As a team of SEO Consultants in Vancouver, we help people make their websites more visible online. While search engine optimization is a little different from advertising, there are still time and cost requirements when it comes to improving your organic rank. In fact, depending on the agency involved, it can get downright pricey. We have clients who were previously quoted as much as $6000 per month by other local firms. However, there’s a lot that can be done by business owners. And for you inspiring DIYers, we’ve got some handy tips right here.

Discover your keywords

SEO keyword research is the first priority for any project. It’s important to understand what people are “Googling” when they’re looking for your products and services. There’s  often a disconnect between how businesses want to brand their businesses vs. the word searches people are making. Keyword research not only provides an understanding of the terms are using, you’ll glean some understanding of the volumes associated with the different searches and what competitors are using, too.

Pro tip: The Google Keyword Planner is the go-to free research tool. You will need to set up an active Gmail and Google Ads campaign to use it.

Check out the competition

Effective Search Engine Optimization means checking out the competition. Who occupies the top spot? What are they doing? Which keywords are they targeting? Does their website have something that yours doesn’t? Are they active on social media? Do they use tools like Google Reviews, newsletters, and so on? Search engines assign keyword ranks based on a number of factors—it’s important to develop a holistic picture of what’s working for the competition and figure out how you can implement similar solutions.

Pro tip: Try SpyFu to find competitors’ keywords in both organic search. Just add potential keywords to get an overall view of their strategy.

Map out a plan

Once you have your keyword list, it’s important to begin your optimization strategy. Well-optimized websites typically dedicate one page to every service or product they offer. This is because you need to have the keywords appear in the URL for good optimization. Pictures should also be named using the keywords; it should appear in the meta-description and in the content at a repetition rate of about 3-5%. With all these requirements, it’s easy to understand why you need a single page should be dedicated to every keyword phrase—for example, “Vancouver SEO.”

Pro tip: Do not try and optimize a page for different keywords, as they’ll end up competing with each other.

Optimize for people

While optimizing for search engines is important—don’t forget about the readers. If the content sounds jilted and awkward, it may be off-putting, potentially costing you business. Modifications to the structure, design, and content should be outsourced to professionals. Try to be specific about your vision and goals. Your website’s appearance and content should always look polished and professional. There’s no point in landing a prime spot on Google if no one is going to come calling.

Pro tip: Unlike many SEO companies in Vancouver, Inkykiss offers a full suite of design, programming, and content services, so we can take care of all SEO requirements in-house.

Measure the results

In order to get where you’re going, you need to understand where you’re coming from. It sounds basic, but you can’t optimize if you don’t measure. Every business owner with a website should have a basic understanding of Google Analytics, which essentially functions like a report. You’ll need to install the Analytics code onto your website. There are plenty of plugins available to do this on WordPress. Then click on “Organic Search” to analyze the performance of your SEO program.

Pro tip: Check out this article with 17 ways to learn about Google Analytics for free.