It is no secret that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the most powerful, cost-effective, and results-yielding website promotion tool, but if your optimization service provider or the webmaster is cutting off the online campaign at SEO set-up only, then it is not meeting the campaign objective fully. SEO has to be followed with well planned on-going maintenance and off-page optimization strategies to continue to improve and/ or retain the top rankings. You could agree with the fact that competition webpages for your every target keyword/ key-phrase has increased multiple folds now. A well planned on-going SEO maintenance and off-page strategies will guarantee that you continue to reap the benefits of top rankings and thus get guaranteed qualified traffic and leads for a long time.

We have seen in the past that a first page Google ranking vanishes in a matter of few months. There could be a lot of reasons for the same, some of which are in our control such as - Lack of proper maintenance in terms of tweaking the Meta tags, Page content, Page Navigation, HTML elements etc., based on the ever changing search engine algorithm and lack of proper off-page optimization strategies to enhance the link popularity continuously (which still plays a very important role in defining top rankings).

Moreover, today’s client is not satisfied by simple optimization techniques which were used in yesteryears. It’s a competitive world out there and it is but natural that clients nowadays demand add on services which will give them an edge over their competition. In this article, I would like to define the various SEO maintenance and off-page optimization strategies; one could adopt to enjoy the benefits of your top search engine rankings and thus get more traffic and leads on an on-going basis. Please note that the SEO maintenance and the various off-page optimization strategies should be pursued simultaneously to obtain maximum gain.

On-going SEO Maintenance

It has not changed much from the older days. Search engines keep changing their ranking algorithm from time to time in an effort to display the “best” possible search results. A good on-going SEO maintenance strategy should cover the following important points to keep up with these changing trends:

• Re-optimization of the website to enhance the overall theme of the landing page by adjusting the keyword density, proximity etc., within the page content and Meta tags (Title & Description Tags). Re-optimization of ALT tags, Page names, Image names, Footer etc., Inclusion of additional features to improve theme of the page such as placement of links to the appropriate news, articles within or outside the website etc,. This is all about innovating new strategies to enhance the target keyword/ key-phrase’s theme on the landing page.

• Re-evaluation of the website in terms of detailed study and analysis of the website and its code to identify and fix the search engine incompatible elements. By search engine incompatible elements, I mean the programming elements within the website which search engines are not able to crawl, index and follow properly such as the use of JavaScript mouseover or on-click function, use of Dynamic menu, image co-ordinates for hyperlinks etc., This also means identification and fixing of off-page issues on an on-going basis such as duplicate websites, linking with bad/ penalized websites etc., There are always multiple people working on a website so these issues might creep up unintentionally so a good on-going detailed evaluation will keep them at bay.

Off-page Optimization Strategies

A strong SEO campaign should always be reinforced by various off-page optimization strategies. It should not only be seen as a method to get more quality links to the website but a well planned off-page optimization campaign can get you a lot more qualified traffic as well. I would at present concentrate only on off-page optimization techniques which will help maximize the website’s performance in the search engines for target keywords/ key-phrases through more quality backlinks. Before planning an off-page optimization campaign one should keep the following important points in mind:

• Clearly defined objective
• Well defined steps or process
• Clinically planned distribution

Some of the off-page optimization strategies which you should pursue on an on-going basis to improve your search engine rankings and enhance your qualified traffic to your website are as follows:

On-going Reciprocal Linking: I don’t need to stress on the importance of an on-going targeted reciprocal linking campaign with relevant websites to get more link popularity for your website. A well planned linking campaign can work miracles for your website’s search engine ranking.

Sitemap Update:
Currently the top 3 search engines ie, Google, Yahoo & MSN have an XML sitemap feature and updating it on a regular basis will help get the changes picked quickly. This sitemap, especially Google’s webmaster console, helps study the campaign deeply and adjust the campaign elements for maximum benefit.

Directory Listing:
There are still lots of free industry directories around which you can use to get a good backlink to your website. Though, I don’t recommend using paid directory submissions after the recent crack down by Google on paid directory listings, but free directory listings can always help improve the success of your campaign.

Local Marketing:
Local search now accounts for over 40% of all online searches, and this figure is rising rapidly. You can take advantage of the increased website exposure through local search traffic and qualified backlinks. There are lots of local search engines, yellow pages, local directories etc. which you can make use of. Some of the more important ones are – Local.yahoo.com, Local.google.com, Maps.google.com, Local.com, Local.live.com, Citysearch.com etc. This is also useful for offline businesses or businesses without a website. A Local Search Listing provides a new source of previously untapped traffic.

Press Release Promotion:
A well written press release with a hyperlink to your website and the products/ services section and a well planned publication strategy will not only help get instant traffic but also get your website indirectly linked from industry authority websites as well.

Article Distribution:
Article writing with strategically embedded hyperlinks and a well planned distribution strategy still remains the most sought after link promotion and off-page optimization strategy. Both search engines and direct visitors love to spend time on it.

Social Networking:
Social networking is in many ways similar to viral marketing. This is all about generating publicity through social media and community websites. There are various methods of social networking you could adopt such as social bookmarking, game sharing, photo sharing, video sharing, event sharing, livecasting, blogging etc. Some of the most popular social networking websites are LinkedIn.com, Facebook.com, Digg.com, Flickr.com, YouTube.com, MySpace.com, Del.icio.us etc.

Social Bookmarking:
Social bookmarking is a way for Internet users to store, organize, share and search bookmarks of web pages. In a social bookmarking system, users save links to web pages, which they want to remember and/or share. This can be used as a strategy to build solid backlinks to your website. Some of the top social bookmarking sites are - Slashdot.org, Digg.com, Technorati.com, Del.icio.us, Stumbleupon.com, Google Bookmarks etc.

Social Media Promotion:
Social media is an off-page optimization strategy to promote your website's images, audios and videos on various social networking websites, blogs, forums and niche online communities. Some of the websites you could make use of are – YouTube.com, Pownce.com, Flickr.com, Zooomr.com etc.

Contests & Freebies:
A well planned online contest and freebies can attract both traffic and links from other websites. Everyone likes to get freebies and join contests to get prizes. Since, it is such a good promotional tool; you can attract a lot of visitors (and links) from such campaigns even if it is for a short period.

Biography:

M Shabir is the founder of SEOValley Solutions Private Limited. He has been involved with the interactive marketing industry since early 1999 and has managed campaigns for enterprise level clients, including some of the Fortune 500 listed Indian, European and North American companies such as Wipro.com, Infosys.com, HDFCBank.com, NokiaUSA.com, BaronandBudd.com, Fastsigns.com etc.

SEOValley is a professional Interactive Marketing Company with development centre located in India offering SEO, SEM, PPC, Link Building, Web Designing, Web Development, SEO Product Development and range of other Interactive Marketing services and solutions to clients across the globe.

Shabir is a member of Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization – SEMPO. You can contact him at Shabir@seovalley.com.