Professional and successful search engine optimisation is a multi-disciplined process requiring a well measured combination of copywriting, web design, web development, marketing, advertising and analysis - the blend and proportion of each skill dependent upon the experience and expertise of the marketer.

It’s an acquired craft that when applied expertly can yield powerful returns.

Without doubt SEO (search engine marketing) is best applied as an ongoing project. The healthiest and more rewarding SEO results derive from a long-term commitment to search engine optimisation. Six to twelve month campaigns (or ideally even longer) give you and your SEO partner the opportunity to reveal you online audience and develop an intimate bond, to hone the technical as well as content related components of the site and to cultivate mature linking strategies. By regularly assessing and measuring site performance SEO can be adjusted on an on going basis, the core SEO running background to innovative micro campaigns and web related marketing projects.

Selecting the right SEO partner is an all-important factor in determining the success of any web marketing campaign and whether your campaign fulfils business objectives. Identifying a partner with their eye on the horizon and solid long-term strategies is absolutely vital.

Employing under-qualified or ineffective short-termists can risk damage to your site and reputation. A bad SEO company or SEO consultant may do irreparable harm to an online business. Strong, on going SEO will see your business flourish. Although, there are no absolute guarantees when it comes to SEO, Google themselves say ‘No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google. Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a "special relationship" with Google… there is no priority submit for Google.’ there are a number of important issues that you should consider when looking for a high quality SEO partner.

Perhaps the number one question you can ask yourself is whether you can expect to still be working with a prospective SEO company in a year’s time. Are they in it for the long haul? Does their reputation and the relationships that they have already developed with clients tell you that they see SEO as marmite or marinade, Marion Jones or Paula Radcliffe?

There’s no silver bullet when it comes to successful ongoing SEO but there a number of important pre-requisites. Follow our Top Tips For Ongoing Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Strategies and see your Internet profile improve significantly over the long term.

Top Tips For Ongoing Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Strategies

1. Link building – Do it naturally and organically. Traffic spikes can draw unwanted search engine attention especially through grey hat link exchanges or black hat link purchasing or links farm links. Even legitimate link-baiting campaigns can sometimes backfire, resulting in too many links in too short of time. If Google considers your link building unnatural you will be penalised. The best bet is to slowly inspire high quality links over a longer period of time.

2. Content first, SEO second - If you focus on your content good rankings will follow. Authoritative content drives the conversation. It’s important to establish your organisation as a thought leader that inspires recognition within your community. If you don’t, your competition will. Communicate your brand messaging powerfully by highlighting you expertise in your field through content is key. Make your site a resource and place of reference. Answer the important questions that those in your industry seek guidance on.

SEO will help good companies be better and do nothing for sites that have nothing to offer in the first place.

3. Heuristic keyword research - Perfect keyword research doesn’t exist. The ‘banker’ keyword simply doesn’t show or one that is showing isn’t converting. By adopting a reactive SEO keyword research method, rather than doing a perfect job of keyword research in the first instance, you review the traffic you are currently getting and re-optimize your pages accordingly. You’ll notice from your analysis visitors finding you almost accidentally on terms and expressions that you hadn’t deliberately focused on marketing. Exploit these type of searches by expanding on terms in these areas.

4. Get lateral - Focus on long tail keywords first, then broaden your approach. It’s likely that the big keywords in your industry are virtually unassailable without huge amounts of work and time. Build from the ground up to develop a position from which you can attack those positions in the future. Think of related terms and associated expressions. Use the big keyword as the kernel of imaginative variations. Instead of simply applying the keyword ‘camera’, try ‘silver camera’, ‘10 mega pixel camera’, ‘homework camera’.

5. Be creative - Be alive and alert to trends and hot key words and buzz phrases. The popularity and topicality of Matt Inman’s cadaver calendar and zombie quiz viral widgets released around the time zombie movie 28 Weeks Later is a good example of the type of media related creativity that can generate powerful inbound links. SEO services like these don’t always come cheap and Mr Inman certainly isn’t free. The benefits and returns of such innovative SEO though when applied alongside core SEO practices are likely to exceed expectations and prove more than value for money through the generation of leads, conversions, sales.

6. Keep on top of your keywords – It’s possible the performance of your competitor’s keywords may catch up over time. Try to stay ahead of the games and use your content and keywords to dictate terminology and industry specific language so that you remain one step ahead. Start to research or imagine now what you’d like to rank for a year or two in the future.

7. Preparation – Experiment by creating landing pages before you need them. Preview a new keyword on a new page and be sure to include a few internal links. This gets the Google authority/index clock ticking. You can always come back and optimize it later.

8. Measurement - Monitor your position on each search engine, track traffic to your site from each search engine keyword but most importantly measure audience response. Do the sales, registrations, subscriptions or votes your calls to action inspire really result in your business objectives being met?

9. Adjust - Based on the performance of your site you should be prepared to add content and make any changes necessary to improve your rankings. As traffic increases so adjustments to the site may be necessary to deal with the additional visitors and maximize conversion rates. Good SEO is not simply about successfully building web traffic, it’s also about building your business.

The important aspect when considering all of the tips above is to help you to identify an SEO partner who is able to provide you with a professional and creative SEO service that can deliver business benefits over the long run. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Quick fix results are all well and good but if they burn bright and tail off quickly too, not replaced by a longer term and sustainable Internet presence then you’re going nowhere, slowly.

For more information on how SEO Consult can provide real and long lasting business benefits contact us now.