SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is essential to making sure your website appears high on a search engine’s results. If you are unsure about where to begin with SEO, check out our previous blog that outlines the basics of SEO for beginners. Already know the basics? Then stick with us to learn more advanced SEO tactics so you can level up your SEO strategy. 

What is an advanced SEO strategy?  

For any successful SEO strategy, we need to first focus on nailing the strategy part of your SEO approach. Doing so separates the SEO beginner from the SEO master. 

Basic SEO tools are a good place to start, however, to get the most out of SEO, you need an advanced strategy that combines basic practices with a deeper understanding of how search engines work which incorporates a broader range of SEO tactics.  

Getting started with your advanced strategy  

Your SEO journey starts with prioritising key targets on your digital health website. It’s important to shortlist SEO priorities that will deliver the maximum impact in the shortest space of time and are based on your targets and business goals. These should be revaluated and updated frequently to keep your SEO strategy up to date with ongoing developments.  

Understanding the Google algorithm can really help further advance your SEO strategy, here’s how:  

First, let’s delve into what exactly the algorithm is. An algorithm refers to a sequence of finite steps to solve a particular problem. According to Wired, the Google algorithm is made up of 2 billion lines of code running across hundreds of thousands of servers. Ever since we’ve had the internet, there have been SEO developers trying to keep up with the latest updates to the algorithm.  

Currently, Google makes more than 11 changes per day to its algorithm. At this point you may be asking – is there any point in trying to keep up?  

The short answer is – YES! Good SEO is fundamental to online presence and company credibility and to take your SEO strategy to the next level, you must remember that SEO rules can and will likely change.  

Adding a human touch 

Google is very good at taking on the human factor in its algorithmic equation. Most people use Google search using natural language by asking questions like ‘What is the best Patient Platform for…’ rather than statements such as ‘New Patient Platform.’ So, it’s important to incorporate the most popular search terms into your strategy.  

You may be feeling overwhelmed by the endless possible variations of natural language to target but the good news is, we no longer need to target exact match phrases to get results. The easiest way to target lots of phrases is by using natural language and keyword concepts.  

Advanced keyword research 

It’s no surprise that research is fundamental to any SEO strategy. If you’ve read our basics of SEO blog, you’ll know why keyword research is important. Advanced keyword research needs to consider your business goals, the topics your audience is interested in, and the content searched for by your prospects.  

Advancing your SEO strategy involves building out your keywords to target the right audience and prioritising the most important ones in your content. Some easy ways to get started are: 

• Conducting surveys, interviews and online research to learn your audience 
• Using site search to narrow down topics 
• Keyword research via internal teams 
• Using keyword research tools like this one, Moz or this one, Wordtracker 

The right content at the right time 

As you advance your SEO strategy, you need to remember that content and keywords go hand in hand. Integrating your chosen keywords into your content is a must for SEO success. First, we’d recommend running a content audit, to see where you stand and fully understand whether your content strategy needs to be updated, optimised or reworked entirely.  

Next you need to think about how you’re going to build links (if you’re well versed in SEO, you’ll know that link building is intrinsic to effective SEO). Having reliable links that connect people to your digital health website means that there is already a level of trust from your website visitors. Google tends to favour websites and pages with more back links, so this can improve your site’s SEO. When adding links to your own content, it’s important to keep in mind the relevance and quality of the link. If in doubt, check out this link building guide by SemRush to find out more.  

Finally, you need to have quality content that people want to read. This could be in the form of a blog, a whitepaper or some repurposed copy from your current newsletter or social media thread. Google likes new content so make sure your content is updated regularly. In fact, one of the best ways to improve your SEO is to regularly publish fresh, timely, relevant and engaging content. Not only will it help with SEO, but it also shows you’re an expert in the digital health space and helps your product or service stand out to competitors.   

Executing advanced SEO for success 

Though at first glance advanced SEO strategies can feel overwhelming, by tackling these priorities bit by bit, you can over time, advance your website SEO and attract highly targeted traffic to your website and rank higher in the search engine.  

Need help with advanced SEO tactics or want someone to take the pressure off creating regular content? Get in touch with us to start your SEO journey today!