Retrospection and Goal Setting
Your first step is to reflect on the performance from 2017. You can use last year’s budget as a template for what this year will look like. If you liked your results from last year, but you want more going forward, increase the amount by a percentage that’s proportional to what you desire to gain. On the other hand, if you feel that you misspent the money, then you should consider dialing down your budget.
Lay out some goals for yourself and your campaign. If you want to outrank your competitor, consider a more fluid budget.
Content Production
Next, you’ll want to distribute your budget to specific areas, so you can get closer to your final goals. In 2018, content remains king for SEO just as it was in 2017.
Quality
Millions of brands and individuals work tirelessly every day to publish content to reach their audiences. You need to invest in several resources to produce the best content for your target customer. This year, treat your content production like the phrase you have heard so often: “quality over quantity”. This may mean that you are producing fewer, long-form pieces.
Support and promotion
Every time you produce a piece of content, you want it to be so impactful that the reader feels obligated to share it. This is where you get viral content! Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen in most cases. If you want your content to succeed, you have to dedicate some of your budget to supporting and promoting that content, whether it is on social media platforms, press releases, or advertising.
Video
By 2021, it’s expected that as much as 82% of all web traffic will be in the form of videos. Make producing and distributing videos a priority in 2018.
Go Mobile
Because so many people are always on the go, your content must be consumable on mobile devices. If you are just targeting on desktops, your business and content will suffer.
Targeting
When deciding on the specific targets for your campaign, consider audience understanding and local options. Nowadays, audiences are demanding much more personalized content. That’s why you need to perform more in-depth market research so you can create content that is written specifically for their pain points.
Local search is becoming even more focused, and it’s quite rewarding for businesses who pursue it. Especially if you have a local business, you’ll want to spend the extra money to put into the review development.
If you want further advice on how to fit SEO in your 2018 budget, Blueprint can work with you to develop a plan of action. Blueprint has been in the digital marketing space for over a decade, serving local clients all throughout the metro-Atlanta area. Contact us to speak with an SEO specialist today!