How does your own webpage rank successfully on Google? The SEO strategy is the key to success here – more precisely, there are actually several keys that gradually open the gates to top ranking. In other words: A SEO strategy always includes several measures that have to be coordinated and agreed upon. Our online marketing agency from Lucerne has developed a structured approach for this. In chronological order the following has to be done:
- Strategy planning
- Analysis
- Keyword research
- Topic selection
- Prioritisation
- Implementation
In detail, a lot of specific expertise is required for each point – and as always in SEO, a healthy dose of creativity.
Which basic SEO strategy is necessary?
As individual as the approach may be, every SEO agency in Switzerland knows two fundamentally different concepts: the defense and the conquer strategy. Depending on the environment and objectives, the planned measure falls into one of these two areas – and the scope and type of search engine optimization is determined by this.
- The defense strategy assumes that a high ranking in relation to a keyword already exists (or that it should at least exist). A classic example are brand names that belong to a company: If you are looking for the E-Class, you probably want to go to Mercedes. Why is an SEO strategy necessary here at all? The reason is the competition with other sites, mainly dealers and portals. To prevent them from pushing their own company out of the top positions, manufacturers and brand owners should use an adapted SEO concept. In most cases it is “only” a matter of optimizing the technology so that the already abundant keywords are found by Google. The primary goal is to maintain an existing placement.
- It is completely different with the conquer strategy. Here it is all about “conquering” a good ranking. A typical example would be the launch of a new online shop or the addition of new articles to the product range. In this situation, anyone who wants to take the SERP podium will probably have to create new content, open sub-pages and oust competitors. The competition is much tougher and the effort is much greater – but success promises lucrative sales. Last but not least, this strategy is relevant for most of the clients of our online marketing agency from Lucerne, because very few of them have world-famous brands that rank well anyway. The primary goal is therefore to attract new visitors.
Analysis
Basically, the first step already includes a part of the analysis, but now it’s time for facts and figures, first of all with regard to the actual situation: For which keywords do the existing pages rank well – and for which should the results be better?
Checking your own homepage is easy with tools like the Google Search Console. If you have your page analysed here, you can find out, for example, which keywords visitors use to reach the page. The findings in this area often hold surprises and are very useful for further optimization. It is particularly helpful that the ranking position is displayed in addition to the search volume. It is shown that a good position in the SERPs and high click rates often correlate.
The analysis is thus something like a compass for further action. It provides information about the terms for which optimization is useful. This not only makes a strategy successful – it also prevents expensive misinvestment in “wrong” keywords.
Find the most important search terms
The analysis extends further into the next step, the search for the right keywords. There are various procedures for this.
Background knowledge keywords
Keywords are of central importance in SEO. All the more important to get to know them a little bit better.
Keywords by search intention
SEO experts differentiate keywords into three areas according to the underlying search intention: transactional, informational and navigational.
- Transactional keywords are the most important search queries for traders and shops. They are closely related to an interaction (= transaction), such as a purchase or the conclusion of a contract. A typical example is “buy muesli online”. These keywords have the characteristic of being very specific. Clothing, for example, often includes the size or colour in addition. One challenge is therefore that there is a very wide range of specific search queries, each of which has a low volume but is associated with a strong customer demand.
- With information-related keywords, the desire for information is in the foreground. A prime example would be “Capital Switzerland”. Such search queries are interesting for news and knowledge portals with a high reach. Even if the user usually has no concrete buying interest, traders should not neglect these keywords. Firstly, they give the opportunity to advertise products in an info text. Secondly, trust in the site increases when a high information content is offered.
- Finally, navigational keywords refer to a concrete URL. Searchers assume that there is a specific web address and type “nestle.ch” in the search field, for example. It is also possible to search for a slogan to find a company or a specific product.
Of course it is possible that the individual areas merge. Transactional and informative would be, for example, the search for “cheap hairdresser in Bern opening hours”
Keywords by type
Keywords can also be divided by type into shorthead, midtail and longtail.
- Shorthead keywords have a very high search volume, but they are rather unspecific. Most of the time they consist of a word like “cereal”, but this does not have to be the case.
- Longtail keywords, on the other hand, are particularly specific, but have a correspondingly low search volume. They are made up of several terms such as “Swiss muesli with dried apples”.
- Midtail keywords such as “Swiss cereals” are something like the golden mean: they are characterised by a medium search volume and medium specificity.
Synonyms
Rarely does a keyword stand alone. Rather, it is the case that users search for terms that are similar in content and semantics. Related terms are for example “e-car”, “electric car”, “car with electric motor” etc. Important: Incorrect spelling does not lead to meaningful “synonyms”, as Google now corrects queries automatically.
Find the right keywords
Now comes the supreme discipline of SEO: The website operator or his SEO agency from Switzerland has to identify the right keywords. There are several ways to do this:
- Keyword research tools
- W-question tools
- Analysis of the competitor homepages
- Own ideas
In addition, it may be useful to use Google’s auto-completion feature to search for related terms and synonyms.
Topic identification through clustering
So far the following is present: a declared goal, a chosen strategy and a set of countless keywords. Now the next step is to group the potential keywords. In the case of muesli, for example, the ingredients could form a separate category. Classification is then a first step towards determining which content will be useful later: From apple to lemon: these are the ingredients in classic Swiss muesli…
What is really important?
Before we start writing the texts, we will take a critical look at the results so far. Specifically, the aim is to identify keywords with high potential and to sort out those with less good characteristics. The search volume determined by a tool is an important clue for this – but not the only one.
Thus, all keywords that do not correspond to your own offer should be discarded. Those who do not sell strawberry muesli should not invest in a corresponding ranking. It is also important to avoid misinterpretations. If you are looking for Cola colour, you will be more interested in a drink than in a painting set.
Implementation from content to technology
So much for theory – now comes the implementation in practice. That means: Our online agency from Lucerne starts writing texts and optimising the technology. How successful the SEO strategy was can then be determined with tools a few weeks after the live launch.
