This article is intended for marketers and language school owners looking to learn the basics of SEO, PPC, content marketing, or social media.
It includes 15 common questions with brief explanations and links to resources for further study. Enjoy!
1. What is SEO and how does it work?
SEO is your practice of working to make sure a website appears high in the search engines for specific search terms. This is done by using many different techniques including off-site and on-site optimization.
2. How do I use keywords in my content?
Keywords are important because they help search engines understand what your site is about and determine if it relevant to a searcher. Keywords also help search engines determine your content’s relevance. When you are writing a blog post, product description, or news article include keywords naturally throughout the text.
3. Do I need to submit my website to the search engines?
No. Search engines like Google and Bing automatically find new websites and add them to their search engine. However, search engines sometimes have trouble crawling certain websites and it is still important to submit a sitemap in order to ensure that all of your site’s pages appear in the search engine.
4. What is the difference between keywords, tags, and categories?
Keywords are what you are targeting when you are optimizing your site. Tags and categories are what you use to organize content. Tags and categories do not have a direct effect on search engine optimization, but they can help make it easier for users to navigate your website. Keywords should be used in tags and categories, but not necessarily vice versa.
5. What does Google mean when it says “content is king?”
Google means that your website’s content must be useful to users. In order for a website’s content to be useful, it must contain keywords, be relevant to the searcher, and answer the question being asked.
Content must be:
- specific
- useful to the user
- written well and edited diligently [avoid grammatical errors]
4. How do I know if my site is easy to navigate?
If your website were a physical building, it would be easy to get around if you knew roughly where everything was. Every room would have a purpose and there would be signs throughout the building to help people find what they are looking for.
Your website is the same way. Google likes to see how useful your site’s content is. Content should be relevant and help users navigate your website.
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5. What do I need to know about social media?
Social media is a way for businesses to generate an online community and interact with customers. Social media marketing is also a part of online brand building, which allows you to share your company’s story and build trust with your target market.
Building an online community is a long-term strategy. Using social media is free but it takes time to build an online community. To learn more about social media marketing, check out Language Business Mastery’s guide to social media.
5. What is PPC and how does it work?
PPC is an acronym for pay-per-click marketing. PPC (a.k.a., search engine advertising) allows you to advertise your product or service on Google and other search engines. The pay-per-click model is old and works by allowing advertisers to set a maximum cost they are willing to pay for a single click on their ad.
To learn more about PPC, check out Language Business Mastery’s guide to PPC marketing.
6. How does social media affect SEO?
While social media is not technically considered part of SEO, it is a tool that can be used to build credibility and generate web traffic. Building an online community through social media is free but takes time. To learn more about social media, check out Language Business Mastery’s guide to social media.
7. How do you track your site’s traffic?
Download Google Analytics, a free service that reports website traffic. You can also download analytics for Adwords and Facebook to track your PPC and social media accounts.
You can also use services like Google Analytics to track your website’s traffic.
7. How do I know what my competitors are doing?
Talk to your competitors about what they are doing. Some companies are open to sharing their social media strategies, but others will be more secretive. Luckily, there are free tools that allow you to spy on your competitors’ PPC ads, social media updates, and even website content.
8. Which digital marketing strategy should be used first, second, third, etc.?
While this question cannot be answered without more detail, we can say that generating web traffic is key. Once you have a visitor on your site, the next step is to convince them to sign up for your email list. After that, focus on converting visitors into leads and leads into customers.
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10. Should all businesses have a blog as part of their online marketing efforts?
The short answer: Yes.
The long answer: A blog allows you to share your company’s story and build trust with your target market. In addition, Google loves blogs and it is one of the best ways to rank on search engines.
11. What is the difference between organic search and paid search?
Organic search is when a business appears on the first page of Google and other search engines without paying for ads. Paid search (a.k.a., paid inclusion), on the other hand, allows a business to list their website or product on a search engine for money.
12. Is there a quick way to find out if Google is penalizing my site?
The answer is no. Google, the most popular search engine in the world, does not like to share if they are penalizing your site for any reason. We understand why: they don’t want you to try and fix your penalty by adjusting your SEO, PPC, etc.
13. Which is better, social media or SEO?
This question cannot be answered without more detail. Some businesses do well with paid search while others have great success with organic search. Social media, on the other hand, is an effective way to build trust and credibility.
14. Which is more important: social media or SEO?
This question cannot be answered without more detail. Social media is important, but SEO takes time and effort to gain traction (and trust). In addition, both strategies should be used to attract new customers.
15. What is content marketing and how does it work?
Content marketing is a strategy that turns a company’s expertise into content (blog posts, videos, infographics) to attract and retain customers. Marketing experts agree that content marketing is a crucial tool in the digital marketing arsenal.
Final Thoughts
While SEO and content marketing are both important strategies for businesses, they take time to produce results. Many marketers argue that the best way to generate web traffic is through a combination of all digital marketing strategies.
Digital marketing is not rocket science, but the ins and outs of SEO, PPC, content marketing, and social media are intricate and always changing. However, marketers and business owners interested in visibility on search engines like Google should know the basics of these digital marketing strategies. In this piece, we’ll dive into 15 common SEO questions. Each question includes a brief explanation and a linked resource for further study. Enjoy!