Simplifying SEO for Solo Entrepreneurs
For many solo entrepreneurs, the term “SEO” or anything related to optimizing their website for search engines like Google can feel like a heavy burden, an additional source of stress to avoid. The jargon used by SEO experts often adds to the confusion, creating more distance than clarity.
I want to clarify that SEO is not a trivial matter, and I have immense respect for the expertise of SEO specialists. However, as an online business practitioner, I understand the time and energy constraints solo entrepreneurs face. My goal is to share smart strategies for managing complex SEO topics to achieve maximum results in minimal time.
Understanding Page Rank
Your website’s page rank depends on Google’s algorithm and how Google’s bots perceive your site. While the exact workings of Google’s algorithm are a closely guarded secret, some key areas strongly influence your website’s ranking.
CRITICAL SEO STRATEGY ELEMENTS FOR 2019Every year Google gives special focus on the key areas that should turn into your strategic areas of SEO focus. Should you concentrate on those only, your page rank increases substantially. The focus for 2019 is: 1. Page speed 2. Mobile friendliness 3. Link building These three areas should become your critical strategy elements of the highest interest while working on the SEO strategy. |
The Importance of Page Speed
Page speed is a critical metric that determines how quickly your website loads both technically and visually for visitors. Numerous free tools and applications are available to test your website’s speed. My recommendation? Use Google’s tools to align your site with Google’s algorithm. Page Speed Insights is a free tool that offers results in a simple, intuitive format. The goal is to get as close to 100 as possible and land in the green zone. You can review results for both desktop and mobile versions, along with key improvement recommendations. It’s a valuable tool for assessing your mobile-friendliness too. If you’re unsure whether your site is mobile-friendly, use another free Google tool to check.
Improving page speed and mobile friendliness can be accomplished in just 2-4 weeks.
Effective Link Building
Link building is now more critical than keyword optimization, which was popular in the past. Keywords still have a role in Google’s algorithm, but their impact is diminishing. So, if you’re short on time and resources, focus on link building.
Internal & External Links
Link building involves both internal and external links within your website’s content. Internal links connect different parts of your site, showcasing the connections between articles or product recommendations. External links, known as backlinks, connect your site to other websites, videos, articles, and more. Links must be relevant, adding value to your content and delivering real value to readers. They should also function correctly, directing users to the right places. Broken links can negatively impact your Google score.
While I’ve provided a quick overview here, if you want to delve deeper into link building, I recommend exploring resources like the Ahrefs blog.
Consider Delegating This Task
It’s essential to understand that effective link building requires ongoing effort, additional copywriting, collaboration with publishers, bloggers, and a series of relevant actions. It’s time-consuming and energy-intensive. As a solo entrepreneur, you won’t be able to handle it all yourself. It’s common to have hundreds or even thousands of links pointing to your site, and more links are generally better. Consider finding a reliable partner for this task. If you’re interested in preparing a productive brief for your SEO provider, my next article may be of help.
