SEO Techniques for New Websites: Building Your First Website in a Crowded Niche
Although many online businessmen say it is never too late to launch your online business, Google's knack for giving newer websites a hard time at ranking pretty much proves that timing is everything and early birds do catch most of the worms, but this rule is not set in stone. Being ahead of competition can help, but there is hope, yet, for those who have arrived to the party quite late. The easiest, and probably, the best way to propel yourself to the top in a crowded niche is to exert twice the effort for quality SEO.
Quality search engine marketing is not about building and optimizing a website for the search engines; it's about creating a website for real people to consume. Keep that in mind when writing articles or when linking with other sites.
What is a 'Crowded Niche'?
“Crowded niche” is a term I use to refer to keywords (and niches) that are saturated with far too much competition, but being the underdog is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just that, you have to exert more effort to pull yourself from the bottom to the top. The same concept applies in the real world, where older businesses tend to get most of the traffic compared to those who have just set up shop very recently.
One effective way to get noticed is to offer something new. Offering something new makes you unique, and in a “crowded niche”, that is exactly what you’d want. Being unique may often mean getting noticed out of the crowd.
Another way to get noticed is to use the newer marketing techniques. Some older businesses (and websites) fail because they refuse to go with the tide and tend to stick with the old methods of promotion. If you are new to the niche, it would be wise to go with the newest SEO techniques than to take the old path. Taking the old path may even lead you to the same pitfalls which businesses before you have found themselves in at one point. There is no need for you to attempt trial-and-error-- simply look at your competitors and see what they did wrong.
Be aware that some classic SEO techniques no longer work. For example, meta-keywords are no longer that effective in on-page SEO. It would be wiser to use your keywords within your page titles. While getting subscribers to your mailing list and sending out newsletters are still helpful, what is even more effective is to create your network with social networking sites.
Be Social-Network Ready!
Speaking of social networking sites, Facebook, Twitter, Vine, Instagram, Youtube, Reddit and Pinterest have been leading the market lately and it would be wise to integrate these services into your website. Use a social-network ready theme to have these networks automatically and seamlessly run in your website. For new website owners who know little about website design, I highly recommend working with the powerful Genesis Framework for your first website.
The Genesis Framework is one of the most stable Wordpress frameworks still used, and trusted, by new and old online businessmen. Genesis is easy to work with: simply upload a Genesis framework child theme and you’re up and running in minutes.
Be an authority.
Third, becoming an expert or an authority in your niche can give you an amazing following, and of course, profit. To become an expert in your niche, produce guides or free eBooks that are well-put, well-written, and well-produced. The internet may have changed but its stance towards freebies is still the same.
Like in most things, collaborating with like-minded people can help you get more links and become more popular in your niche. It may not be wise to collaborate with direct competitors, instead, work with people who are indirectly related to your niche. For example, if you sell anti-flea and tick collars, collaborate with a pet shelter. Not only do you get to reach out to real dog lovers, you will also get bonus points for being a charitable collaborator who is helping a pet shelter gain some publicity.
Keep on Learning!
There are still plenty of tips out there which you can use to grow your business. Look around, don’t be oblivious to the trends today, and adapt as quickly as you can. Most importantly, work smarter, not just harder!
