White Hat SEO (and How to Use It)

SEO. We've all heard of it. We use it when we talk about marketing our business.

Heck, we drop that crazy 3-letter acronym "SEO" when we have no clue what we're talking about but want to be part of the conversation.

Oh, stop. We all know we've done it.

But how much do we really know about SEO? Do we really understand the best way to use SEO and why it's so beneficial, especially for growing a business or marketing a brand?

For starters, SEO improves the way our businesses are found in a Google search. The better SEO strategies used, the better the chance of popping up in a potential customer's SERP.

It's that simple.

Or is it?

Interested in understanding the countless benefits of SEO blogging and how to incorporate it into a daily (or weekly or monthly) blog? Then get ready to delve into the underbelly of everything SEO.

To SEO or Not To SEO, That Is the Question

Actually, there's no doubt about it. It's not even a question.

SEO is an organic way of helping a business climb the Google ranks. Plain and simple.

Some businesses used to rely on black hat marketing practices that basically duped Google into ranking them above competitors. They would use things like link farming tactics and that worked for a while.

Until Google got wise. Oh, Google, nothing gets by you.

Now more and more businesses are relying on white hat marketing strategies to naturally improve their company's SEO, all while taming the beast that is Google.

But how does one comply with white hat marketing?

I am SO glad you asked.

Let's Get the Party Started (the White Hat Marketing Way)

This organic strategy improves the chances of coming up in a SERP, by following some key principles.

For starters, when we use white hat principles we stay well within the SEO parameters defined by Google. There's no grey area or blurred lines. What we do is straight-up legit, and it works.

But it also takes a little research and patience.

PATIENCE. It's truly a virtue, and it'll pay off in the wonderful land of SEO.

Okay, so enough chit chat. Let's get down to brass tacks.

WHITE HAT MARKETING. This is how we do it (btw, this one-liner only works if you have the song "This Is How We Do It" playing in your head):

1. Know the Keywords for Your Blog

Do the research. Figure out what keywords to use. In fact, Google has a free Keyword Planner to use.

Did I mention it's free?

Next, learn about the topic. Each niche has certain buzzwords, so figure out what they are and use them wisely. Don't be afraid to check out the competition and see what they're writing about.

When using a keyword tool, look for keywords that have high monthly volume (the number of people searching those word(s) each month), but low competition.

Once we have our keyword(s), we can plug them in organically. Don't overstuff keywords, because it looks bad.

And Google notices.

Google always notices.

2. Knock a Marketing Plan Out of the Park

In a nutshell, make sure a marketing strategy makes the competition say, "Damn."

How? Know the audience.

Simply put: who are we writing for?

Make sure the content of any articles and blogs is relevant and quality. Here's an example:

I think everyone should take a beach vacation. Beaches are relaxing and you can lay on the sand. People like to lay on the sand.

Yeah, no. All that is information I already know.

Beaches are relaxing. Knew that.

People like to lay on the sand at beaches. Again, knew that.

What's something original that will leave me wanting more?

Try this for original content:

You've been dreaming of the perfect beach vacation, and you've decided to visit Oahu. With 112 miles of white sand beaches, Oahu is sure to please any travel connoisseur. Choose from family-oriented beaches and bring a picnic lunch, or spend the day surfing at Waikiki Beach.

Okay, see what I did there? I gave some information that someone may or may not have known. And I provided them with it in a way that utilized quality content, not stuffy filling.

And now I want to go to Oahu.

Think of it as Thanksgiving dinner: quality content is like the turkey, potatoes, and candied yams. All that other stuff is nonsense used to take up space in an article and is basically cranberry sauce. It'll fill someone up if they eat enough, but it wasn't all that hearty.

3. Get Some Backlinks

Preferably, from quality sites. I look for sites that have things in common with my site.

By having quality websites link back to me, Google is basically saying, "Okay, this website must be a good one if another reputable website backlinks to it."

It's basically having a more popular, better-known website vouch for you. Because, after all, the internet is basically one big popularity contest (insert some pithy joke about high school here).

Putting It All Together

Okay. We've discussed a few different white hat SEO marketing techniques and how we can best implement them.

Ready to get writing? Of course, you are!

Do a little research, figure out the best keywords to use, and don't be afraid to get creative. It's going to take time to write the perfect SEO blog.

Remember, don't get discouraged. Just keep at it. Don't forget to use original, high-quality content and go after those backlinks, and when in doubt, hire a professional freelance writer for all your SEO needs.

Happy writing, y'all!