UK SEO Strategist
A look at what I do!
Implementing the same SEO strategies that everyone who manages a successful website does, will work to a certain level. But there does come a point where a well-defined unique strategy will give that extra boost and edge over the rest.
It is the job of a UK SEO strategist to decide what is right for each website project at varying points of popularity, generating results that are in line with business goals.
Sometimes the best strategies can be the simplest other times a different approach is needed.
A more popular description of the role could be a UK SEO consultant who will advise on all aspects of digital marketing.
Passion and Knowledge
My name is Mark Flanighan I live in Stockton on Tees, United Kingdom I have a passion for SEO I see myself as a “Strategist” and want to share what I do. So this is my opinion of the role and elements of success.
In all competitions strategy plays a big part, if you do the same as the ”other guy”, then unless you are faster or fitter, you are going to lose. Being smarter can give the “edge” over the competition, and so it is no different in the world of search engine optimisation.
Google and other search engines are the big competitive UK online portals, where the strongest websites for certain search terms will rank in the highest positions. The results for these fitter websites are more sales, bigger profits, and higher brand visibility.
If you think this happens by luck, think again! All large companies have an online strategy that suits their business type and customers’ needs.
Just like in any other competition, it can be the very passion and knowledge of a UK SEO expert that will get the edge over the competition across different industries and verticals.
Backlink Strategist
It is well-recognized that expert link building is the most expensive part of SEO. Employing the right expert can make a big difference to any UK or worldwide digital marketing campaign.
A backlink strategist will reduce the time to success, and maximize the profits, is this something your business would want?
A good strategist would look at the backlink profile, using a third-party application such as “Ahrefs backlink checker”, “SEMRush” or “Majestic”. Backlinks are a very powerful source of adding authority to a website in Google’s eyes, so studying the backlinks that are powering a successful website and then mirroring that profile, or at least the strengths of that profile, is a starting point.
These third-party expert SEO tools, try to emulate authority and trust that the backlinks are generating for each website. Although these tools are good indicators, these Domain Rating (DR) and Domain Authority (DA) scores are not those used by Google. These remain secret to Google. The process of studying backlinks and strategies to acquire them is often called “Off-page SEO.”
Content Strategist
A Full content review!
The strategy starts by looking through all the content of your website, to note how well-written and relevant the content is. How much content there is, and what extra media is being used, i.e. unique images, and videos? As a content strategist, I would then consult with the webmaster on a strategy, focused on money-making keywords, authoritative supportive content and the missing content gaps. It is fair to say an expert English Copywriter or Web Content Writer (there is a difference) , can be extremely valuable for this challenge.
I will evaluate, how the content links together and what folder system or subdomains are being used.
It is fair to say, that a content strategy will need to be created so that Google can see that your website as having more trust and niche authority than anyone else. Using copywriters to deliver engaging content either to B2B or B2C is key to any successful UK digital campaign.
This is not about how many Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), etc followers your competition has, but how much these social media users interact with your website, this data can be referred to as, engagement signals.
Unfortunately, this info may not be readily available, so a a strategy would be to see how often and what posts are being created by the competition measuring how many likes, etc. This can give an idea of what engagement signals your competition is generating.
So in most cases, I would include a Social Media strategy, as part of the overall plan.
Technical SEO Professional
A full website audit with regular reviews, is often referred to as “Technical SEO”. For some projects this technical SEO audit may be the first item on the “to-do” list. A webmaster should ensure the website is fully “mobile friendly”, loads fast, is secure i.e. HTTPs, rather than http and does not have errors, such as broken links, canonical issues or duplicate content.
Technical SEO Professional
A full expert website audit with regular reviews is often referred to as “Technical SEO”.
For some projects, this technical SEO audit may be the first item on the “to-do” list.
A technical strategy would ensure the website is fully “mobile friendly”, loads fast, is secure i.e. HTTPs, rather than HTTP, and does not have errors, such as broken links, canonical issues, or duplicate content.
You could write a full book on the type of errors that can occur, but an SEO expert will have the experience to understand most problems or have access to the professionals who have the solutions.
A good technical SEO tool to start any website audit is the “Google Search Console”, which will show certain errors. Again there are many basic tutorials and information on the web for this, but often a more complex understanding is required
Taking a Project Website To The Next Level
This is where a good search engine optimisation strategist will earn their salary. Ever guessed why you see many UK positions being advertised on recruitment websites for a UK SEO Strategist by digital marketing agencies? They are looking for UK professionals with several years of experience who can see through the jungle and create real unique solutions, that will empower an online presence and improve organic performance.
Hint: It is also true that some of these positions are advertised on high authority job websites in order to gain a powerful backlink to the relevant agency website.
For competitive keywords implementing what everyone else is doing is a good basic SEO plan but often not enough to command better power rankings.
“I have spend some time researching these advanced strategies, from those who were good enough to share or from my own day to day testing and, case studies and trial and error.”
Going Beyond Basic Keyword Research
Google claimed back in 2017 that 15% of all search terms have never been used before, which is a big hint not just to copy the competition after all the initial work has been completed. So a proficient SEO expert will look beyond the obvious opportunities.
Some affiliate marketers aim for thousands of long tail keywords within their copy articles, which is not as easy to do as many may think, as the copy still needs to be of high quality and not spam. Many digital marketing campaigns have focused on content as their primary strategy, and understanding the online marketing success factors can be very rewarding.
“Spending quality time keyword research on this can really improve visibility if done correctly.”
Semantics and synonyms can take the written copy to an even higher level. Content strategists will know if they are good enough to write the content or if a professional writing service needs to be employed, for both core content and blog posts.
Engagement Signals, Can Mean the Difference
The Search Console and Google Analytics show some very useful metrics on search marketing. Key data signals include but are not conclusive. Understanding these engagement signals and maximizing their effectiveness, is another trait of a UK SEO Expert.
- “Bounce Rate” this is where a visitor only visits one page and then clicks the back button to go back. Clearly this can be a bad sign if many visitors choose not to stay in the first few seconds of arrival.
- Time on site (retention). Clearly it people are staying and reading content, then this is a digital marketing signal that all is good.
- Pages visited, what pages are visited etc.
- Click though Rate (CTR). This is often denied by Google representatives, that this is used within the algorithm. But most experts will argue a good click though rate with positive engagement, sends positive signals to Google.
SEO Reporting Tools Used By UK Professionals
- Google Search Console/ Google Analytics Dashboards
- Ahrefs
- Majestic
- SEM Rush
- Screaming Frog
- MOZ
- Yoast for WordPress
- Grammarly
- LongTailPro
- Copyscape
There are many more expert reporting tools, most of the above have a monthly or yearly charge associated with them. The SEO Professional tools that are used daily, would add up to a considerable sum each month.
For You?
Understanding what type of service you need is important. I don’t work with corporate or large companies, these are more suited to full service marketing agencies.
Mark Flanighan