We wish we could offer a magic formula for creating successful digital marketing but the reality is that there are so many moving parts, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. At Gravitate One, however, we do have advice for maximizing your marketing strategy.

You’re probably familiar with this scenario: you write a great piece for your website that is in-depth, rich in keywords, and that links to other relevant pages on your site. It goes live and you sit back, waiting for the hits to come. And then, nothing.

Rest assured that you’re not alone. Optimizing SEO is as much of a waiting game as watching grass grow. Of course, there is a lot you can do to give your articles a leg up, and we’ll share more about why increasing rankings takes time, and what you can do.

Digital Marketing Strategy

We all know link building is crucial for SEO. Because there are myriad factors that affect ranking, it can take time to achieve desired results. So what should your digital marketing strategy be in order to increase your rankings?

Tips for Increasing Rankings

Other Utah digital marketing firms might claim to have a sure-fire strategy for increasing your ranking within a certain timeframe. At Gravitate, our number one tip for increasing rankings is to be patient. After you put in the work to research trending topics and keywords, incorporate backlinks into your articles, and ensure your content is relevant and accurate, you’ll need to wait. In the meantime, here’s what we recommend you implement in your digital marketing.

• Analyze your analytics: Whether you’re starting a new article or optimizing an existing one, do your research first. What phrases or keywords does your site already rank for? Knowing where you currently stand can help you create a plan for improving that rank over time. Or, if you’re going to write a new article, see what phrases and keywords, relevant to your niche, are ranking in search engine results. 

It’s important to focus on rankings that are already hitting page one of search engine results, or that are at the top of page two. Anything lower is typically not worth the time it could take to improve the ranking. Work smarter, not harder!

• Be the authority on the topic: As you analyze site analytics and rankings, you’ll come across other websites that are competing with you for space on search engine result pages. What makes your article better than the others? You should aim to be the authority! Include more statistics, more unique information, and more thorough explanations. Implement SEO-friendly web and mobile design, including the layout and graphics on your site.  As you prove your knowledge on a subject, you can steadily move your way up the ranks as search engines crawl your site. 
• Wait a little longer: Did we mention that it takes time to increase your rankings? No matter what digital marketing tricks you’re implementing, SEO is a long game. It’s recommended you check on your rankings regularly, but if you don’t see big improvements in six to twelve months, it may be time to focus on optimizing another page.

What to do While You Wait

If you’ve done all you can to optimize your page, what can you do while you wait?

• Cross-promote your article: Where can you share your site to get more eyes on it? Consider your brand’s social media channels, as well as other brands or sites that could cross-promote without conflict. 
• Fix issues on your site: You already know your article is optimized and making the rounds on the Internet. But what about the rest of your site? If you have issues such as broken links, your site host, or any errors, it can affect your ranking. Take time to resolve those problems so search engines aren’t penalizing you.

Now that you have these tools for increasing your ranking, keep in mind that doing too much at once can actually backfire. Slow and steady optimization is preferred and can be more beneficial for your site. Search engines don’t like to see drastic changes to sites all at once, which is why patience is key.