, if you know enough about how those algorithms respond to certain inputs, you can create content that is specifically primed to attract organic attention — something referred to as organic search techniques.

5 Organic Search Techniques to Boost SEO

There are many techniques you can use to improve your organic SEO. These typically fall into three categories:

Here are some of the most common SEO tips and techniques that you can use to take your organic search traffic to the next level.

1. A Technical SEO Audit

Start by making sure (or hiring an SEO company to make sure) your site’s structure is sound. Test everything from website speed to navigation, mobile-friendliness, and accessibility.

2. Keyword Optimization

When creating content, consider the keywords that you should include. This doesn’t mean you should stuff your content with the same words over and over again. You always want to prioritize the user experience first. However, make sure you’re also deliberately using the best words and phrases related to your topic. Some upfront keyword research is key here.

3. Search Intent

The customer is always right. It’s a mantra used in sales — and it applies to SEO, too. What are your website visitors looking for? Say they search “work out” in an attempt to learn more about exercising. They’ll likely want something more informative than if they search the term “running shoes to buy.” Fashion quality content around the intent with which they’ll search for those answers online to be the most helpful.

4. Backlinking

Backlinking (also called “external linking”) is a powerful way to boost your website’s authority via other authoritative websites. This happens when you get a brand mention or have a hyperlink that points back to your site (or ideally both) on high authority publications. This digitally associates your brand with their pre-established search engine prowess, boosting your own site’s rankings in the process. It also signals to Google that whatever you have linked is a helpful resource, all of which Google appreciates.

5. Internal Links

Hyperlinks can also help your organic SEO right on your website. Internal links take place when you link to various pages across your site within your own content — like this. Think of internal links like a spiderweb. As you criss cross the various threads of your content, it strengthens the authority of the entire website, in addition to making it easier for users to find helpful information.

Mastering Your Organic SEO Strategy

Organic SEO is the lifeblood of many companies. As such, you don’t want to leave such an important part of your business to the whims of the interweb.

Use the suggestions above to weave organic SEO techniques into your larger digital marketing strategy. That way, over time, you will strengthen your website’s natural presence on the web and establish your brand’s high quality content as an authoritative and popular source of solutions for your audience.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year - time to put together your annual marketing plan. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, your plan probably includes some elements of SEO marketing. But the digital landscape has changed a lot in the past five years. Is your SEO strategy up to date?

Whether you’re revisiting your strategy or just starting to build one, here’s a look at the three components of SEO strategy and how to tackle each one.

What is SEO strategy?

What does SEO marketing strategy mean when it comes to your overall marketing plan? You can’t achieve all your marketing goals with SEO alone, but it is a key part of your digital marketing strategy. Today, 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine. SEO is a cost-effective way to capture some of that traffic and direct it to your website.

What are the components of SEO strategy?

Depending on your perspective, there are hundreds of components you could include in your SEO strategy. We tend to group them into three main buckets:

• Technical optimizations
• Solid content
• Off-site promotion

Let’s take a look at these three categories and explore how you can apply each to your own SEO strategy.

A strong technical foundation

While technical optimizations are ongoing in your SEO strategy, we tend to prioritize them first. Before you create any content, some factors are “table stakes” to play the SEO game at all. If these aspects of your website don’t meet standards, the chance of your content ranking will be seriously damaged.

Audit these technical SEO factors before you even think of deploying a content strategy.

High-quality, optimized, linkable content

When your website is in tip-top technical shape, you’re ready to think about content. To develop your SEO marketing strategy, start by identifying your content niche. What are your prospects’ pain points? What problems can you help them solve?

Next, use keyword tools like Google Trends and AnswerThePublic to research target keywords for your content. Competitor analysis can also help you decide which keywords to optimize for.

High-quality content is more likely to be ranked, and creating it is all about your reader. Google’s algorithm is just the middleman. Here are some quality indicators that Google looks for:

• Easy to read
• Educational and entertaining
• Expertise
• Authority
• Trustworthiness

Off-site promotion strategy

Once your content is polished up, don’t stop there! Amazing content doesn’t deserve to gather dust on page three of your blog. Instead, get eyeballs on your content by promoting it on your owned channels and earning backlinks from external publishers.

In addition to your website, you probably have some other online real estate - for example, your social media channels and your Google Business Profile. You should absolutely incorporate these into your SEO strategy.

Then, deploy your backlink strategy. Backlinks are one way search engines know that other users have found your content helpful. The best way to start earning backlinks is to create linkable content with data, quotes, and engaging media.

How do you create an SEO strategy for 2023?

To synthesize these components into a comprehensive strategy, you need a prescriptive process. Here’s an SEO strategy example you can tailor to fit your own needs.

Make technical optimizations

To determine how to optimize the technical side of your website, do a technical SEO audit. Here are some common first steps:

1. Enter your site into Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool for a core web vital report. Use the information to identify opportunities for improvement. Some common issues are: large media files, unnecessary code, and large network payloads.
2. Look for opportunities to simplify your site’s nav. Have someone less familiar with the site complete a scavenger hunt to find the most important features.
3. Examine your URL structure. Are they short and descriptive?
4. Test your website’s responsiveness on your own mobile device. Is it easy to navigate? Are the buttons and text large enough? Are there any issues with functions like search or form submission?

Create high-quality content

We know, you’re an expert at creating insightful and entertaining content! But building top-quality content for search algorithms is about more than that. Here are a few questions to include in your content checklist:

• Can readers scan your headers and find what they need?
• Did you follow content quality best practices like short paragraphs, bullets, and descriptive anchor text?
• Will your reader have fun or learn new insights reading your content?
• Did you include E-A-T indicators like author bio and credible citations?

Build backlinks with promotion strategies

To make the most of your content and build backlinks, try these tips:

• Link to your content from your own social channels
• Claim and complete your Google Business Profile
• Focus on linkability when creating your content
• Develop an outreach process to ask publishers for backlinks
• Contribute quotes, testimonials, or donations to company partners

Your comprehensive SEO strategy

An excellent SEO strategy takes a holistic approach. Tackling these three components will help you ensure that your bases are covered from technical, content, and promotional perspectives.

Search engine optimization is one of the best investments you can make in your brand’s digital future. An SEO strategy is a plan to optimize your website content to improve its ranking in search results. And it’s a vast field with both technical and content-based components. Let’s break it down into three strategies you can tackle one by one, until the organic traffic is flowing.

What are the top 3 SEO strategies?

Ready to superpower your SEO marketing strategy? Here are the top strategies to get you started.

1. Perform a technical audit and optimizations on your website

Many marketers think of SEO as part of their content creation strategy. But a great SEO foundation starts before you create a single piece of content - with technical SEO.

There are hundreds of optimizations you could make to improve your website, but here are a few of the most important technical SEO ranking factors. Here’s how to audit these factors on your website and make optimizations for SEO.

• Website speed. Even if your content is brimming with creativity and insights… no one will stick around if it takes 90 seconds to load. Search engine algorithms know this, so your website’s ability to rank will be seriously impaired if you have slow load times. Run your site through Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool for a report on your core web vitals. Some common issues are large media files and unnecessary code.
• Structure and navigation. Simplifying your nav as much as possible helps both human users and search engine crawlers. Keep every piece of content discoverable with a few clicks, and URLs short and descriptive.
• Mobile-friendliness. It goes without saying that your digital content should be accessible on mobile devices. And for most brands, being “accessible” isn’t nearly enough; their mobile experience needs to be excellent. Simplifying your design and using larger elements warms your site up for mobile users.

2. Build a consistent, keyword-driven content strategy

When it comes to SEO, content is still king - and Google’s algorithm is better than ever at recognizing truly valuable content. To create consistently high-quality content, use these on-page SEO techniques:

1. Identify your content niche. Focus on solving your prospects’ problems, and don’t be afraid to write about topics outside (but related to) the scope of your product.
2. Perform thorough keyword research. Use keyword research tools and competitor analysis to identify what your audience is searching.
3. Create optimized, high-quality content. Your piece should be easy to read, educational or entertaining, and credible. Incorporate your keyword into your content.

3. Acquire backlinks

Once your content is polished up, it’s time to pursue backlinks. Earning backlinks means using off-page SEO techniques to get links to your content from external sites. This shows Google that other users have found your content helpful.

Here are some tactics to earn backlinks:

• Craft your content specifically for linkability - incorporate data, quotes, and engaging media.
• Identify sites popular with your audience, share your content with the publisher, and suggest a specific link location.
• Contribute testimonials or charitable donations to your company’s partners so they have an opportunity to link to your site.

In the context of SEO, what does EAT stand for?

Just what marketers need, another acronym. Trust us, this one is essential for your SEO marketing strategy. Introduced by Google in 2014, E-A-T stood for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. In 2022, Google added another “E” to the framework - experience.

E-E-A-T is one of many guidelines that Google’s algorithm uses to determine content’s value and, therefore, its ranking. While it’s not a direct ranking factor, it’s a “green flag” for high-quality content. According to Google’s Search Quality Guidelines, high-quality content exhibits:

How to incorporate EAT into your content

By sticking with the three SEO strategies outlined above, your content will naturally include the E-A-T elements. But you can take things a step further to make sure your content is Google’s dream come true.

Here are a few unique SEO strategies that use E-A-T concepts:

• Showcase the creator’s expertise by prominently displaying their bio and professional credentials.
• Cite credible, third-party sources (and seek to be cited by them!)
• Promote positive user engagement with your content with thoughtful social posts and micro-influencer collaboration.

Optimize with confidence

In the end, SEO is about creating valuable content that users can trust. To hit the quality bullseye with your digital content, start with technical optimizations. Create relevant, keyword-optimized content with plenty of E-A-T indicators, and then maximize backlinks with a focused strategy.

If you’re a marketer focused on content creation, the idea of optimizing the technical details of your content might make you freeze like a deer in the headlights. But creating amazing content without optimizing it for search is like cooking a delicious meal and neglecting to give your guests any silverware.

Technical SEO and on-page SEO are the forks and knives that search engines need to find and rank your content. And higher rankings mean more traffic for your site.

What is SEO and how it works

SEO is the process of optimizing your website content to improve its ranking and appearance in search engine results. What is SEO ranking and how can you build an SEO strategy that boosts your content to the top for the right searches?

There are four types of SEO: on-page, technical, off-page, and local. If you’re newer to SEO, it makes sense to start with the two types you have the most control over - technical SEO and on-page SEO. Let’s take a look at both and explore some best practices.

What is technical SEO and on-page SEO?

Technical and on-page SEO are the two types of SEO that happen on your own online real estate. That means you have the most power to impact them and can start making improvements today.

Technical SEO involves optimizing the technical infrastructure of your site. The importance of technical SEO is twofold, because it:

1. Improves user experience. Features like clear navigation, short load time, and mobile-friendliness remove friction from people’s experience using your website.
2. Helps search engines crawl your site. To show your content in search results, Google has to be able to find it, index it, and easily tell what it is.

Like technical SEO, on-page SEO also improves user experience. It involves creating high-quality content focused on a keyword or closely-related group of keywords. Because search engine algorithms are better than ever at identifying valuable content, on-page SEO is foundational to your content marketing strategy.

How do I audit technical SEO?

There are hundreds of optimizations you could make to perfect your website’s infrastructure. For many marketers, a technical SEO audit feels like a daunting task. But there are a few technical SEO factors that are often “quick wins” for first-time auditors.

• Speed optimization: If your content takes 90 seconds to load, it won’t rank in any search engine results regardless of its quality. Google’s free PageSpeed Insights tool can show you which content is loading slowly on your site.

• Mobile optimization: More than half of internet traffic today is mobile. If your site doesn’t work well on a phone, you can kiss ranking goodbye.
• Structure and navigation: A straightforward site structure has benefits for both human users and search engine crawlers. Keep your URLs descriptive and short. Organize your navigation as clearly as possible.
• Fix crawl errors: If search engines run into issues crawling your site in the first place, you’re unlikely to rank. Make sure your site is connected to Google Search Console and use the “Not indexed” page category to identify these issues.

Once you’ve fixed existing technical issues, it’s easier to keep them in line for future content.

What is an on-page SEO strategy?

On-page SEO starts with thorough keyword research. You can research keywords for your content with a few simple (and free!) tactics:

• Use keyword research tools. Some of our favorites: Google Trends, AnswerThePublic, and Wordstream.
• Snoop on your competitors. Browse their blog content and search their brand to see the headlines they’re using.
• Fall back to your customer research. Look at customer satisfaction survey results to get a sense of their vocabulary and their top concerns.

Once you’ve identified a target keyword for your content, it’s time to focus on quality. High-quality content educates and entertains your reader. It includes a mix of internal and external links. While the content can be thought-provoking or challenging, the language shouldn’t be. Keep things simple, scannable, and easy to read.

Weave your keyword naturally into your content. If you’ve done your research and selected an appropriate keyword, things should fall into place. Your keyword should appear in the following areas:

• Title
• URL
• Headers
• Body
• Meta description
• Image tags

It’s important to review all these elements before publishing your content. Tools like the Yoast WordPress plugin can help you systematize this process.

What is an off-page SEO strategy?

Since we’ve covered on-page SEO, it’s worth answering: What is off-page SEO? This part of your SEO strategy is more akin to PR - but it does integrate elements of on-page and technical SEO.

A search engine’s goal is to show users credible and authoritative content in their results. One way Google judges this is backlinks - links to your content from other sites. Off-page SEO involves creating linkable content and then deploying a backlink strategy.

Earning backlinks is a relational task that requires getting into the heads of publishers and other marketers. Start by identifying trustworthy, popular sites that your target audience is visiting. Track down the person responsible for their digital content, and reach out with a backlink request. We outlined approaches and specific examples in this post, What are examples of SEO marketing?

Help your audience dig in to your content

If you’re creating content, you must understand how to get it in front of your target audience. Technical SEO, on-page SEO, and off-page SEO all work together to get your content ranking on the right keyword searches. Put it all together, and you’ll be serving up your content to potential buyers in no time.

In today’s digital world, search engine optimization (SEO) is an essential part of your marketing strategy. Just how technical does SEO get? And what kinds of optimizations should you make on your website? Let’s talk about technical SEO and how it fits into your SEO plan.

What is the difference between technical SEO and SEO?

The field of SEO is expansive. There are four types of SEO, and technical SEO is one of them. As a whole, “SEO” also includes on-page, off-page, and local SEO.

Technical SEO refers to the process of optimizing your site’s backend to improve your rankings on the search engine results page (SERP). While technical SEO is its own category, all four types of SEO have technical elements.

Examples of the overlap between technical SEO and other SEO types

Here are some technical SEO examples that illustrate its overlap with the other types of SEO.

How to do a technical SEO audit

If you’re familiar with SEO strategy, you know how important it is to audit your existing content and optimize new pieces. The technical side is no exception. A regular technical SEO audit can help you ensure that your digital content is getting the exposure it deserves.

Here are 6 types of technical SEO to include in your audit:

1. Site speed optimization: A faster load speed signifies a better user experience to Google’s crawlers.
2. Mobile optimization: The majority of internet traffic is now mobile, so algorithms put significant weight on mobile-friendliness.
3. Clear site structure: Simplifying your structure benefits both people and search engines. Clear up convoluted pathways to content and use short, descriptive URLs.
4. Minimal crawl errors: Broken links, missing pages, and duplicate content all hurt your site’s chances of ranking on the SERP.

As discussed, there are technical SEO factors that overlap with on-page and off-page SEO. You can include these in your technical SEO audit to make sure your bases are covered.

5. Keywords in metadata: Your focus keyword should appear in your content’s title, headers, body, meta description, URL, image tags.

6. Backlink anchor text: As you work with publishers and partners to post backlinks, it’s crucial to specify the anchor text as best you can.            That means making sure your focus keyword appears at the beginning of the text linking to your content

Why a technical SEO audit is important

The benefits of technical SEO are significant, but it’s often more “behind the scenes.” Marketers are less likely to notice issues and opportunities. For example, if you’re in your CMS every day managing your website, you might not notice that your site structure has gradually gotten a bit messy.

That’s why it’s important to perform regular audits - we recommend at least quarterly.

Is technical SEO part of on-page SEO?

Technical SEO and on-page SEO are considered two different categories under the same umbrella. The difference between technical SEO and on-page SEO is simply the level of technicality.

On-page SEO is typically more content-focused. It involves some technical aspects but centers on choosing the right keyword and creating content that will appeal to search engine algorithms. It includes activities like:

• Researching keywords that your target audience is likely to search and selecting a focus keyword for each piece of content
• Creating high-quality content that’s educational, entertaining, and easy to read
• Incorporating your focus keyword into your content and the associated metadata fields

Technical SEO applies to specific pieces of content but also to your broader website in terms of optimizing a holistic user experience. Many overarching aspects of technical SEO affect every single piece of content on your site, such as:

• Site speed
• Mobile optimization
• Navigational structure

While technical SEO can be part of your on-page SEO process, it also expands beyond that into sitewide optimizations.

Technical SEO is essential to your marketing plan

As a modern marketer, it’s important to be comfortable with the technical aspects of SEO as well as the non-technical ones. While technical SEO is considered its own SEO category, there are technical elements in every other category, too. So don’t be afraid to roll up your sleeves and get technical - the algorithms (and your chief revenue officer) will thank you!

When you work hard on excellent content, you want to get the most out of it. But an SEO strategy without technical SEO is like a beautiful car without a functioning engine. It might look great, but it won’t get you where you want to go.

Technical SEO is one of the four types of SEO and it’s indispensable to your content marketing strategy. What does it involve and why is it so important? Let’s get technical.

What is technical SEO?

Technical SEO is the process of optimizing your website’s technical infrastructure to improve its visibility and appearance in search engine results. The human side of SEO is crucial to your marketing efforts, but in today’s digital world, you can nail high-quality content and still lose by ignoring the technical side.

Why is technical SEO important?

Simply put, technical SEO is important because SEO is important. Ranking higher in search results can drive more potential customers to your website and increase conversion rates.

We’ve said it before - at its core, SEO is all about user experience. When it comes to technical SEO, this is still true, but we have to broaden our definition of “user” a bit.

Optimizing the technical side of your website can impact regular ol’ human users as much as on-page SEO. Picture this: You’re on a new site, and it is impossible to navigate. You’re just looking for that one page. It should be easy to find, and the fact that it’s not… well frankly, it is frustrating.

Even if you eventually find it, you’re unlikely to use that site again or trust the brand at all. That’s why straightforward website design is so important.

For technical SEO, there’s another “user” to consider: search engines. Your website’s pages must be easy for search engine spiders to crawl and index. And robots don’t do well with nuance. For this reason, a clear design is doubly important.

How is technical SEO done?

The most effective technical SEO techniques focus on one of four goals for your website:

1. Improving usability. Optimizing the technical infrastructure of your site makes it easier for users to navigate. And (louder for the folks in the back) a better user experience can improve your site’s SERP ranking.
2. Increasing speed. You can have the most insightful content in the world… but if it takes 90 seconds to load, very few users will ever see it. Nobody has time for that.
3. Ensuring accessibility. If search engine crawlers can’t find and index your website’s pages, you’re missing a huge opportunity.
4. Improving mobile-friendliness. Since 2017, more than half of all traffic on the internet is mobile. We’re not saying every website should be designed mobile-first, but mobile experience should be a tip-top priority regardless of your audience.

To get started evaluating and improving your own technical SEO, a checklist is your best friend. Most of the big players are doing this right - we like this checklist from SEMRush. 

What are some examples of technical SEO?

The field of technical SEO spans deep and wide. Large enterprises can hire a full-time marketer focused on technical SEO. But if you’re not there yet, here are a few technical SEO factors that are often low-hanging fruit.

1. Website speed optimization

Run your website through Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool to get an idea of where your site excels and where opportunities lie.

2. XML sitemaps

To display your content on the SERP, search engines need to know where your most important content is. A sitemap tells them explicitly instead of leaving them guessing. You can create a sitemap manually, but many content management systems (ex. WordPress, Webflow) automatically create one for you. Submit your sitemap using Google Search Console.

3. Canonicalization

If you have a large amount of content on your site, you might have more than one page targeting the same keyword and intent. This is called keyword cannibalization, and it affects your content’s ability to rank. To correct this issue, you can merge or redirect one of the pages. You can also mark the more important page as the canonical URL to let search engines know it’s the preferred content to rank.

4. Structure and navigation

An SEO-friendly URL structure makes it easy for search engines to crawl your pages. Keep your URLs descriptive and short.

• Example of a non-SEO-friendly URL: https://www.icecream.com/category.php?id=421
• Example of an SEO-friendly URL: https://www.icecream.com/recipes/homemade-ice-cream

5. Broken links

Nothing screams “poor user experience” like broken links on your website. Even the most reliable external links occasionally move around or break for some unexpected reason. You should do regular broken link audits on your website (we recommend at least quarterly).

Run your SEO plan like a well-oiled machine

There are a variety of free or inexpensive technical SEO tools that help in each of the above areas. A simple Google search can get you started. If you’d prefer to keep everything in one place, check out more comprehensive tools like SEMRush or Moz.

Technical SEO isn’t rocket science, but it must be part of your SEO-powered content strategy to get the most value from your digital content. Once the backend of your website is optimized, your SEO car will be ready to hit the road.

Today’s marketers know that search engine optimization is table stakes for a successful integrated marketing strategy. Here are some examples of how to strengthen your plan with SEO strategy .

Examples of search engine optimization

SEO is a wide field that involves technical optimizations on the back end and improvements to the reader’s experience on the front end. There are four types of SEO : on-page, off-page, technical, and local.

What are examples of SEO marketing?

Here are some examples of how to incorporate the four types of SEO into your marketing.

Example of on-page SEO

You probably know that SEO marketing involves keywords. The most common example of on-page SEO is optimizing a piece of content to a specific keyword. For example, if you’re publishing a blog post about making your own ice cream, your keyword might be “homemade ice cream.” You’d include that keyword in your post’s title, slug, meta description, headers, and body.

Examples of SEO keywords

In this example, your keyword is “homemade ice cream.” This is an informational keyword. If a user searches for it, they’re probably looking for information on how to make homemade ice cream. Once they find the info they need, their search will be complete.

Keywords are all about intent. Here are some other types of keywords:

• Informational keywords : A user is looking for information or to answer a question. Example: “homemade ice cream”
• Navigational keywords : A user intends to find a specific site or page. Example: “allrecipes ice cream”
• Commercial keywords : A searcher is investigating a brand or service. Example: “ben and jerry’s chunky monkey”
• Transactional keywords : A searcher intends to complete an action. Example: “rocky road ice cream delivery”

Understanding a users search intent will help you tailor your content to their goals and amplify your SEO performance.

Example of off page SEO

Your off page SEO strategy involves link building – links from external sites to the web page with your content. Also known as backlinks, this seo tool can help you gain visibility from social media or other websites. Once you’ve published your article on how to make homemade ice cream, you can maximize backlinks by:

• Sharing the article on your own social pages. Write the post in a way that engages and sparks conversation.
• Example: Melting in today’s sweltering summer heat? Cool off with some homemade ice cream. What’s your favorite flavor? Comment to let us know and be sure to share this recipe with the ice cream lover in your life!
• Identifying external sites with your target audience interested in your content. Reach out to the publisher and suggest they link to your content. Be sure to clarify how it benefits their audience!
• Example: Hi there [name], I found your article “26 family-friendly activities to try at home this summer” and I’m loving all these ideas! We just published a beginner’s guide to making homemade ice cream. I think it would be a great addition to your list under #17 – involve your kids in the kitchen. We’d love to share this resource with your readers. What do you think?

Example of technical SEO

The goal of technical SEO is to help search engines index your site more effectively. One example of technical SEO is submitting a sitemap. A sitemap helps Google index your site by telling it where the most important content is. Even if you’re not a developer, you can create an XML sitemap file and submit it using Google Search Console.

Example of local SEO

One of the most ubiquitous examples of local SEO is claiming and optimizing your Google Business Profile. If a user searches “where to get ice cream,” several Google Business results show up. Your Google Business Profile is a complement to your website and social media. Claim your profile to ensure your business appears on the SERP for users looking for your products or services in your area.

SEO marketing strategy

Some of your goals in digital marketing strategy are to increase website traffic and increase conversions to bring in more revenue for your business. SEO can help you achieve all these.

How is SEO used in digital marketing?

Creating high quality content that’s optimized for search can grow your organic traffic over time. And best of all? It’s not just random traffic. You can control who your SEO content brings to your website.

How? By getting clear on the intent behind your keywords. Before you start creating your content, you should know its keyword and the searcher’s intent. This will help you target exactly the kind of user you want to bring to your site – one who’s more likely to take the action that will help you reach your goals.

What is bad SEO?

All SEO tactics are not created equal. The foundation of “good SEO” is user experience. Publishing quality content and making your website easy to use are examples of good SEO.

On the other side of the coin, some techniques are considered bad SEO or “ black hat SEO .” Generally, if your intention is anything other than being helpful, your tactic is probably sketchy. This includes activities like keyword stuffing, sneaky redirects, buying links, and pages with malicious behavior.

Do bad SEO tactics work? You might see some SEO success, but it's not sustainable. And tinkering with them can damage your brand’s reputation with both users and search engines. Google’s algorithm gets more sophisticated with every update, and these activities are all on the naughty list.

SEO example website

What does a well-optimized website look like in practice? Most mid-sized companies have put significant effort into SEO. But some of the best examples out there are B2C companies offering high-ticket products and services. The value of getting a user to their website is astronomical.

One of our favorite examples? Personal injury lawyers. For a masterclass in SEO, Google “got hurt at a theme park” and check out any of the top results.

Find examples of SEO marketing in your industry

To spark ideas for your own business, simply search the relevant keyword you’re targeting with your own SEO strategy. Now that you know what to look for, your cup will runneth over with optimizations to make on your own website.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a key element of digital marketing. You might know that an effective SEO strategy involves optimizing your website to improve its rank in search engine results. But did you know that there are four types of SEO?

If you’re new to SEO, consider starting with our primer, What is SEO marketing for beginners? If you’ve mastered the basics and are ready to dig deeper, you’re in the right place. Let’s dig into the four types of search engine optimization.

What are the 4 types of SEO?

Search engine optimization can be broken down into four categories:

• On page SEO
• Off page SEO
• Technical SEO
• Local SEO

The most effective SEO marketing strategies use all four types in tandem. Let’s take a look at how each SEO technique helps you get more qualified traffic to your website and build your brand.

1. On-page SEO

On-page SEO includes the SEO tactic you probably think of first when you hear “SEO.” It starts with high-quality content. Typically a blog post, high quality content helps position your brand as an industry leader. Search engine algorithms are more sophisticated than ever, and Google gets better at recognizing truly valuable content with every update. The days of tricking search engines with black hat SEO techniques are dead and buried (RIP). If you want to show up in a search result, practicing white hat seo techniques is key.

What is high quality content? You’re on the right track with your content if it:

• Centers on one keyword phrase or theme
• Educates or entertains your reader (or both!)
• Has credibility indicators like original research and citations
• Includes new insights rather than regurgitated info

High quality content is also easy to read. Think proper grammar, short sentences, numbered lists, scannable headers, and credible outbound links.

Including keywords in your content

Your focus keyword and closely-related keywords should appear in all the following areas:

• Title tag
• Slug (URL)
• Meta description
• Headers
• Body

Including your keyword shouldn’t be difficult or unnatural. If you’ve created a focused, high-quality piece, it should happen almost organically. But it’s important to review all these elements before finalizing your content to ensure it’s optimized.

How do you decide which keywords to focus your content around? Ask yourself: What would a users search intent be if they were looking for this content? What types of keywords would they use – informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional?

Here are a few tips for researching keywords :

• Use keyword research tools – there are free and paid tools, including Google Trends
• Check out the keywords your competitors are using
• Consider using long-tail keywords (phrases that are longer and more specific)

2. Off page SEO

You can spend all day talking about how great your own content is. But there’s a reason why 82% of consumers trust reviews , and only 4% trust ads – credibility.

Search engines look for signs that other users have found your content helpful: backlinks (links from external sites). For this reason, creating linkable content is the foundation of off page SEO.

Wait. What’s the difference between high quality content and linkable content? If your content meets the quality indicators above, you’re halfway there. But as Barbra Streisand lamented, “being good isn’t good enough” when you’re trying to get to the top of the SERP.

Linkable SEO content has been specifically crafted to attract attention and – you guessed it – earn backlinks. It might include:

• Focus on data
• Quotes from industry leaders
• Podcasts, videos, and other engaging media

Building your backlink strategy

Once you’ve crafted your high-quality, linkable content… you’re not done yet. Your content will likely earn some backlinks just because it’s amazing (like you). But to get the most out of the content you worked so hard on, you should try to get as many backlinks as you can.

Link building isn't just about having great SEO content. To get more backlinks, identify trustworthy, popular sites within your space. Track down who’s responsible for their digital content, and craft an email. Ask them to consider linking to your content. Include a summary, how it benefits their readers, and where the link could go. Be specific, including the anchor text (the text that links to your content) you’d prefer them to use.

3. Technical SEO

After keyword optimization, technical SEO is probably the next thing that comes to mind when you hear SEO. To make the most of your content, it’s important to make sure your website meets modern technical requirements. That means optimizing elements like:

• Site structure
• URL structure
• Loading speed
• Security
• Mobile performance

These components are important to search engine algorithms because they impact accessibility and user experience. Your content might be brimming with unique insights… but if it takes 90 seconds to load, most users won’t stick around to find out.

Run a SEO analysis and make sure you’re following web design best practices. Your topics and audience should be clear. Simplify your site structure as much as possible to focus on the essentials. To get a sense of technical performance, run your site through Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool .

4. Local SEO

The fourth type of SEO is local SEO . This area doesn’t apply to all businesses, but it’s could benefit a small business or any business that serves customers in a particular geographic area. The most important factors in local SEO are proximity, relevance, and prominence.

In general, improving the first three types of SEO will help boost your brand in local SEO results as well. You’ll want to focus on these particular areas:

• Creating high quality content that includes local keywords
• Having active social media accounts
• Optimizing your website for mobile

Optimizing for local SEO can lower your content marketing expenses since it allows you to focus on targeted geographic areas.

What is the most important aspect of SEO?

There’s a lot to learn when it comes to SEO in marketing , and there are specialists in each of these four categories. So what’s the most important lesson here?

In the end, SEO strategy is all about the user experience. As search engines become more sophisticated, the gap closes between what’s prioritized by the algorithm and what’s helpful to the user.

When it comes to SEO best practices, the most important is making sure your website is easy to use and meets your audience’s expectations. Keeping your customers top of mind is a north star that won’t steer you wrong as you navigate the deep waters of SEO.

Today, search engine algorithms are more sophisticated than ever. You’ve probably tried a few SEO tactics here and there. But were they part of an integrated SEO marketing strategy? Did you get the results you expected?

A solid SEO strategy is one of the best investments you can make in your brand. Nearly 70% of online experiences begin with search. As a marketer, if you don’t have a plan to become part of those experiences, you’re missing out on huge growth opportunities.

Here’s how to develop and execute one.

What is SEO marketing strategy?

Search engine optimization is the practice of improving your website’s ranking and appearance on the search engine results page. But what is SEO marketing strategy’s meaning in the broader context of your marketing plan?

The importance of SEO strategy in digital marketing is that it complements paid traffic acquisition. Most companies have a mix of paid and organic traffic visiting their website. Paid traffic comes from advertising and sponsorships, and organic traffic comes from everywhere else.

Paid vs. organic traffic

Both traffic sources have their place, but organic traffic is often considered more valuable for a few reasons. First, you haven’t paid for organic traffic directly. You’ve earned it through your branding and content strategy efforts. Those efforts do require investing resources, but that investment pays dividends over time.

Organic traffic also tends to have a higher conversion rate, because those visitors are actively seeking out your content, products or services. For these reasons, SEO marketing is seen as a long-term investment in your brand that increases in value as you keep putting in the work.

How do you develop an SEO marketing strategy?

It’s important to develop an SEO marketing strategy rather than taking an ad hoc approach. SEO is a holistic discipline - changes in one area will impact other areas. The more you can come at it with a multi-pronged methodology, the more your results with will multiply.

How to implement SEO

You could find an SEO strategy template online, but the best plan will be tailored to your market and organization. To develop and implement an SEO marketing strategy, it’s important to understand the different types of SEO and how they help you achieve your goals.

What are the different types of SEO marketing strategies?

There are hundreds of SEO tactics you could include in your plan. Most of them fall into one of three main buckets:

1. Technical SEO
2. On-page SEO
3. Off-page SEO

Each of these types of SEO corresponds to an overarching strategy. Let’s dive into the definition of each, and some SEO marketing strategy examples.

What are the three strategies of SEO?

SEO strategies are typically categorized based on where they take place. Technical optimizations take place on the backend of your website. Content strategy happens “on page” - that is, where users can see it. Finally, backlinks take place “off page,” which means somewhere other than your website. Here are some strategies of SEO to help start optimizing your website:

Strategy 1: Perform technical optimizations on your website

Technical SEO is the foundation on which the rest of your SEO strategy is built. It’s not sexy, but it holds up the rest of the metaphorical house. These optimizations might not be apparent in your content, but your readers will definitely notice them.

Wait. Technical optimizations? That sounds like a job for the web team, or even IT… right? Not quite. While you might partner with these internal teams on technical SEO, your perspective as the strategist is crucial.

You might not have the skillset to roll your sleeves up and improve that cumulative layout shift score. But your job is to understand each task, prioritize its importance, and advocate internally to get it done.

SEO Checklist

So, how can you tackle technical SEO? Because your website has so many moving pieces, we love a good checklist for technical SEO. A resource like this also helps you align with those internal teams if needed. Here are a few common first steps.

1. Improve website speed. You must immediately capture your reader’s attention if you want them to stick around. Slow load speeds are a cardinal sin of technical SEO. Use Google’s free PageSpeed Insights tool to gauge your baseline here. Some common page speed issues are large media files, unnecessary code, and large network payloads.
2. Clarify site structure and navigation. If your website has gotten convoluted over time, it might be time to do the hard work of simplifying your nav. It can be a significant undertaking, but a clear site structure helps human users and search engine crawlers understand and navigate your content.
3. Design with mobile in mind. The majority of web traffic today is on mobile devices. You’ll leave traffic on the table if your site isn’t responsive and easy to use on a phone. Think large buttons, clear content hierarchies, and mobile-friendly links.
4. Improve accessibility. Your users are different types of people on different types of devices. They could be accessing your website with a screen reader or smart device. They could have a slow connection. To ensure accessibility, use proper headings, image alt text, color contrast, and other meta tags.

Strategy 2: Follow a keyword-driven content strategy

On-page SEO encompasses everything from your topic to keywords to embedded media. If technical SEO is the house’s foundation, on-page is everything inside it - from the furniture to the trendy wallpaper. And solid on-page SEO starts with a thoughtful, keyword-driven content strategy.

To get your content strategy rolling, follow these steps:

1. Identify your content niche. Think about your target audience. What keeps them up at night? What problems interrupt their daily flow? Aim to create content that alleviates their pain. And remember: Your goal isn’t to directly sell your product. It’s truly to help your audience and establish your authority in the space.
2. Research keywords. Find out what your audience is searching for and how they’re talking about your niche. There are lots of free tools out there for keyword research. You’ll also benefit from some good old-fashioned digging around. Snoop on your competitors’ blogs, SERP snippets, and ad copy to see the terminology they’re using. Read customer survey results and forum threads to learn exactly how your prospects speak.
3. Create high-quality content. You could read a whole book on producing quality content. But at its core, high-quality content is easy to read, educational, entertaining, insightful, and credible.

Utilize E-E-A-T

One framework to help make sure your content stands out as credible and valuable is E-E-A-T. Coined by Google in 2014, E-A-T stood for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. In December 2022, Google announced the addition of another “E” to the framework: experience. E-E-A-T content exhibits:

• Expertise: The person who created the content is an expert on the topic.
• Experience: The creator has some degree of experience with the topic.
• Authoritativeness: The creator and the website hosting the content demonstrate authority.
• Trustworthiness: The creator and the website are reliable and credible.

Optimize for Keywords

Of course, you didn’t do all that keyword research for nothing. Each piece of content should also be optimized around a focus keyword. That means using the keyword and related terms throughout the body of the content. Try to anticipate and answer readers’ most common questions about the keyword.

Finally, put your technical SEO hat back on for a bit to make sure the focus keyword is naturally woven into these areas:

• Title
• Slug
• Headers
• Meta description
• Image tags when relevant

Executing a well-planned content strategy is an impressive feat. It takes hard and soft skills: creativity, intuition, quantitative analysis, and technical savvy. Accomplish this, and you’re more than halfway there.

Strategy 3: Acquire backlinks

Acquiring backlinks is part of your off-page SEO strategy. What are backlinks? Simply put, they’re links from external domains to your content. Search engine algorithms view backlinks as an indicator that other users find your content helpful.

The best way to earn backlinks that will help boost your content’s ranking is to ask for them. This might sound simple, but it requires a thoughtful plan to get the results you want. 

Backlink Outreach

So, sit down and create a plan to optimize your outreach efforts. Your backlink outreach plan should look something like this:

1. Identify popular, authoritative websites where your audience hangs out. Look for sites publishing content that’s related to the topics you write about. You might be tempted to target big-name publishers, but niche sites can be just as effective here. If you’ve done your research to identify a great fit between their audience and your content, you’ll likely see a higher success rate with smaller publishers. That means more backlinks with less legwork.
2. Look for the best way to contact whoever’s in charge of their digital content. Finding an individual is the best approach here, because relationships will turbo boost your link-building efforts. In fact, the best time to form a connection with the content manager for a target publication is before you need a backlink. But if your content is ready to go and you need backlinks, like, yesterday, cold outreach can still be effective.
3. Reach out to your contact with a personalized message. Introduce your content with a summary and spell out how it benefits their audience. Then, suggest a specific spot and anchor text for a link to your content. Personalization is absolutely key - if you copy and paste the same message to five different publishers, it’s obvious. Take the time to build relationships.
4. If your contact does place your backlink, return the favor whenever possible. Are there opportunities to link to their content on your site? If not, is there any other way you can help promote the publisher?

Some tools, like SEMRush, even have backlink builders you can use as a starting point.

Linking to your content from your own social channels is also an effective piece of your backlink strategy. You can use one 800-word piece of content to generate a whole slew of social media content. Listicle? Repurpose each list item as its own separate social post. Long-form educational piece? Each subhead topic can be its own post, and you can pull the most salient points out as quotation graphics.

What kind of SEO trends to look for in 2023

Technology is advancing faster than ever, and marketing professionals are always at the forefront of new trends. In 2023, look for SEOs to shift their focus to:

• Voice search and conversational queries. To address the rising use of voice search, Google introduced LaMDA, an AI-based feature that better understands conversational language. Consider how your audience’s search terms might differ if spoken aloud vs. typed out.
• AI-generated content. Marketers are already using AI as an efficient way to synthesize research and build content. This will continue to be a hot topic as search engines seek ways to find the most accurate and valuable content, and bump it to the top of search results.
• Video integrated into SEO strategies. Google will continue to incorporate video results into the SERP. And, you’ve probably heard the news that Gen Z is relying on TikTok as their go-to search engine. Going forward, brands will start incorporating video into more of their SEO content to stay relevant.
• Continuous scroll on the SERP. “The best place to hide a dead body is page two of the Google search results.” HuffPost published a piece with this title in 2014, and it rang true for nearly a decade. Luckily, in December 2022, Google introduced continuous scroll on desktop - meaning users no longer have to click to see a new page of results. While this does give lower-ranking results a better chance of click-through, we still recommend shooting for the top ten.

What’s not changing in 2023?

There’s one thing that won’t change in 2023 or anytime soon, and that’s the heart and soul of SEO marketing strategy: user experience. A strategy built on understanding your audience and investing in insightful, high-quality content will never go out of style.

While testing new tactics is important, keep your focus on a technically-sound website, keyword-driven content, and relationship-based backlink plan. By building a solid foundation with these three SEO strategies, you can keep your content alive and well on page one of the SERP.

Picture this: your product is revolutionary. Your expertise, irreplaceable. Your target market? Hundreds, thousands, or even millions of potential buyers.

And none of them are making it to your website.

Why? Because despite your best intentions, you haven’t included search engine optimization in your marketing plan. You’ve been focused on advertising, email, and referrals. These strategies are great, but they have one thing in common: a limited scope. They only go as far as your ad budget, your email list, your promoters.

If you’re looking for a marketing strategy with unlimited potential to scale, look no further than SEO. Here’s an overview of the most effective techniques to include in your SEO strategy.

What are search engine optimization techniques?

Search engine optimization techniques are methodical approaches to improve your visibility in the search engine results page (SERP). How do the experts use SEO techniques in digital marketing? Let’s start by exploring the role SEO plays within your marketing plan.

Why SEO is important - in simple terms

What’s the importance of search engine optimization in digital marketing? Simply put, SEO helps you get the most value out of your content marketing.

Most organizations create digital content as part of their marketing strategy. Creating thoughtful, high-quality content takes a lot of effort and resources. Imagine pouring blood, sweat, and tears into amazing content… and then not taking steps to make sure your audience sees it. Your career as a content creator won’t last long.

SEO is one of the most effective ways to get eyes on your content over time. Sure, you can run ads to send traffic to your content. But organic traffic is typically considered more valuable because of its higher conversion rates.

Plus, when you turn your ad campaigns off, that paid traffic stops flowing. In contrast, an investment in building up SEO traffic is forever. (Okay, maybe not “dystopian future” forever. But it’ll provide value for a long time.)

What are the three types of search engine optimization techniques?

We often divide search engine optimization techniques into three main categories: technical, on-page (content), and off-page (backlinks). Developing all three categories helps make sure your strategy is well rounded. Here are some SEO techniques and tools to help you build your plan.

Technical optimization

A solid SEO foundation starts with technical SEO. Why is technical SEO so important? Search engines seek to promote websites that provide a good experience. There are some technical elements that, to algorithms, are “table stakes” for a good user experience.

Here are some of the most important technical factors and how to optimize them.

• Website speed. If your site takes too long to load, users won’t spend any time consuming your content. Google knows that, so site speed is one of the most critical technical SEO factors. You can use Google’s free PageSpeed Insights tool to get a report on your core web vitals. This will help you identify opportunities for improvement. Some common page speed issues are large media files, unnecessary code, and too many HTTP requests.
• Structure and navigation. A straightforward infrastructure will help people and search engine crawlers understand your website. One of the best ways to assess your site’s navigability is to have someone new try to navigate it. Send them on a scavenger hunt to find popular features, and listen to their feedback with an open mind.
• Mobile-friendliness. In 2017, the desktop-to-mobile traffic scale tipped - and today, more than half of all online traffic is on mobile devices. For this reason, search engine algorithms incorporate mobile-friendliness into their rankings. Using a responsive design, large text and buttons, and mobile-specific design options can help folks use your website on a variety of devices.
• Accessibility. Speaking of variety… your website must be accessible to a variety of people and device types. Some users might be using a smart device or screen reader to consume your content. Others might have a slow connection. To ensure accessibility for all, structure your content with proper header tags, provide descriptive alt text, use high color contrast, and write thoughtful titles and meta descriptions.

Keyword-focused content

Next up: on-page SEO. Creating content that meets quality standards and focuses on a strategic keyword is no easy task. Here are some steps to follow.

1. Keyword research. Before you write a single word or design a single graphic, you must start with research. There are a variety of keyword research tools to help you uncover what your audience is searching for. You can also roll up your sleeves and do your own digging around. Check out your competitors’ blogs and ad copy to see the kind of language they’re using. Mine customer feedback to learn how your audience speaks.
2. Create content with quality indicators in mind. High-quality content is easy to read, educational, entertaining, and insightful. Make sure readers can scan it and get an idea of the key points. Google has also shared the E-E-A-T framework it uses to evaluate content quality. Look for ways to demonstrate expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness in your content.
3. Optimize your content for your focus keyword. If you’ve done thorough keyword research and written quality content, your focus keyword should fall into place. But be sure it’s woven into your piece’s title, URL, headers, meta description, and image tags.

All content techniques are not created equal. There are good and bad tactics. Let’s explain, in short, a “white hat” technique. Creating content that’s helpful to readers is considered white hat. There’s no ulterior motive. You’re genuinely setting out to rank the highest by creating the best content.

Now to explain, in short, a “black hat” technique. Usually, if your intention is anything other than being helpful, you’re probably leaning toward black hat. Techniques like keyword stuffing, sneaky redirects, and buying links are becoming outdated as search engine algorithms learn to sniff them out.

Link acquisition

Now that your website meets technical standards and you’ve published excellent content, your next step is to earn backlinks. What are backlinks? They’re simply links to your content from external websites.

Follow these steps to get backlinks to your content:

1. Target websites where your audience is hanging out. These websites should be publishing content that’s related to the topics you write about.
2. Find an existing piece of content on the website where a link to your new piece would fit. Keep in mind, the fit will need to be very strong. If it’s a stretch, the publisher is unlikely to add your link. So it’s important to be thoughtful on this step.
3. Seek out the person in charge of digital content for the site, and reach out with a personalized message. Summarize your content and spell out how it helps their readers. Suggest a location and anchor text for the link.

What are the 5 SEO factors?

There are five main factors to consider as you’re building and executing your SEO strategy.

1. Strong technical foundation

Search engine algorithms grow more sophisticated every year. At the same time, the bar for engaging user experiences is higher than ever. Think virtual tours, live streams, and augmented reality.

If your website’s technical infrastructure is lacking, Google simply won’t consider ranking your content. There’s too much competition providing a better experience.

2. Keyword-optimized content that’s matched to search intent

We talked about keyword research, but what about search intent? Consider the different types of SEO keywords your audience might use. Determining whether each keyword is informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional will reveal the searcher’s intent.

Matching your content to search intent is crucial for delivering a good experience. Think of it this way. If you’re searching for “where to buy running shoes” (a transactional keyword), you probably don’t want to read a 2,000-word article about the histories of the top athletic retailers. You want a clearly-structured list of places to shop highlighting the pros, cons, and price points of each.

3. On-site interlinking

Interlinking the content on your website helps search engines understand the structure of your website. It also keeps organic traffic on your site longer by helping them discover content related to what they’re currently reading.

For example, let’s say you mention a concept in one piece of content, and go into detail on that concept in another piece. Someone reading the first piece won’t know that additional information’s available unless you link to the second piece.

4. Backlinking

Backlinks are important because search engines assume that if lots of third parties link to your content, it must be good. Basically, it’s like Google is reading the reviews for your content before deciding to rank it.

5. Helpful content

Bottom line: The most important thing is to make your content helpful to your reader - and that goes beyond using a keyword in your content here and there. Your content should offer new insights, original research, and fresh perspectives.

What is search engine optimization? (and an example)

Now that we’ve explained search engine optimization techniques and strategies used to rank your website, let’s talk about how paid tactics fit in. We’ll also look at an example of how all these strategies fit together.

What are SEO and SEM? (with examples)

SEO refers to the process of optimizing your content to rank higher. It’s an organic tactic - meaning the only investment is the time it takes. Search engine marketing is the opposite side of the same coin. It refers to paying for an ad placement at the top of the SERP.

Both SEO and SEM can help you achieve your content marketing goals. They can complement each other. Here’s an example.

Let’s say you’re an online retailer specializing in running shoes. Your organic SEO goals will typically fall near the top of your marketing funnel. You might use SEO to gain organic traffic searching for informational keywords like “how to choose a running shoe.” This will help you establish your brand as an authority. If your audience finds your content helpful, they’ll think of you when they’re ready to buy.

To win traffic searching for transactional keywords like “buy XYZ brand running shoes,” you’d likely be more aggressive. Those users are more likely to bring immediate value to your company by making a purchase.

However, the line between when to use SEO and SEM easily blurs. Many brands use SEM to pay for top-funnel traffic if they know those users will be profitable down the line. For example, a user searching “best running shoes under $500” is still in the research phase. But they’ve indicated they’re willing to spend a lot on shoes. Even though they’re not ready to buy, it might be worth it to pay for their eyeballs on your content.

Here’s another example. Maybe your blog has a high-converting pop-up that invites readers to get email notifications when their favorite shoe brands go on sale. Since a user on any piece of content could convert, it might make sense to pay for search traffic, even on informational keywords.

Reach your audience for years to come

Marketers sometimes hesitate to invest in SEO because they may not see an immediate ROI. While SEO won’t get you instant traffic like ads, it’s a worthwhile pursuit that will benefit your company for years to come.

And once your content starts gaining traction, your results will snowball. As your site starts ranking higher in the SERP, you’ll earn more backlinks. You’ll look more credible and authoritative to Google. And suddenly, your organic traffic will skyrocket.

The problem is, to get these results, you have to start somewhere. As the (modified) proverb goes: The best time to start SEO was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.

By using the techniques and tactics we’ve covered, you can start creating optimized, high-quality content that will build evergreen value for your brand.