An Interview With Our SEO Manager, Anthony Terlizzi
Written by Courtney Raguso, Social Media Content Creator
Search Engine Optimization is still a very relevant marketing tactic and is an essential component of any digital marketing strategy. It’s used to maximize the opportunity to gain organic traffic from search engines and optimize websites to help them rank higher on SERPs (search engine results pages). Measuring your SEO will show you how good your listings are at generating clicks to your site. Instead of just creating what you think people are looking for, an SEO strategy will ensure that you’re creating content that people are searching for. Search engine optimization is a powerful process and the goal you need to focus on is providing a solution for your audience and driving them to your site. Achieving a high Google ranking can be very hard sometimes and even though it may seem tempting to create content centered around high-traffic keywords, you should focus on quality content and what goals you want to achieve, such as increasing customer acquisition. How can you do that with all the competition out there? Bear in mind that every business has different objectives, so it is an SEO Manager’s job to examine their industry, determine what their audiences care about, and develop a strategy that gives them what they’re looking for. We decided to interview our very own SEO Manager, Anthony, to see what he has to say about working on the job.
We’re working on a new website. How do we communicate the value of SEO to our customers?
“We express the importance of showing up in the results next to competitors. We also highlight the difference between paying for ads vs. paying for SEO, which we often compare to buying and renting a house or car. Paying for ads is like renting, when the lease is up you have to pack everything up and move out. Paying for SEO is like buying a house and continually putting in the work to make it better, and to create a foundation.”
How do you measure the success of your SEO campaigns?
“Success can be measured in many different ways but it really comes down to the keyword rankings. Clients want to be found on the first page of Google. Aside from the keyword rankings, it is important to track the amount of web traffic on a monthly basis and to analyze the different channels. We always want to see an increase in web traffic coming from Organic Search on a monthly basis.”
How much content do you need for SEO?
“Content is king when it comes to SEO. The more content you have, the better your website will rank in the search engines. But it is also important to have fresh content. Google doesn’t like old content that hasn’t been updated in years.”
Which is the most important area to include your keywords?
“The homepage of a website is always the most important page to target in terms of SEO optimization. The most important areas to target keywords within a web page is definitely within the meta Title and Description tags. These tags will be reflected in the search engine listings.”
How has SEO changed over the years?
“There used to be many ways to get your website ranked, but Google has cracked down on a lot of those methods. You can no longer “stuff” keywords into your website to get a good ranking. The algorithm is constantly updating to focus on good, fresh content instead of focusing on the number of backlinks a website has. Quality is key in the eyes of Google.”
How will you cross-check whether your SEO campaign is working or not?
“If the rankings are increasing, and we are seeing more web traffic on a monthly basis.”
What are the best techniques for analyzing competitors?
“There are a number of websites that provide useful information in comparing competitors. These websites will reveal which keywords competitors may be targeting, a competitor’s Domain Authority, the amount of internal and external links, and more!”
Is it better to have a one-page format or break it into 3–5 pages for a local service company that does not have lengthy content?
“It is better to break it up into 3-5 pages so that you can optimize each page with keywords in the meta tags (title and description tags). Google will then index each page in the search engine, which will give the website a bigger presence.”
Can you guarantee that our site will rank #1 for a major search term?
“There are a lot of factors when trying to rank a specific keyword, and some keywords are more competitive than others. It is hard to guarantee a #1 position because it is not usually something that can be achieved overnight. SEO takes a lot of work and the progress can sometimes be slow, but it is worth it in the end once your website starts getting more traffic and recognition from a first page ranking.”
How often should I change page titles and meta descriptions to help local SEO?
“It is wise to revisit keyword data every 3-6 months to make sure they are still valuable. If anything needs to be replaced, the changes should be reflected in the meta tags.”
With the right SEO plan, you can build out and execute an efficient digital marketing strategy. You can also identify and leverage new opportunities as you continue to research topics to discuss related to your industry. March 2020 marked the worldwide shutdown that nearly happened overnight, and it’s crazy to think that it’s been a whole year since then. A lot has changed about the way we work and many traditional businesses that didn’t adapt ended up failing. With everyone quarantined at home, eCommerce took the stage and the online marketplace became an essential part of any business’s survival in the midst of the crisis. As businesses attempted to navigate the online world, a new emphasis began to build around one of the most important digital marketing strategies in existence: SEO. If it weren’t for SEO, a huge piece of the puzzle would be missing, and getting any traffic to your site would be near impossible. That’s why it’s important to invest in your search engine optimization because it’s something that no business should be without. This type of strategy isn’t easy to nail and takes time to nurture and build, but with the right expert, you can increase traffic to your site and start targeting the right people. It’s a long-term investment but it’s worth the time and money spent. If you need help in this area, we can say with confidence that we have both the experience and knowledge to help you reach those goals.
At MSM DesignZ, we put in the time and energy needed for success, so you can ensure you are using every dollar for maximum return. With over 20 years in the business, we have watched marketing evolve from traditional to digital. Whether you need a website refresh, more attractive email, or a quality online presence, we can do it all. When we take on a client, we put in 110% and treat every brand as if it’s our own. We will always continue to place our clients’ needs at the heart of our operations. From web development to social media management, we’ll work directly with you to build a personalized strategy to not only retain but also gain business. We are assisting in all areas for our clients. Visit our contact page at https://www.msmdesignz.com/contact/, and we’ll work with you to devise a custom plan that will keep your brand alive and well. We look forward to working with you!
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