The start of the new decade presents new opportunities for authors to market their books. While the reality that SEO trends come and go, embracing a web optimization program is a primary task for authors if they want to stay longer in the marketing game.
Increasing web traffic and conversion are the top goals in any digital marketing campaign. While there are book sites, the author’s website still remains the base of operation for all his book marketing efforts online. That said, it is imperative that the website is able to attract more visitors and reach the broadest number of target audiences. Search engine optimization (SEO) aims to increase search engine ranking by making changes to the website and creating backlinks. Web traffic optimization seeks to increase online visibility, establishing online reputation thus increasing traffic, and hopefully, conversion.
Web Traffic Optimization is essentially SEO but with a more comprehensive approach
So what exactly is SEO and it can help your business?
Source: https://live.staticflickr.com/804/26771995867_0cd1e92b80_b.jpg
According to SEO blog expert Backlinko,
“Search engine optimization (SEO) is the art and science of driving targeted website traffic to your website from search engines.”
Base on the statement above, we now have a basic understanding that making the website SEO-ready is the first step in our goal to attract visitors and increase traffic.
Making Your Website SEO-Ready
As mentioned above, the website is the author’s base of operation. It serves as his office and therefore it must have all essentials in order to do business. Every dynamic author website should have the items below:
- Author Bio
- Book Pages
- Media Page
- Contact Page
- Left Sidebar
- CTA Button
- Search Bar
- Testimonials
- Blog Section
For a website to be SEO-ready, that site should undergo a full site audit and all pages optimize. In order to conduct an effective site audit, the following should be performed:
Source: https://www.pickpik.com/seo-optimization-search-engine-optimization-process-businessman-suit-52439
- Keyword Research and Analysis. A proper site audit will help you determine the right keywords. Each book has a target market depending on the story, theme or genre. Research words that are related to your story, theme, or genre. They are words that users will potentially type when they are looking for your book. A proper site audit will help you determine the proper keywords and determine their quality.
For example, an author marketing a book on the Mayan civilization with the title Maya: A Forgotten Empire of the Ancient World, possible keyword may from:
- Mayan civilization
- Maya people
- Ancient Civilization
- Mayan Empire
- Author’s name + any of the keywords above
Keyword Research is simply putting yourself in the shoes of your customers and analyze possible words searchers are likely to type in when looking in Google and other search engines for your book.
There are many tools available for keywords and they make thing easier. Also, knowing your target audience and putting yourself in their shoes greatly helps in choosing the right keywords.
- Fix All Issues and Optimize All Pages. Optimizing pages for your site deals with five basic features- content, URLs, meta descriptions, headers, and images.
- Develop and Execute Content Strategy
Content. Content should be align with ‘search intent’ and there are three types of searches visitors make.
- Navigational: They are looking for a sci-fi book.
- Informational: They are looking to learn about Mayan civilization.
- Transactional: They are interested in reading or buying a particular sci-fi book.
In SEO, we believe that content is king. It is the forefront of all digital marketing efforts. Quality content marketing is crucial especially for authors whose products are books and other written materials. Not only should the books generate interests but other materials such as the articles, videos, and social media posts must be equally interesting and relevant as well.
Brief but Descriptive URLs. Uniform Source Locator or URL address refers to the location of a resource on a computer network. It is important that these URL texts or web address must be able to direct users where they want to go. Using keywords in URLs is one of the effective means to guide users.
Meta titles and descriptions. Creating the appropriate meta-titles is important because it sets the name of the browser tab which Google and other search engines use when showing the page in search results. Meta descriptions on the other hand, attract traffic by displaying a brief description of what users can expect when visiting a particular page. The clear and compelling your metas, the more likely users will proceed to your site if it matches their search intent.
Headers and Subheaders. This is something that is often overlooked but headers and standard subheaders (H1 to H6) allow search engines to better understand the structure of your page and what each section is for.
Alt Text for Your Images. Everyone loves pictures. They are easy to identify with and remember. Unfortunately, search engines have a hard time reading them. In order for engines to understand the image you are using, you must optimize each image by creating alt tag to describe and explain them. A glass of water with ice might have an alt tag of “cold water”.
However, there are tons of contents out there and chances are yours will be drowned and won’t be noticed. According to Ronan Walsh, content creation is not enough. There are a number of things that needs to be done in order to ensure your material won’t go to waste. Indexing your content is one of them.
“The first thing I did was go to Google to index my blog. You can do this in search console, a free platform provided by google.
This informs Google that your content is live and that they can begin the process of indexing.
The main reason I indexed it was to make sure that Google recognized the content as mine and that it wasn’t stolen by someone.”
- Indexing Website. The purpose of optimizing your website is not solely for readers. Remember, one of the primary goals is to rank in search engines. It would be an advantage to have experts who can provide SEO services particularly in ensuring that your website:
- Has optimized Page Speed
- Is mobile-friendly
- Has an SSL certificate
- A sitemap
- Has an uploaded robots.txt file
- Link Building Tasks. Backlink is link shared by one website from another website. If your website gets a backlink from another prominent website, essentially your website benefits from that website’s reputation and popularity. Of course, backlinks should be relevant to your niche and should have the same topics. By sharing the popularity of a linked site, you improve your site’s prominence as well which is very useful in improving your site’s SEO ranking.
Another technique in building links is through guest blogging or posting. It is done by writing for another website within the same industry. Guest blogging can only work if you publish relevant content with authority for both your audiences. By linking to relevant resources on your website that will further educate your readers, you improve your online authority and your reputation.
A screenshot showing traffic of one of our author-client’s website.
- Monitoring Efforts. Tracking your SEO efforts is easy with the help of multiple SEO tools. Measuring organic traffic can be done using Google Analytics. It is also wise to keep track of your rankings. This will help your make timely and appropriate decisions and adjustments for your website.
For a website to increase its online visibility, it should display itself as a serious brand that mean business. Make sure that you produce content that are not only relevant, but also ones that speak with authority and expertise on the subject matter.
Good reputation is something that all brands must possess. Your reputation can spell disaster or success for your book. A way to cement your reputation is to be active in online communities, review sites and social media platforms. You cannot your reputation if you stay within the confines of your website.
Increasing traffic to your website is easy as long as you follow all the requirements to make your website SEO-friendly. Users are attracted to websites that are prominent, relevant, and user-friendly.
What to Look for a Web Traffic Optimization Service
Last year, ReadersMagnet launched the Website Traffic Optimization services. Its mission is to provide assistance to authors in increasing traffic to their website. ReadersMagnet’s WTO service is not like any other service because it treats SEO comprehensively. It’s a program within a 6-month campaign period covering the areas below:
- Keywords
- Keyword Group
- Website Audit
- On-Page Optimization
- Off-Page Optimization
- Google Tools Integration
- Social Media Promotion
- Content Publication
- Weekly Performance Reporting
Website Traffic Optimization Service by ReadersMagnet allow authors to enjoy complete SEO services which is quintessential in establishing one’s brand online. Overall, the ReadersMagnet WTO is not your ordinary SEO service. It is design so that authors get the optimum performance of their site and the support of a committed SEO team.
