In my first 2 years working in an SEO agency, I was overthinking.
I wanted to get the best results for my clients.
But where to start?
Keyword density. Anchor text ratios. Second tier. Link wheels. Link pyramids. Outreach tools. Page rank. Which links work best? Etc.
So much information out there.
It felt like there was so much gatekeeping of the secrets.
I didn’t feel clever enough to understand the algorithms.
I drove myself mad.
Until one day…
I simplified everything.
I became an SEO minimalist.
It gave me clarity, to focus on the stuff that moves the needle and stop f*cking about.
Here’s the 4 pillars of SEO minimalism I applied to my clients.
1. Get technical ticked off.
Technical SEO is done once, unless the site changes. Ensure pages are crawlable, sitemap, good navigation, site speed, meta titles, internal linking. Just get it done and move on to the recurring tasks…
2. Creating content the audience is searching for.
Keyword research tools are good sanity check, but you or your clients already know the topics. Just create them and publish them. Interlink them. Create top of funnel content for awareness, and revenue focused content directly about the products and services. Instead of blindly following keyword volumes, think about the content that serves a PURPOSE for your clients SEO goals.
3. Build a handful of links per month to the site.
Link building doesn’t have to be some crazy mindmap with loads of tiers and different kinds of links. What actually are links? They’re just mentions within content. Get a few guest posts, few niche edits, link to homepage mostly with brand anchors (this is what naturally happens). You need less than you think. Link 10-20% to money pages with keyword anchors. With more budget, HARO and digital PR every quarter or twice a year. Less is more. Again, no overthinking it.
4. Building brand foundations & holistic marketing.
Get those foundational press releases, niche, geo and national directories, supplier links to build a solid foundation and never miss a chance to score these kind of links… but don’t stop at SEO. Direct your clients to build a brand; social, real world partnerships, attract mentions and links naturally. Sometimes we can get too in the weeds of ‘supplemental’ link building, instead of trying to get the brand to move towards a more holistic approach, creating content that naturally acquires mentions, links and awareness.
That’s it. This is SEO minimalism that can be applied to your clients with no chin scratching.
If you’re overwhelmed, try simplifying your options and knowledge. Distill it down to the stuff that matters and become an SEO minimalist.
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And that’s a wrap for this week.
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Thanks
Joe Davies