The beauty of the Internet is that you can find whatever you need, but it often comes at a cost. Yes, there’s lots of information out there, but differentiation is an issue for many sites. How can you set yourself apart from the competition and build a following, when everyone else is doing the same? Today we’re going to discuss some techniques that can give you the edge you’re looking for.

Authorship

I talk about Authorship often; not only because I personally believe in its value, but because it’s clearly becoming essential to better search results in Google. As Google’s Penguin algorithm updates place more value on content and source, authorship should absolutely be kept in mind when developing a digital marketing strategy. The first method to increase search results would be to sign up for Authorship through Google Plus. Authorship adds a rich snippet to search results with your image and links to other published works. It also has been proven to get better search rankings than blogs without Authorship – sometimes an increase of 10% – not bad for something that requires relatively little effort.

There are two methods of establishing Authorship. The first one requires your email address to have the same domain as the article in question. The second one, although it requires a touch more work, is generally the easier way to go: you insert/change the rel=author tag in your code and then manually insert the link on your profile. Although it often takes up to 14 days for authorship to appear, it pays off in the long term.

Proper SEO Techniques

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a digital marketing discipline that allows your site to be found more easily than a site that isn’t optimized. Although it’s extremely technical and not for the uninitiated, there are several ways to use easy SEO techniques to ensure better results. If you currently use a Content Management System (CMS) like WordPress or Drupal, there are plugins/modules that can manage some SEO tasks for you: my favourite WordPress plug-in is ‘WordPress SEO’ by Joost de Valk, and ‘Drupal SEO Tools’ by TomDude48 has also been well received.

Failing that, there are some easy ways to practice proper SEO:

• Keep your code clean: Superfluous code doesn’t add any value to your site.
• Header tags! Header tags are what differentiate titles and subtitles from the other content – they also carry a bit more weight with search engines.
• Organic link building: Put links where a reader wants and needs them. Do not load your pages with unnecessary inbound and outbound links – you’ll be penalized.
• Content must be fresh, valuable and useful.

Got Social?

Social media is the easiest way to build an audience. It’s also the most accessible method because it doesn’t require much training – most of us use social media regularly in our personal life, so it’s not a stretch. Its accessibility also removes the frustration of learning a new platform, which is a bonus if you tend to wear a lot of hats at the office.

What platforms would be a good fit? The most popular options are essential: Google Plus, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest should be the cornerstone of every social endeavour. Create an account in as many platforms as possible: even if you decide not to activate them, controlling your brand name now will avoid headaches later.

Next, look at the unique benefits of each platform. How will they help build your audience? There are several issues to consider when developing a social media strategy:

When is the best time to post? Be strategic about the time of your posting. In order to maximize your readership, think about the needs of your audience: when do they need this information? It’s too difficult to guess, but there are a lot of tools to help with this, including ‘When to Tweet’, ‘Media Bistro’ or SEOmoz’s ‘Followerwonk’.

Are there unique elements that will help expand your reach? #Hashtags are one of the most recognizable elements to users, and are integrated into search options/trending reports on Google Plus and Twitter (there’s a possibility they’ll be integrated into Facebook in the near future, too).

How do you increase your shares? The easiest way is also the best – ask! A Call to Action informs your readers of your intentions. It doesn’t have to be aggressive – a genuine, “If you liked this, please share it with your friends” might be all you need. Start with your friends, and ask them to pass it along with the same message. You’re already on your way!

Cross-promote! Use social to inform and educate your readers. If you’ve published a new blog, let your readers know by posting in all of your platforms. Include a link so it’s EASY for them to find.

Time management makes it easy. If logging in and posting to five different platforms sounds time consuming, look into a social media management tool such as BufferApp. You’ll be able to save yourself hours by just going to one site, and it’ll make it easier to manage as your business and reach grows.

Although it’ll take time, building an audience is the most rewarding path towards success. If you’ve got an idea or opinion that will benefit an audience, utilizing social media can find you a readership. Practising proper SEO will get you better search results. Obtaining Authorship will position you as an authority and improve search rank.

About the Author

Bria Jordan is a Search Engine Optimization and Social Media consultant. A published writer for the last 14 years, she can often be found celebrating her off-time by bicycling through the city or cooking. She currently lives in Toronto, Canada with her husband and two cats.