Being a solopreneur isn’t easy.

It’s a lot of responsibility, and sometimes Web Posting Mart even struggle. You’re dealing with all sorts of risks that you would be shielded from if you were working a “normal” job. You’re facing greater obstacles and dealing with many different types of stress.

One of the biggest challenges solopreneurs face is marketing their businesses effectively. This is especially true of online marketing. If you’re not familiar with how it works, it can be incredibly frustrating. Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the areas that vexes many solopreneurs. As you already know, it’s important to make it easy for your prospective clients to discover you online.

Good SEO is what will get your business in front of the most eyeballs, so it must be done right. As you read through to the end of this post, you will get 7 proven tips that will help you improve your search rankings.

When you start putting these tips into action, you will watch your search rankings grow over time. One thing that is important to remember is that SEO isn’t a sprint. It’s a marathon. Don’t expect instant results. If they happen, you’re lucky. If not, it’s okay. Just keep trucking, and you’ll see the reward.

If you’re a small enterprise — and you probably are if you’re running it solo — most of your business is probably going to come through word of mouth, human-to-human organic “marketing.” Because of this, you’re going to need high-quality content on your website. It’s a well-known fact that content marketing and SEO go hand-in-hand.

Here are some points to remember when creating content:

Is it relevant to my prospects? Does it relate to what my business does?
How is this piece of content helpful to the reader? Does it inform, educate, or inspire?
Is the content easy to read? Or will my readers have to work hard to understand it?
Moe Kermani, the founder of Natural Area Rugs, is well aware of the importance of high-quality content:

“We sell decorative area rugs, so the content on our blog focuses on giving practical tips on decorating and interior design. Not only does this help our readers design their rooms, but it also positions us as an authority in our space.”

I agree. Creating this type of content also makes it more likely that a prospective customer will find their website. If they happen to search for tips on how to decorate with area rugs, they will likely find Kermani’s company.
That’s how it works.

High-quality content is important because search engine bots are getting better and better at telling what is readable and what is not. Also, genuinely useful content is more likely to be shared on social media. Social signals will give you a huge boost in search engine optimization. It’s the “social proof” that spiders like the Googlebot are looking for.

Another thing to consider when it comes to content is making sure that your material is fresh and published consistently. Not only will this entice visitors to come back more often, but it will also induce search engine spiders to visit your site more often to update their search content promptly. So update your content often to keep both the humans and the bots interested.

2. Do Keyword Research

Keyword research isn’t too hard if you use the right tools. Google has a keyword research tool, though you have to sign up with their Adwords program to access it. Other free and premium tools will help you hone in on related keywords that your audience may be searching for that you may not have thought of yourself. The sweet spot finding keywords with a decent amount of monthly searches and not too much competition.

3. Watch the Keyword Density

In the early days of the Internet, when the basics of SEO were first discovered, it was basically the norm for people to keyword-stuff their web pages, making the text look oddly redundant to human eyes.
Don’t do this. It’s a bad idea.

Not only will that not help you rank on sophisticated search engines such as Google, but it can also actually get you penalized. This type of practice is known as “black hat SEO,” and you want to avoid it at all costs. By all means, make sure to include keywords, but try to go for a natural flow. Keep the keyword density at less than 3 percent, or it will start to look unnatural to the bots and the humans.

4. Display Your Keywords Prominently

Now that we know that we shouldn’t go overboard, it’s important to note that keywords should be placed in certain key places in your page’s content. In particular, put your keywords in your page’s title, the header of your page, and in the body of your content, especially as close to the first and last sentences of the content as possible.

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5. Make Keywords Part of Your URL Make sure that relevant keywords are included in the page’s web address that you are optimizing. Google uses the text in your URL to help it determine the topic of your content, and it’s also more human-readable to edit your URL and add keywords than many of the random default URL’s that some content-management software can spit out.

6. Don’t Neglect Local Searches

Be sure to focus some of your SEO efforts on local search if you are a local business. Target keywords that are particular to your area, and you may be able to rank quite a bit higher than your competitors.
If your business is located in an area where your competitors are not taking advantage of local search, you will have a tremendous advantage over them because your company will rank higher. When your prospective customers use Google, they will see your listing first!

7. Take Social Media Seriously

As mentioned, social signals are important in modern SEO, and having your web page go viral on Facebook can do wonders for your ranking, not to mention all the free traffic that you may be able to snag from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media sources in the first place. Most people expect to contact and interact with the companies they buy from, so you should be on social media anyway.

Vijay Thomas, founder and Web List Posting partner at Tangent began by saying, “As a consultancy providing technology solutions to increase organizational effectiveness, we now talk to CMOs, not CEOs or CIOs of our corporate clients. This tells you how big and important marketing budgets are to an organization, especially with the onset of digital marketing.”

Anand Natarajan, a chief business officer at Excello, pivoted the discussion to the key role of data in digital marketing. “Marketing clouds now offer ample amounts of data unlike traditional mediums of TV, radio, etc. This also means customers expect you to know what they like and prefer.”

Julie-Lynn Tikekar, senior manager for risk management at PayPal, added, “Big data is a buzzword nowadays. It describes the speed, access, and amount of data available, and it is making marketing more focused and accurate, therefore creating more profit.”

Rajesh Munjal, COO, Carzonrent India, offered his insight saying technology is not enough content is important too. “For instance, we have provided vehicles for corporate rental. B2B is niche and should be customized. Tech and content are equally important; this is where sound marketing strategies will come into play. Data are abundant with everyone thanks the internet, so you must use technology like analytics to make sense of all this.”
The panel also shared their views on what marketing tools and tips can increase online marketing efficiency.

“Have a data feed to keep your front end relevant; use analytics to do this. Pay attention to the placement of products on your pages to optimize sales. You will see product preferences vary by geography”, suggests Vijay of Tangential.

Kunal Gupta, associate director for media, digital, and e-commerce at Nielsen, suggests experimenting with giving free data to consumers, “Keep track of what happens when you give internet data for free – how many people will experiment with shopping online, etc., it’s another revolution.”

Julie-Lynn of PaPpal added, “Maximize your digital real estate, don’t just build a website and forget about it. Keep it dynamic. While you’re building your website, test it out with your target audience to make sure you’re attracting the right audience.”

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Keeping track of online marketing costs is very important. Mohit Gill of Global Sell said, “While it increases visibility, the cost of online marketing must be checked (sponsored ads, paid campaigns) to make sure your spending justifies what you sell when you’re earning back around 30%, it’s not justified. Say u pay 100 rupees for five days, but the product is sold in 5 hours. That’s not justified either.”

Gaurav Kachru, CEO of Today Retail (now part of Zee Media Corporation), says, “Do not underestimate the power of SEO; it brings traffic to your sites at a low cost. It would help if you were careful about paid acquisitions and display ads; they no longer draw customers. Using influencers like friend networks to like your product is better.”

Summing up this discussion, things come a full circle when Gaurav said, “No matter what, marketing is still what it was. The fundamentals have not changed, and you must get those right; only the tech and tools have changed.”

Julie-Lynn agrees, “There’s no substitute for studying an excel sheet for about 2 hours. Based on my findings from an excel sheet, I am still able to find points with which to challenge guys who use.”

20th October 2016, Sydney, Web Posting Pro  Australia, Husband and wife entrepreneurs Lel and Khai Ngo, are both event enthusiasts who enjoy celebrating life. The co-founders of The Kit Source want to take the hassle and stress out of celebration planning.

The duo source, curate, and package bespoke, beautifully themed party supplies and delivered them directly to your door. Every theme is carefully styled and assembled. All the party organizer has to do is unpack and enjoy the party.

They share their unique start and start-up tips:

It’s about embracing change…

In mid-2013. We both lost a little motivation with our jobs and decided we needed a challenge. Khai was keen to study again, and I planned to start a career as a freelance event consultant, so moving overseas would be the perfect way to get a new perspective and start afresh. We considered a few locations (even the Netherlands – I have a Dutch passport), but as we’d both traveled to the States before, and fallen in love with San Francisco, an international program at Berkeley – just outside San Francisco – fit the bill.

One afternoon in February 2014, after being in Berkeley for a month, I was completing an assignment and had to find classy, themed partyware for a few hypothetical events. I realized that I loved putting together color and pattern combinations (mood boards) for these different themes. Before I knew it, I was off Googling whether Party Kits existed – all I could find were ‘packs’ with the same tacky image on each item – a lazy and tacky approach in my eyes.

It’s about finding the gap….

That afternoon, when Khai walked in the door to our tiny, dingy college-town apartment, I told him about the apparent gap in the market and, without really thinking about it, joked that we should fill it by opening an online store that curates party supplies into kits. Khai, inspired by his Entrepreneurship subject, pulled out an article on writing a Lean Canvas and said they’d complete it the next day.
That next afternoon, they planned the entire business out in about four hours and were so tired from all the idea generation that they couldn’t discuss it again for weeks!
Lel then began researching shopping cart platforms, suppliers, and the market and listened to hundreds of podcasts such as eCommerceFuel and My Wife Quit Her Job. Needless to say, the event consultant idea was forgotten about!

It’s About Inspiration…

At this point, the ‘Start-Up’ scene hadn’t quite hit Sydney to the level it has now – it was something that was born in the Bay Area (SF, Silicon Valley).

Not only this, but we were exposed to SO MANY new ways of doing things, especially online or via App – Uber was already deeply ingrained in society, food delivery services were huge, Meetup groups were everywhere… we experienced a lot of new services that were completely different (and more efficient) than the things back home.

I decided to follow creative pursuits while setting up my consultancy – studying event and wedding design (online) and floristry at the San Francisco School of Floral Design. During these courses, I realized that I desperately needed creativity to be at the core of my career, no matter how successful I was as an event coordinator. When the idea of an online store struck, it was like I found my calling! There were many logistical and organizational tasks, but I could design the website, take all of the photos, and most importantly, curate the Party Kits!

It’s about excitement, suspense, and passion…

Mostly beauty, fashion, and food subscription boxes inspired us. It was the ‘unboxing’ of a curated collection of products that really inspired me. As a passionate online shopper, I find it exciting and suspenseful to open up a box and pull things out, item by item. I’ve grown up using Apple products, where packaging and unboxing are so well constructed and purposeful. One day I hope to recreate that sort of experience with our Kits.

It’s about like-minded, positive people.

Khai’s Diploma was only for international students, so our friends were from Brazil, France, Spain, Japan, Germany, Argentina, India… they were all at a similar stage in their life – postgrad study to upskill start something new. Almost every one of our friends had a business idea or planned to stay in the US to work in a start-up… we were surrounded by people who had such a passion for change; they were excited about business and life (sadly, this wasn’t the case for a number of our friends back home). This meant that when we returned to Australia, our friendship circle changed; we’d realized that being around like-minded and passionate people would keep us motivated.

It’s about learning who your target audience is and adapting.

When we started, I actually wanted to focus on the ‘young corporates with disposable income’ market – I was basically creating the product for myself. After some time on the market and seeing who our customers and followers were, we realized that this wasn’t really the market that needed our help – it was the mums who were time poor that felt the pressure to live up to their fellow mum’s expectations. I really enjoy catering for the Mum’s market; they’re really grateful for all the assistance and time-saving!

It’s about being true to creativity and intuition…

I usually find one item that is the jumping-off point for a kit – as much as I should research upcoming trends, I tend to come across things I love, and ideas snowball from there. One of my favorite Kits, the Black and White Party Kit, was inspired by patterned carpet in a hotel we stayed at in 2009. My ideas truly come from anywhere, and I guess that makes it hard to imitate what we do. I’m more about creating timeless products than keeping up with whatever fleeting trend other stores might be pushing.

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It’s about collaboration…

Khai and I have very complementary skill sets. To put it simply, I’m about form, and he’s about function. I love the design side of things, whereas he’s very analytical. He’s a very successful business manager – handling all of the financial, operational, and logistical aspects that I don’t have an interest in. This isn’t to say he isn’t creative though, some of our most random (and successful) products or marketing efforts have come from his creativity in problem-solving.

It’s about quality and honesty.

My main benchmark for quality is “If I don’t use it myself, I won’t offer it to our customers.” Have you ever attended a party and tried to cut your food on a flimsy white plate with bendy cutlery? It’s awkward and frustrating – we even filmed a plate test to show how we focus on quality!

In addition to this, Khai and I have taken it upon ourselves to learn as much as possible. Khai’s learned the basics of html, CSS, and SEO; I’ve upskilled in graphic design programs, photography. One day we’d like to outsource these sorts of things, but it’s best we learn what we can first, so we don’t get ‘screwed over’ later (I’ve heard too many horror stories about entrepreneurs paying thousands in SEO a month, with no results!).

It’s about celebrating life…

I was always on the fringe of the event industry, but when we began The Kit Source, I became really involved and interested in what other party stores, stylists, cake makers, etc., we’re doing. It was then I realized that throwing parties should be simple. I was no longer interested in coordinating party items and selling them in kits; I wanted to simplify party planning and show people that less is more. I vividly remember parties from my childhood, with homemade cakes and silly games – it wasn’t about expensive decorators or how much my parents invested, it was about the memories – it’s cliché, but it’s true! If we can get people who are hesitant about throwing a party because of time restraints (or perceived lack of creativity) to grab a kit and celebrate, then we’ll be pretty happy no matter the occasion.

Why don’t planes crash more often from mechanical failure? With all the moving parts inside a plane, it seems that something would break fairly easily. So, why doesn’t that happen? One primary reason: checklists.

Before pilots push the button for taxiing and take-off, they perform an extensive pre-flight checklist to ensure everything is functioning exactly as it should be.

Entrepreneurs hoping for strong SEO (search engine optimization) rankings might take a lesson here. They can create a checklist to make sure everything is perfect for their next website article. No, an SEO checklist won’t protect you from crashing and burning. But it will help ensure that your post has the best chance it needs to rank high in Google.

So, before you publish your next piece of web content, run it through the following 9-point checklist for the best SEO tips but check this link about where to learn seo.

1. Pick a good keyword to focus on.

The first step is to pick the search term or phrase you want the post to show up. If I am writing about the best dog toys for small dogs, I’ll want to find out what people are actually searching for.

The easiest way to do this is to use Google Keyword Planner, a free tool that will show you an estimate for any search phrase. (Although Keyword Planner is free, you may need to set up an AdWords account to gain access.)

For example, I noticed that “small dog toys” receive 590 monthly searches — higher than any other related combination of words. However, I’m still not totally ready to start writing about this topic. First, I need to do some research.

2. Research the competition.

Now that I have a term I want to try to rank for, I’m going to go undercover and do some recon!

Jump over to your “private browsing” mode on your web browser (“Incognito” in Chrome, “Private” in Safari and Firefox, “InPrivate” on Internet Explorer) and head to Google.com. (At my company, we do “private mode” because we don’t want Google to use our past search history to influence what we see on the search results page.)

Take a look at all the content on page one of Google, ignoring any ad results at the top. The 10 (or so) results are your competition! What are they missing? Can you do better?

3. Write the best content.

Now that you know what your competition looks like, it’s time to create the content that will blow those folks out of the water. This is perhaps the most difficult part, but it’s the most important. It needs to be amazing.

I don’t care if you create a blog post, eCommerce store page, or sales-landing page. It needs to be better than the rest, or else neither Google nor your audience will ever take note.

For an example of an article I recently wrote — with just this goal in mind — check out “How to Become a Millionaire: The Ultimate Guide.”“. My goal with that post was to write superb content about that topic. How did I do?

Related: 5 Ways Small Businesses Can Compete With Giants in SEO

4. Put the keyword in your page title.

This should be a no-brainer, but I’ll say it anyway: Your page title should contain your keyword, but that doesn’t mean it has to be exact (though it can be).

Additionally, the title must also be interesting enough that people will actually want to click on it! A good example of this would be PT from PTMoney.com, who wrote a great post about “making extra money.” However, rather than a boring title, like “Make Extra Money,” he titled it “52 Ways to Make Extra Money.” Now that is something I would want to read.

5. Put the keyword in your header.

You can organize most web pages by having a large title at the top, followed by several sub-headers throughout the page (like the sub-headers in this post).

This organization is helpful not only for people in skimming blog-post articles but also for showing Google exactly what your blog post is about. Therefore, be sure to use your exact keyword phrase at least once in your sub-headers.

6. Put the keyword in the name and alt-tag of your image.

Next, if your blog post contains images, you can use those images to cement the idea to Google about your post’s topic. There are two ways to do this:

To change the image name, change the name of the image on your computer before uploading. Instead of a file called “2831274.jpg,” you can re-name it something like “small dog toys 1.jpg.”

The “alt tag” is something you designate after you upload the photo to your website. Without getting too technical, the alt tag is simply the text that the web browser will show if the photo can’t load for some reason.

7. Use the keyword in the URL and the post.

Another way Google can determine what your blog post is about is the URL. In other words, we’re talking about what comes after the “.com” in your url (or .net, .org, or whatever you use). For example, which of the following URLs do you think Google will like better when deciding whether or not to show a certain page?

You’re right if you guessed the second one. While the former might not completely kill your SEO efforts, the latter definitely helps show Google exactly what the post is about.

8. Insert internal links.

If you aren’t talking about your best content, why should anyone else care? For this reason, your best SEO content must be linked to internally by other pages on your website.

Yes, this means you may need to go back and edit some older posts to include links to the new, incredible content.

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9. The most important SEO tip: Get external links.

Okay, finally, we’re at the big one: external links.

External links are links from websites other than your own. Google relies heavily on external links to determine how good a post is. And this makes sense. You can talk about yourself and your own skills all day long, but no one will believe you. But as soon as other people begin bragging about you, others take notice.

While producing incredible content may get you some links, the truth is, you are going to have to do some “link building.” This means reaching out to other website owners in the space to ask for links. For some great tips on getting these links, I like to read Backlinko.com.

The above nine-point checklist may not include everything a person could know about SEO, but you’ll be miles ahead of the competition by simply following this checklist. You will likely see your posts get significant SEO traffic.