“What type of product or service does your business provide?” That’s usually one of the first questions a small business owner is likely to be asked when meeting with an internet marketing professional.
Many SEO strategies are customized based on the type of business. Developing backlinks, connecting with potential customers and many other techniques depend on a thorough knowledge of the niche the brand operates in.
However, not every SEO technique is industry dependent. Some strategies are far more universal. Let’s take a look at a few fast fixes which apply to just about any type of website.
Identify and Repair Broken Links
Over the years, sites are subject to many changes, modifications and redesigns. Links on your site can become broken. Broken links are ones which lead to products or pages which no longer exist or have undergone massive changes.
Identifying broken links often involves the use of an SEO tool such as SEOCrawler. An automated tool is often faster and more accurate than searching for broken links manually. Removing dead links and fixing broken ones will help your site load faster while also increasing overall user friendliness.
Upgrade Older Content
Content on the internet never has to be truly static. While you want to create and publish new content on a regular basis, don’t forget about your existing content. Older posts can be reworked and improved. Breathing new life into an old article is an easy way to get some extra miles out of content you’ve already created.
First, you’ll want to identify which old posts will benefit from reworking. You’re looking for two types: old content which was really popular and content which was very unpopular. Basically, you’re looking for the extremes.
Popular content can simply be updated. Add new facts, figures, examples and more. The core ideas of the original post are probably still solid. You just want to refresh the topic with examples and links more relevant today.
Upgrading unpopular content is a bit trickier. You’re looking for content which was ahead of its time. For instance, ten years ago nobody was talking about the importance of local SEO. Today optimizing for local is an absolute must-do for internet marketers. An older article on local SEO updated for 2017 would likely find a large audience simply because the times have caught up to the subject. (Of course, the specifics of the content will vary based on industry.)
Updating old content is easier than creating new content from scratch.
Increase Site Speed
According to Google, the average mobile web page takes 22 seconds to load. Unfortunately, over half of all internet users will leave a site if it doesn’t load in under three seconds. Your site might have the absolute best content in your industry. But people won’t stick around if the site doesn’t load quickly.
Improving site speed involves a few different strategies. You’ll want to minimize the number of large images, tighten up the site’s coding, use simple fonts and more. Check out How to Improve Mobile Site Speed (and Why You Need To) for additional detail.
Develop a Social Media Posting Schedule
Social media doesn’t always directly improve sales. But a robust social media presence can definitely improve brand awareness. Increased brand awareness helps drive potential customers into your brand’s conversion funnel.
Social media can quickly feel overwhelming. Because social media platforms basically never stop, determining how much you should post can be confusing.
Understanding what to post, and when to post it, makes social media marketing much easier. You don’t have to spend every day thinking about social media marketing. Instead, you can plan posts and strategies ahead of time.
Basically, you need to identify the social media platforms used by your target audience. Then you’ll identify the type of content which will really connects to those folks. The Best Schedule for Posting on Social Media has everything you need to know.
The tips above will work for practically any site. Plus, they’re inexpensive and require no serious technical knowledge.
Of course, your site will always get the best results if you work with an experienced SEO professional. They’ll be able to create a custom plan for your specific business.
