Natural site visitors from Google is likely one of the greatest methods to get leads for what you are promoting on autopilot. Nonetheless, “search engine marketing” can appear to be an awesome monster that must be reserved for rocket scientists.
In actuality, search engine optimization is EVERYTHING you do to rank high in Google searches. A 1% each day enchancment may help enhance your site visitors and make you #1 in the long term.
However when you spend time studying about search engine optimization, you may come throughout issues like JSON-LD and structured knowledge that make issues approach too overwhelming and unactionable.
On this article, I am going to offer you 5 extremely actionable freelance search engine optimization ideas you possibly can implement at the moment to spice up your present enterprise’s rankings or jump-start your freelance profession.
1. Begin a contract website
For those who’re critical about your freelance profession, you to have to have a website for what you are promoting. Having a portfolio on websites like Dribble is not sufficient.
Additionally, it is actually laborious to enhance your search engine optimization whenever you’re on another person’s property and do not have a website of your personal.
This contains providers like Blogspot and WordPress.com, you need to have your personal website and area identify.
By way of search engine optimization friendliness and ease of use, Webflow and a self-hosted WordPress website are the perfect choices for constructing a contract website.
Webflow efficiency and pace is healthier than WordPress. Nonetheless, WordPress is extra in style with a ton of tutorials and guides that make it straightforward to make use of for newcomers.
To get good efficiency from the WordPress website (website pace impacts your rankings on Google), I like to recommend utilizing a extremely rated managed WordPress host like Kinsta. SiteGround is an effective possibility when you’re on a decent finances.
Use a instrument like Pagespeed Insights or GTmetrix to additional optimize your website and cargo sooner.
2. Select the appropriate key phrases
Simply as you have to select the appropriate area of interest on your providers, you additionally need to goal the appropriate key phrases. Whereas the search time period “brand design” could have plenty of quantity on Google, the competitors can be very sturdy.
You need to goal long-tail key phrases and a variety of matters. I wish to illustrate this utilizing the instance of “YouTube advertising and marketing”.
Suppose you’re a freelancer providing YouTube advertising and marketing providers. As a substitute of concentrating on the key phrase “YouTube advertising and marketing” which may be very aggressive, you need to goal a number of key phrases like “YouTube advisor”, “YouTube advertising and marketing advisor” and “YouTube development service”.
The search quantity for these key phrases is decrease, however you possibly can rank extra simply as a result of the key phrase issue can be low. As your website grows, you possibly can then goal extra aggressive key phrases. Do not purpose and attempt to rank for just one key phrase. Create a gaggle of a number of associated key phrases and attempt to rank for all of them.
It’s also possible to use key phrase analysis instruments like SEMrush or Mangools to get extra knowledge. KeywordTool.io is a good free possibility for fundamental key phrase and area of interest analysis.
3. On-Web page search engine optimization
On Web page search engine optimization is principally something you do in your website to rank higher on Google. 10 years in the past you’ll have listed your key phrase 100 instances in a single article.
However Google is far smarter at the moment and that will not work anymore. As a substitute, write naturally and hold these few ideas in thoughts.
- Write deep and clear content material. It must be to the purpose and reply questions folks have. Hyperlink to sources when you do not reply particular questions.
- Ideally, embrace your key phrases within the title of the content material (it will present up on Google).
- If potential, embrace your key phrases within the headings of your web page.
- Do you will have easy urls. E.g. instance.com/freelance-writer
- Keep away from URLs like instance.com/p=32423 or instance.com/providers/worldwide/writing/content-freelance-writing-2019
- Use high-quality photos and illustrations. Nonetheless, be sure you compress them.
Here is an incredible article on On Web page search engine optimization if you wish to optimize additional.
4. Write problem-solving content material
Beginning a weblog in your freelance website and writing problem-solving content material is likely one of the best methods to get extra leads on your providers.
“Downside requests” on Google usually have a lot much less competitors on Google than requests for service options.
Coming again to my YouTube advertising and marketing instance, queries like “easy methods to add customized thumbnails on YouTube” have high quantity however comparatively much less competitors than “YouTube advertising and marketing”.
Writing good content material to unravel an issue can simply enable you to rank higher on Google for problematic search queries and you’ll at all times finish the article by selling your providers. Eg “YouTube simply is not about flashy thumbnails. That is how I may help you develop your channel.”
The reply field on the backside of Google search outcomes is a treasure trove of questions folks ask Google. AnswerThePublic is a superb instrument that will help you see what individuals are looking for.
5. Backlinks and inside hyperlinks
For those who’ve ever spoken to somebody who works in search engine optimization, you have in all probability heard them discuss hyperlinks. Hyperlinks play an enormous position in search engine marketing: backlinks from high-ranking web sites ship indicators to Google that your website could be trusted, and subsequently your rankings will enhance.
Submitting visitor posts is likely one of the best methods to construct hyperlinks to your website. Getting related hyperlinks out of your trade ought to at all times be a precedence.
If you’re a software program developer, you shouldn’t hyperlink from web sites about puppies. Attempt to get hyperlinks from high-ranking expertise websites.
Inner hyperlinks are whenever you hyperlink to a different submit by yourself website. If you’re writing a submit on YouTube Thumbnails and are at present writing a submit on YouTube Descriptions, add a hyperlink to the YouTube Thumbnails submit within the new article.
Picture supply: Moz
Having a web page in your website that is not talked about in some other article is like having a room in your home that does not have a door. You need to construction the content material of your web page and hyperlink your posts collectively like a thoughts map.
Ideally, it ought to take lower than 3 clicks to go out of your website’s dwelling web page to ANY article in your website.
There you will have it! Listed here are 5 actionable search engine optimization ideas price devoting a weekend to implementing.
Let me know in case you have any questions within the feedback beneath!