SEO Implementation: How to Execute SEO Strategies

Importance

If you know about the basics of SEO and are ready to implement it, this guide will be a good starting place. This training reviews keyword research, on-page SEO, technical SEO and off-page SEO.

Target Audience 

• Marketing
• Web Dev/IT
• This is not just for technical professionals, but any MarCom professional who updates their website(s).

5 Steps to Implement SEO

Step 1: Keyword Research

• Understanding Keyword Intent
  • Informational: Keywords used by people looking for information or answers to questions (e.g., “how to care for a pet rabbit”).
  • Transactional: Keywords used by people ready to take an action, like enrolling in a program or signing up for a course (e.g., “apply to animal science program”).
  • Navigational: Keywords used to find a specific website or page (e.g., “University of Illinois Vet Med homepage”).
• How to Do Keyword Research
  • Finding Keyword Tools
    • To start your keyword research, you can look for keyword research tools that help you find relevant keywords, their search volume and competition. These tools can give you a better understanding of what your audience is searching for.
  • Types of Keywords to Target
    • Short-tail Keywords: These are broad, one to two-word phrases (e.g., “animal science”). They typically have high search volume but can be very competitive and less specific in terms of user intent.
    • Long-tail Keywords: These are longer, more specific phrases (e.g., “best animal science programs for Vet Med”). While they have lower search volume, they are less competitive and tend to attract users with more defined needs or actions in mind, making them valuable for targeting niche audiences.
  • Choosing the Right Keywords
    • Focus on relevance, search volume and competition.
    • Analyzing user intent: What questions are people asking? What problems are they trying to solve?

Step 2: On-Page SEO

• Optimizing Page Titles and Meta Descriptions
  • Title Tags and Meta Descriptions help search engines understand what a page is about and improve click-through rates.
  • Craft compelling, keyword-rich titles and meta descriptions. This impacts both rankings and user clicks.
  • Title Tags: Include primary keywords, make it engaging and keep it under 60 characters.
  • Meta Descriptions: Summarize the page content, include keywords and keep it under 160 characters to improve click-through rates.
  • Have you ever been scrolling on the Google Search Results Page and thought that the webpage title and description aren’t telling you much? That is what we’re trying to improve!
  • Another perk of improving your title tags and meta descriptions is that the Illinois.edu homepage search will show your websites and units in their best light this way.
• Using Headings (H1, H2, etc.)
  • Structuring content for both readability and SEO.
• Content Optimization
  • Integrating keywords naturally within the content.
  • Creating high-quality, valuable content that answers user queries.
• Image SEO
  • Optimizing images with descriptive alt text.
  • Ensuring fast loading times for images.
• Internal Linking
  • Use internal links to help search engines understand your site’s structure and boost rankings.
  • Use descriptive words in your links like “Information about Illinois” vs. “Click Here.”

Step 3: Technical SEO

• Why Technical SEO Matters for Search Rankings
  • Technical SEO focuses on optimizing the backend elements of your website to ensure that search engines can crawl, index and rank it effectively. It also improves the user experience.
• Mobile Optimization
  • Ensure that your site is mobile-friendly to enhance the user experience for mobile users, which Google prioritizes in rankings.
• Improving Site Speed
  • Site speed is a crucial ranking factor. Fast-loading pages lead to better user experience and higher rankings.
    • Tools: Google PageSpeed Insights.
• URL Structure and Site Architecture
  • Clean, organized URL structures for better indexing and user experience.
  • Best practices for internal linking and organizing content.
  • Try not to create a whole new Subdomain if a page off of your main website will do.
• XML Sitemaps and Robots.txt
  • Sitemaps and Robots.txt help search engines crawl and index your website effectively.

Step 4: Off-Page SEO

• The Importance of Backlinks
  • Backlinks are links from other websites that point to your pages. Search engines see backlinks as a sign of authority.
  • Examples of high-quality backlinks might be being linked to and from known content publishers or established websites.
• Social Signals and Engagement
  • Social media activity indirectly affects SEO through increased brand awareness and referral traffic.
• Local SEO
  • Optimizing your site for local searches (Google My Business, local directories, reviews).

Step 5: SEO Tracking and Analytics

• Setting Up Google Analytics
  • Installing Google Analytics (GA4) is an easy way to track website traffic and user behavior.
  • Key metrics to monitor: Organic traffic, bounce rate, page views, conversion rates.
• Using Google Search Console
  • Google Search Console will help monitor your performance in Google search results, fix errors and track keyword rankings.
• Ongoing SEO Audits and Refinement
  • Regularly reviewing and updating your SEO strategy is essential for long-term success.
  • There are free and paid tools to help with SEO audits to identify areas for improvement.

Next Steps:

1. You can use a free or paid plug-in on your website CMS to apply Title Tags and Meta Descriptions to all of your pages.
2. Next, you can target your top five landing pages and verify that the plug-in placed good SEO information for them.
   • Alternately, if you aren’t using a plug-in, you can still target your top pages and update their HTML elements.
3. Target News/Events listings and improve their SEO next.
4. Finally, look at program or service pages.

Additional Resources

If you haven’t already checked it out, please read the first part of these SEO written trainings — Introduction to SEO.

Contact

• Rashmi Tenneti, Director of Analytics and Alignment in StratCom, rtenneti@illinois.edu
• Maggie Evenson, Analytics Specialist, evenson@illinois.edu
• StratCom Analytics, stratcomanalytics@illinois.edu