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3 Key Factors that Will Influence Your SEO Results

Search engine optimization is a constant struggle for individuals and small businesses operating on a limited budget. Even large companies are fearful of using strategies that could potentially lead to a damaging penalty. This unease can sometimes lead to inaction, with people being overly cautious about committing to a clear strategy. While a variety of techniques have been shown to produce results in the search engines, there is no single method that will guarantee results. Therefore, it is important to work with a number of key factors that consistently produce results, while also being willing to adapt to new situations. The following factors make up some of the fundamentals you can be confident in applying, allowing you to build a solid base for your website.

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

Relationship building is a key factor in modern SEO, allowing you to gain backlinks that might previously be out of reach. Many people have achieved top rankings without focusing on relationships, often purchasing links or using automated software. However, the search engines have gotten better at detecting these activities, so your results might not last long. Solid relationships, though, enable you to gain backlinks and promotion from relevant authority sites. You can provide guest posts for a blog, get added to a resource page, or be used as a citation within an article. Along with backlinks, you can also receive traffic and promotion from social media and email, thereby boosting your brand recognition within the industry. A number of strategic partnerships in your industry can form the foundation of an SEO campaign.

PUT YOUR VISITORS FIRST

In the past, great search results could be gained from following processes that weren’t to the benefit of visitors. Spun content stuffed with keywords, spammy backlinks, and excessive advertising, with no outbound links, could all offer success without providing a positive user experience. Frequent algorithm updates have changed the landscape, however, and you can gain better results from offering a positive user experience that customers appreciate. Bounce rate and site speed are important, so optimize your site loading times and offer content above the fold. Quality content should always take precedence over inferior or spun content. Finally, be willing to link out to authority sites where appropriate, showing the search engines you are not trying to prevent visitors from leaving your site.

ANALYTICS

Analytics are often ignored or used sparingly in an SEO campaign. Looking at the data should, however, be more than just a way to view your traffic levels. Google Analytics, for example, along with the entire Search Console, will show where traffic is coming from, the keywords you are ranking for, and bounce rate, along with plenty of other information. Using analytics can help you focus your efforts in the right places, targeting areas where you can most benefit. Authority sites can often rank for a wide variety of keywords, so you can find important search terms you weren’t actively targeting before. Finally, you can learn of any negative SEO campaigns directed at your site, and remove spammy links that could damage your prospects.

Unfortunately, there is no guaranteed system for SEO, so you have to be prepared to assess your results and improvise with your methodology. There are too many elements in the algorithm to be certain of results, while also having to compete with many other sites looking to outrank you. However, building a solid base, following best practices, and analyzing results will put you in the best position to succeed. While SEO can feel extremely complex to beginners, anyone with experience with ranking sites understands that the learning curve dissuades much of the competition, making the process easier for anyone willing to commit to the process.