Hi there. I wonder if anyone could share on tips or advice on the following. I’m currently learning SEO, branding, digital marketing for my own web design company/agency I want to grow. I’m finding, however, there is simply too much to get through and spreading myself too thin. For example, I learned that creating backlinks to your site is a great way to increase your authority score and therefore SEO. So I went to simply add my business to directories. I’m not lazy, far from it. However, there are hundreds and I have courses and SEO to learn as well as keep improving my design skills.
Has anyone got any advice that may help? I know there are no shortcuts. I was about to look into hiring a digital marketer to take control of Social Media and attempt to make my company omnipresent. Ironically I’ve named my company Online Presence!
Building a network is not such a simple activity. It is a severe lead-generation strategy that requires thought and planning to succeed. Get into the habit of scheduling your actions and analyzing the results. This will help you steer your efforts in the right direction. You can start using Online growth at https://www.namecheap.com/relate/. Understand that networking is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. Take the time to build relationships with the people you are interested in. Take the initiative to invite them to a face-to-face meeting so you can get to know them.
Don’t overthink it. At its core, SEO is quite simple.
1 - You need to create helpful content that matches what your audience’s search
2 - You need a website that is UX-optimized and fast
3 - You need links to point to your website (Backlinks)
From what I read in your message last December, what you need is not SEO. What you need is organic growth, which can take time and effort.
If I were you, I will focus on creating content for your audience and focus on delivering the most value possible.
Good luck on you journey and let us know how it evolves on your side.
If you own a web design company, you should definitely know at least some basics of technical SEO… but I am more concerned about your website onlinepresence.media (purposely not hyperlinked for safety) is currently redirecting to a spam/phishing site hosted on DigitalOcean…?
You’re right that directory links won’t move the needle much unless they’re niche or high authority. I’d suggest focusing more on content + internal linking first, especially if you serve local businesses.
For structure, I used this legal SEO breakdown as a template. It’s designed for lawyers, but it helped me shape my service page strategy and understand how Google sees expertise.
SEO is quite broad as a concept and there is a lot to digest if you come in not knowing what you want to achieve. If you can narrow down what you are looking for and zoom in to that it will be a lot more helpful to learn practical steps.
For example if you are serving local clients, you should look into local SEO which (I believe) puts a lot of emphasis on Google business listing.
