It should be clear to anyone with more than a passing interest in search engine optimization that it favors long-term planning and hard work over easy, short-term gain. If you need any proof of this, you need look no further than last year\u2019s Penguin 2.0 update and how hard it hit websites that used questionable (yet effective) optimization techniques like paid links, content networks, and link schemes. What\u2019s one thing all those strategies shared in common?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They were easy. They required minimal work on the part of the webmaster and gave immediate returns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
If you really want to see a return on search engine optimization, you can\u2019t take the easy route. You\u2019re going to need to set out with a firm knowledge of how SEO works. You\u2019re going to need to work hard, pay attention, and always be vigilant. Most of all, you\u2019re going to need to devise a long-term SEO strategy, one which will stand the test of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are a few tips to get you started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first question you need to ask yourself when devising your strategy is what your goals are. To that end, there are several things you need to consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From this, you need to lay down a solid goal (or set of goals) for both the short-term and long-term and stick to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Particularly with the push Google\u2019s made towards content as a means of determining a page\u2019s ranking, content marketing is one of the most valuable tools in your arsenal. As such, it should factor heavily into your long-term strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although it\u2019s no simple task, you need to create great content for your site \u2013 the sort of stuff people are going to willingly share and talk about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reason for this is simple: where most traditional SEO tactics are inarguable short term, high quality and high-value content can send you targeted traffic for years through referrals, social networks, and word of mouth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
All the usual tips for creating great content apply here, of course: make sure it\u2019s original and useful, know your demographic, create geo-targeted landing pages and content (if possible) and be a stickler for quality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another good tip is to consider bringing on well-known content creators to write guest posts for your page, if you\u2019ve the funds for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Above all else, focus on providing a positive user experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s no coincidence that whenever we hear talk of a long-term SEO strategy, social media inevitably comes up. That\u2019s because these days, a strong social presence is invaluable to a website\u2019s success, particularly with the strong role it plays in content marketing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With that in mind, you need to be active \u2013 both on your own website and on social media. \u00a0Which sites you target in this regard depends entirely on your audience, but in all cases, you need to approach this as a member of the community more than a marketer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Set out with a goal of getting to know the sorts of people you\u2019re going to be writing for, and wherever possible, interact with them in positive ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you offer any products or services, hand out the occasional freebie or discount. Host a competition or two, if you like(but be aware of the rules if you\u2019re running through Facebook). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last, but certainly not least, don\u2019t discount non-competing individuals or organizations hailing from the same field as you. Establishing a working relationship with them sets you up with an extremely powerful means of driving traffic to your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Google Authorship enables the site to track an author\u2019s online writing, determining the topics on which that author is an authority. From there, it can gauge the quality of content the author generally produces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although this doesn\u2019t really factor into page rankings yet, it\u2019s highly likely that it will in the future – as such, it should go without saying that any long-term SEO strategy should make use of authorship in some way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leveraging it for your website is fairly simple \u2013 look for guest contributors who\u2019ve established large online writing portfolios for themselves, and have them activate authorship (if they haven\u2019t already done so). The better-known the writer, the better the content you\u2019ll receive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n