Identify and analyze keywords. You should be able to identify the keywords that most people will use to search for a product and site. Work with pay-per-click (PPC) advertising like Google AdWords and Bing Ads so that you can see what terms are capturing a user’s attention in paid advertising and search engine results. Write quality content that contains keywords. In order to have a good organic SEO ranking, the content must contain your most popular keywords in the page title, article/blog title, headings and the prose. Update content frequently on websites to improve web traffic. Insert keyword hyperlinks into your content. Google Analytics, and similar website analytic programs. Each link that you post through a PPC ad, website, social media outlet or blog should be made with a program that can track the source of the click. Use this information to identify the best keywords, content and affiliate websites. Write quality meta tags and meta descriptions. These are the sentences that appear in your search results. It should be filled with keywords and compelling descriptions of the product or site. Meta tags are like keywords that can identify similar products during searches. Develop a checklist for reviewing websites for errors. Common errors that hurt SEO ranking include complicated URL addresses, broken links, bugs, poor grammar and improper image names. Become a social media expert. An SEO consultant must be able to blog, manage user comments and post on social media accounts. Hyperlinks to blog content will generate more web traffic and can lead to higher SEO ranking. Learn how to build user interaction and user comments. The more user-generated content a site has, the higher the ranking will be. Become knowledgeable in managing user reviews, encouraging comments and creating customer service efforts online. Develop webmaster skills and programming skills. Take courses that will allow you to analyze HTML code for broken links and other problems. If you are not able to do this, build a network of web developers and designers that can help you look at a site and fix problems that hurt indexing.
Attend conferences, like Pubcon, MozCon and SEMPDX. Seminars at these and other Internet marketing conferences will update you on new industry information, such as changes in search engine algorithms. Optimize your own websites. Other than working for an employer who promises search engine optimization, you can develop your own websites or those for friends and family. Try out your SEO knowledge on several types of websites, if possible. Write a blog or eBook. This will help you later during the marketing process, but it will also encourage you to research and learn more about SEO on a daily basis.
File the necessary business documents to ensure your consulting business is legal. You will need to file business structure documents, such as partnership basis or articles of corporation, in addition to a “doing business as” certificate and additional forms in your city and county.
Invest in a website. It should be well designed, have original content and be an example of the excellent work you can perform. This is the first place most people will look for your company so spend time and money on its development. Create business cards. Pass them out to local businesses as you network throughout the community. Use your logo on other materials, such as letterhead and invoices.
Take time to price your services. Most new consultants price their services too low and find it difficult to raise them with existing clients. Pricing your services at a higher level may help you market to corporations, who are used to paying higher prices for expert services.
