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5+ Best SEO Strategies for Various Industries

5+ Best SEO Strategies for Various Industries

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Already implemented SEO strategies, but your website hasn't reached the top position yet? It could be that your strategy isn't quite right.

Don't get it wrong! While it can be used in various industries, each industry requires a different SEO strategy.

Now, if you're confused about determining the right SEO strategy, you're in the right place. Because we have the best SEO strategy guide for various industries.

Curious, right? Without further ado, here's the full article.

How SEO Works

How does SEO work? Why can a website achieve top search rankings?

Google has its own way of determining website rankings.

It uses a tool called Web Crawler. This tool is responsible for inputting all website information, storing it in a database, and then processing it into search results or SERPs.

How SEO Works

The process is divided into three stages, namely:

  • Crawling – Web Crawlers gather information from all websites on the internet.
  • Indexing – Web Crawlers store website information in the search engine's database, then evaluate it based on website structure, content quality, and its relevance to users.
  • Ranking – Web Crawlers display websites on the SERP according to their value. Websites with the highest value will occupy the top positions.

Aspects of SEO to Consider

Before discussing SEO strategies for various industries, you need to pay attention to the aspects of SEO. This is the foundation of learning SEO for beginners, and all SEO strategies still utilize the following aspects.

1. Keyword Research

Keyword research is the process of discovering what keywords internet users type when searching for information.

Things to consider in conducting keyword research include:

  • Search Volume (number of keyword searches)
  • Keyword Difficulty (competition level of keywords)
  • Keyword Suggestions (other suggested keywords)

For keyword research methods, you can use several top keyword tools, such as UberSuggest or Google Keyword Planner.

Furthermore, also utilize Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) to identify other related words or phrases according to search engines.

2. On-Page SEO

On-page SEO is the optimization process within a website. Its aim is to make website content more easily discoverable by both Google and the target audience.

Aspects optimized in on-page SEO include:

  • Permalink and Slug
  • Content Title
  • Content Structure (use of headings & subheadings)
  • Keyword Distribution in Content
  • Image Optimization
  • Internal Links
  • Other SEO Elements (meta description, tags, etc.)

3. Off-Page SEO

Off-page SEO is the effort to optimize SEO from outside the website. Its goal is to assist Google in understanding the benefits and relevance of content to users by examining a website's relationships with other websites.

Off-page SEO optimization includes:

  • Link Building (collecting links from other websites or backlinks)
  • Domain Authority (predicting a website's score on SERP)
  • Page Authority (predicting a page's score on SERP)
  • Brand Mention
  • Social Media Promotion

Guest Blogging (writing content on other websites while placing backlinks to your own website)

4. Technical SEO

Technical SEO is the method of optimizing SEO from a technical standpoint. Its purpose is to enhance the website's infrastructure to be more SEO-friendly during website development.

Now, the steps for optimizing Technical SEO include:

  • Website Speed
  • Website Structure
  • Website Security (SSL)
  • XML Sitemap
  • Website Responsiveness
  • Website Layout and Navigation

In addition to the above steps, we recommend using an SEO-friendly theme and the best SEO plugins for your website.

Furthermore, utilize Google AMP to make your website faster to access through mobile devices.

5. SEO Algorithm

Lastly, you need to know about the SEO algorithm. The SEO algorithm is a system used by Google to determine the ranking of websites on SERPs.

Unfortunately, Google's SEO algorithm often changes. You cannot use the same algorithm for years.

Therefore, always keep up with the developments of the Google algorithm and implement the latest SEO strategies. This way, your website will maintain its top ranking on SERPs.

Also read: 10+ Best and Free SEO Tools

Why Does Every Industry Need Different SEO Strategies?

After considering the aspects of SEO, you must also use different SEO strategies for each industry. Why is that? Because each industry has its own characteristics.

In terms of SERPs, each industry will appear with a different display. For example, an online store will appear on Google Shopping, while a news portal will appear on Google News.

Why Does Every Industry Need Different SEO Strategies?

In terms of SEO objectives, generally the goal is to achieve top rankings on SERPs. However, each industry has its own specific objectives. To make it easier, refer to the table below:

Industry Type SEO Objectives
Offline Store Displaying business in local searches
Online Store Generating traffic from potential customers
Business-to-Business (B2B) Generating traffic from the target audience
Website Multisite/Multi-Language Displaying websites in global searches
Mass Media or News Portal Displaying news content in the Google News Carousel
Job Search Portal Displaying job vacancies on Google for Jobs

With the differences in characteristics, the SEO strategies implemented in each industry should be tailored to the type of industry to achieve more optimal results.

5+ SEO Strategies in Various Industries

Now it's time to practice SEO strategies in various industries, including:

  • SEO for Brick-and-Mortar Stores
  • SEO for Online Stores
  • B2B Business
  • Multisite/Multi-Language Websites
  • Mass Media/News Portals
  • Job Search Portals

Here's the complete explanation:

Translate the following sentences into English:

1. SEO for Offline Stores (Local SEO)

Local SEO is an SEO strategy to display businesses in local searches. The goal is to make it easier for potential nearby buyers to find your business. Why is it important?

Based on research, 72% of users conducting local searches decide to visit offline stores. In fact, 28% of them result in purchase transactions.

SEO for Offline Stores (Local SEO)

Here is how to implement Local SEO strategy:

Create Your Google My Business Profile

First, you need to create your Google My Business profile. Google My Business is a service that helps business owners showcase their business online.

To create your Google My Business profile, visit the official Google My Business page, click on "Get Started."

Then, choose "Add your business to Google." Fill in all the required information, such as:

  • Business name
  • Category
  • Location
  • Phone number
  • Attributes
  • Operating hours
  • Photos

Google will verify by sending a letter to the registered address. Follow the instructions in the letter to complete the verification.

Afterward, you can start managing your Google My Business profile. For instance, you can add a business description, videos, and business amenities. You can also respond to questions and reviews written by customers.

Complete Business Biodata (NAP Citations)

To become more relevant in local searches, fill out NAP Citations. NAP Citations are brief citations containing your business information. The basic format consists of Name, Address, and Phone Number.

Make sure you provide accurate and complete NAP information. Google uses this NAP to determine website rankings in local searches.

Incorrect or incomplete NAP information can confuse Google in ranking your website, potentially causing your business not to appear in local searches.

Therefore, complete your NAP information on personal platforms such as your website, social media accounts, and Google My Business profile. Additionally, add your business information to other platforms such as:

  • Marketplaces – Add NAP on marketplaces like Shopee or Tokopedia if you sell products there.
  • Related Industry Platforms – Find platforms that support your business. For example, if you have a food business, complete NAP on GoFood or GrabFood accounts.
  • Website Listings – Add NAP to websites that offer business listings, such as Foursquare, Brownbook, or Yellowpages.

Pay Attention to Customer Reviews

Customer reviews should also be taken into account. This is because reviews from one customer could be a consideration for other consumers. This is supported by research that 92% of consumers read reviews before deciding to purchase a product.

If your business receives positive reviews from customers, they indirectly promote your business. This is referred to as 'Word of Mouth Marketing'.

On the other hand, if you receive negative reviews, you can improve the quality of the products you sell. This shows that you can respond to customer criticism and suggestions seriously.

Therefore, pay attention to customer reviews on every platform you use. Provide friendly responses to all reviews, including negative ones.

If customer reviews are managed well, your business will become more relevant and even the reputation of your business can improve.

2. Online Store (Ecommerce SEO)

Ecommerce SEO strategies are useful for improving the online store's ranking on SERPs. This way, the chances of gaining traffic, leads, and profits become greater.

Online Store (Ecommerce SEO)

The steps of an online store SEO strategy include:

Improve Website Structure

Having a well-organized website structure makes it easier for Google to index. Additionally, customers can find what they are looking for more easily.

To create a tidy website structure, follow these steps:

  • Create General Categories - Establish broad categories that represent your online store. For instance, categories like "laptops" and "smartphones" for an electronics online store.
  • Add Sub-Categories - Include sub-categories under the general categories. For example, sub-categories for smartphones based on their brands, such as Xiaomi, Samsung, Oppo, etc.
  • Limit Category Levels - Utilize a maximum of three levels of sub-categories.

Category Page Optimization

After that, perform optimization on the category page. Do this by including the targeted keywords in the following sections:

  • Product Title – The title will greatly assist both Google and visitors in understanding the page's content. Therefore, include keywords in the product title.
  • Brief Description – Write a short description while incorporating the appropriate keywords just below the title to facilitate the website crawling process.
  • Product Images – Since Google cannot see images, add keywords to the alt-text for each product image.
  • Product URL – Embed keywords in the URL to make the indexing process easier for Google.
  • Bestselling Products – This method is not exactly part of keyword optimization. However, placing bestselling products at the top can help visitors make choices more easily.

Product Description Optimization

The product description contains a detailed explanation of the offered product. To write a product description, follow these guidelines:

  • Write an Introduction – Create a 50-100 word summary of the offered product.
  • List Features – Describe all the features and specifications of the product in bullet points.
  • Provide Product Explanation – Explain the advantages and benefits of the product in depth.
  • Write a Conclusion – Add a conclusion with a call-to-action urging readers to try the product.
  • Distribute Keywords – Scatter keywords appropriately in the above-mentioned points.

Include Product Reviews

Create reviews from other customers. In addition to being a consideration for other potential buyers, product reviews also influence SEO.

Why is that?

First, it makes it easier for Google to crawl the website thanks to the words written in reviews such as "good", "affordable", and "fast".

Second, it keeps potential buyers engaged on the website by reading reviews. This can improve Google's assessment of the website.

Add Similar Product Recommendations

In addition to reviews, recommendations for other products can also keep visitors engaged on the website as they feel they have many options.

Some ideas for implementing recommendation features include:

  • Recommendations Based on Search Activity – For instance, if a user has just searched for laptops on Google, provide recommendations for laptops that you sell.
  • Complementary Product Recommendations – For example, if a user is looking at smartphones, add recommendations such as cases and screen protectors.
  • Bundle Product Recommendations – For example, bundles like laptops with discounted Microsoft Office licenses.
  • Top Picks or Best Seller Product Recommendations – For top picks, select products you want to highlight. As for best sellers, arrange based on the most sold products.

Create Blog Content

From a business owner's perspective, a blog can increase traffic and leads while also enhancing the website's reputation and user interactions. On the visitor side, a blog serves as a means to find solutions to their questions.

Quite beneficial, isn't it? So, try writing SEO-friendly articles by applying the following tips:

  • Identify Customer Needs - This approach is useful to ensure the produced content aligns with what customers require.
  • Write Content Ideas - Generate content ideas based on customer needs, then transform them into specific topics.
  • Keyword Research - Conduct keyword research that matches the aforementioned topics.
  • Create Content - Develop those topics into comprehensive content. Provide captivating titles to pique readers' interest.
  • Avoid Hard-Selling - Overt promotions can lead to consumer aversion. It's better to use the blog to offer valuable content while subtly including links to product pages. This approach is more subtle, known as soft-selling.
  • Schedule Content Publishing - Consistently publish content according to a predetermined schedule.
  • Optimize Old Content - Treat old content as if it were new. Update existing information in line with the latest developments.

3. B2B Business

Similar to an online store, SEO strategies in B2B businesses also aim to improve search rankings. However, the difference lies in the more specific target audience in B2B businesses.

Therefore, spreading keywords with high search volume might not necessarily be the right approach. Instead, you can target keywords with lower search volume while complementing content that aligns with your industry's topics.

This way, you can enhance the quality of leads and brand awareness, while gaining a better understanding of the actual target audience.

B2B Business

Here are some SEO strategies for B2B businesses:

Create Buyer Personas

A buyer persona is a depiction of the target user based on data, interviews, or in-depth research. In B2B businesses, the target users are business professionals.

To create buyer personas, gather the following information:

  • Personal Data - Basic information about the business professionals such as age, job position, and job description.
  • Priorities - Find out what their priorities are when choosing a product. For example, product quality, price, or customer service.
  • Goals - Learn about the business or job goals they aim to achieve.
  • Needs - Understand what they require to attain those goals.
  • Challenges - Identify the obstacles they face in achieving their business goals.
  • Other Products - Determine if they use products from other brands and the reasons why.
  • Communication Methods - Study their preferred communication methods, like email or direct communication.

Creating buyer personas makes it easier to understand the characteristics of the target audience. This enables you to develop products that can provide solutions to their challenges.

Furthermore, buyer personas can also guide the decision-making process for implementing appropriate promotional strategies.

Understand the Sales Funnel

A Sales Funnel is the stages that potential customers go through until they eventually decide whether or not to purchase a product.

Here are the stages of the sales funnel along with their optimization strategies:

Funnel Stage Description Optimization Approach
Awareness (Awareness) Potential customers become aware of your business for the first time • Create a user-friendly website interface
• Increase blog content
• Promote on social media
• Utilize paid promotions/advertising
Interest (Interest) Potential customers show interest in the products you offer • Create attractive landing pages
• Provide educational content (ebooks, online courses, etc.)
• Develop informative product pages
• Add product comparison features
Decision (Decision) Potential customers make the decision to purchase your product • Create Call-to-Action buttons
• Offer promotions/discounts
• Streamline the purchase process
Purchase (Pembelian) Prospective customers actually purchase the products you offer •Create a simple registration form
• Provide various payment & shipping options
• Offer a loyalty program

Understanding the sales funnel can help you trace how customers become aware of your business and eventually decide to make a purchase.

This way, you'll know which stages are already optimized in their implementation and which ones need improvement, allowing you to refine your strategies in those specific stages.

Landing Page Optimization

A landing page is a web page designed specifically to encourage visitors to take specific actions, such as providing personal information (leads) or making a purchase transaction.

As a crucial factor in prospective customer decision-making, you need to optimize your landing page to quickly get into Google's index and appear at the top of SERP. Here are the steps:

  • Keyword Optimization – Spread keywords appropriately in the title, meta description, headings & subheadings, and content.
  • Visual Optimization – Limit navigation on the landing page, add alt-text to images, and provide transcripts for videos.
  • Technical Optimization – Speed up website loading and ensure the landing page is mobile-friendly.
  • Link Optimization – Ensure quality backlinks, use external links appropriately, and pay attention to internal link usage.

In addition to the above optimizations, it's even better if your landing page design is appealing. This way, visitors will be more inclined to follow the call-to-action prompts on the landing page.

You can check out some attractive landing page examples for inspiration. Then, enhance the appearance of your landing page. You can use landing page themes or plugins, adjusting them according to your needs.

Create Topic Clusters on Your Blog

Due to the limited volume of keywords for B2B marketing, create topic clusters on your blog. This kind of strategy helps you appear credible and truly knowledgeable in your industry.

A topic cluster is a collection of blog content that discusses the same subject. It consists of a main page called a pillar and subsidiary pages called clusters.

So, how do you create topic clusters?

  • Choose a Topic - Select a general industry-related topic to form a topic cluster.
  • Keyword Research - Conduct thorough keyword research on that topic.
  • Divide Keywords - Divide the discovered keywords into specific subtopics.
  • Create Cluster Pages - Generate several cluster content based on these specific subtopics.
  • Create Pillar Page - Develop a pillar page that covers the broader topic, then link cluster content to this page.
  • Link Pages - Ensure all pages are interconnected using internal links.

This way, Google will better understand your blog as its content is interconnected. Moreover, your chances of ranking higher increase because topic clusters demonstrate the quality of your blog on specific subjects.

Read also: 50+ Must-Try SEO Friendly Blog Templates

4. Multisite/Multi-Language Website (International SEO)

Unlike Local SEO, International SEO is an SEO strategy aimed at making your website appear in global searches. By creating a multisite website, your website can reach audiences from different countries.

This International SEO strategy is well-suited for those whose products or services are available in multiple countries, or even worldwide.

Multisite/Multi-Language Website (International SEO)

The steps of International SEO strategy are as follows:

Pay Attention to Domain Structure

If you're targeting a specific audience from a particular country, use an appropriate domain. Some domain options for multilingual sites include:

  • Separate Domain - Using country-specific domains. For example: yourwebsite.uk, yourwebsite.us.
  • Subdomain - Using third-level domains to target audiences of the same language. For example: en.yourwebsite.com for all English-speaking audiences.
  • Subdirectory - Similar to subdomain, placed at the end of the domain. For example: yourwebsite.com/en.

Which one is better among the three options above? Refer to the following comparison table:

Domain Options Advantages Disadvantages
Separate Domain • Easy to rank in SERP
• Quick local search ranking
• Expensive and difficult to manage
• Separate Domain Authority (DA)
Subdomain • More affordable and easily manageable
• Can use different IP Addresses
• Harder to rank in SERP
• Might lower DA rating
• Users tend to access the root domain
Subdirectory • Most cost-effective and easy to manage
• Can enhance DA rating
• Harder to rank in SERP
• Users tend to access the root domain
• May impact website performance

Each domain option has its own advantages and disadvantages, so tailor it to your needs and budget.

Pay Attention to Language Usage

Ensure that the language used on the website aligns with the domain. Here's how you can implement the following tips:

  • Use Hreflang Tags - Help Google understand the language used by adding the hreflang script to the website obtained from the Hreflang Tags Generator Tool.
  • Check the Entire Website - Review everything from navigation menus, content, to support pages, making sure the language used is consistent.
  • Set Up Redirects - To allow users to access the website based on their location, set up redirects using the Geo Redirects plugin.

  • Avoid Translator Tools - It's better to use professional translation services to achieve better translation results.

Avoid Specific Cookies/Scripts - Refrain from using cookies or scripts that display language options, as this can hinder Google's website crawling process.

Make Sure Content Aligns with the Target Language / Country

Language and country differences lead to various distinctions such as culture, daily habits, and even sense of humor. Therefore, create content that is specific to the targeted country.

For example, instead of creating content about product recommendations for Black Friday, you can create content for Harbolnas (National Online Shopping Day), special date promotions, or other significant moments.

By crafting content that resonates with the local culture, it will facilitate the audience's discovery of the content, thereby enhancing SEO performance.

5. Mass Media / News Portal (News SEO)

News SEO aims to make news content appear on the Google News Carousel. By having content displayed in the Carousel, websites can capture more traffic.

Mass Media / News Portal (News SEO)

What are the SEO strategies for a news portal?

Create Quality News Content

Content is the main offering of a news portal. So, create news content as best as possible. Here are the standards for quality news content according to Google:

  • Avoid Content Violations – Avoid creating content that violates Google's policies, such as harmful content, fraudulent practices, hate speech, vulgar content, and the like.
  • Limit Ads & Sponsored Content – Ads displayed should not exceed the amount of content itself. Additionally, make sure to indicate if the content you create is sponsored.
  • Avoid Clickbait – Avoid creating news headlines that don't reflect the content's substance and potentially mislead readers.
  • Include Publisher Information – Add basic information such as the content's publication date, content author, responsible party or publishing company, and contact information.

Make sure you always adhere to the above rules as Google can take action against any violations committed. As a result, content pages or even the entire website may not appear in the SERP.

Create Schema Markup

Schema markup is a specialized script to be added to a website. Its function is to facilitate Google in understanding the type and content of a website. For news websites, the common type of schema markup used is Articles.

Here are the steps to create schema markup:

  • Enter Website Information - Open the Google Structured Data Markup page, then select the Articles option and enter the URL of the content page. Click Start Tagging.
  • Highlight Content Information - Highlight different sections of the content, then provide the appropriate information. For instance, if you highlight the content creator's name, click on the Author option. 
  • Copy HTML Code - Once you've finished highlighting, click CREATE HTML. Then, copy the script that appears on the screen.

After that, paste the script onto the content page you previously mentioned in the website information. The method of pasting the script depends on the CMS you are using.

For example, when creating a news website using WordPress, you can access the content page editor and switch from Visual Editor to Code Editor. Then, paste the HTML code that was copied earlier.

Install the News SEO Plugin

If manually creating and implementing schemas for each news page feels cumbersome, there's a simpler way: by installing the News SEO plugin.

In addition to automatically generating schemas for all news pages, this plugin can aid content optimization through features like XML News Sitemap and Advanced News SEO.

So, you can focus on writing and publishing quality news content, as there's no need for manual optimization, which undoubtedly consumes a lot of time.

Another alternative is to use the Yoast SEO plugin, which can adjust schemas based on the type of articles published, such as news articles.

Install the News SEO Plugin

Understand Technical Guidelines

Google has its own algorithm for determining news content that appears in the News Carousel. Therefore, make sure you follow the following technical guidelines:

  • Website Structure – Ensure your main news section page is permanent. Also, make sure your website doesn't block Google's robots.txt file.
  • Language and Encoding – Use a consistent language for all published news. Then, set your website's encoding to UTF-8 format.
  • URL and Article Pages – Use unique and permanent URLs for each news content. Additionally, always use HTML format on content pages.

By following these technical guidelines, Google will have an easier time crawling your website and detecting its content.

Publish the Latest News

Creating quality news and optimizing is not enough; you need to stay updated with the latest news developments and write about them.

For example, the government has just announced an increase in fuel prices. Strive to be the first news portal to publish this news.

By being the fastest on a topic, Google will consider your news content as original. Therefore, the chances of that content appearing in the News Carousel are greater.

Finally, it's time to register your website on the publisher center page. While Google doesn't require this step, publishing news through the publisher center increases the chances of appearing in the News Carousel.

6. Job Search Portal

The SEO strategy for the job search portal serves to display job vacancies on Google for Jobs. This way, job openings can be easily found by job seekers.

Job Search Portal

Here are some SEO strategies for job search portals:

Complete Job Page Information

According to SHRM, completing job information has a positive impact on SEO. Therefore, complete information on the job page, especially:

  • Company Location - Many companies are implementing remote working. Nevertheless, provide detailed company address as it can improve job listing ranking on SERP.
  • Salary Information - Including salary information can also improve job listing ranking on SERP. If unsure, simply provide a salary range that applicants can expect.
  • Job Details - Write detailed and consistent job information, including description, qualifications, and application process, as Google also assesses the relevance of the job description to the title offered.

What if a job listing has closed? Simply provide a relevant note on the page, such as 'job listing closed'. Then offer similar job recommendations on that page.

Category Page Optimization

You also need to optimize the job category page. This can be done by adding search filters to find jobs based on:

  • Location
  • Position/Title
  • Position Level
  • Job Type
  • Educational Level
  • Salary Range

By implementing these search filters, job seekers will find it easier and quicker to discover jobs that match their criteria.

Add Schema Markup

Similar to the SEO strategy for news websites, you also need to add schema markup to the job portal. Here are the steps:

  • Open Schema Markup Generator - Go to the Schema generator page, then select the Job Posting option at the top.
  • Fill in Job Information - Provide comprehensive information about the job, including job title, description, company information, and so on.
  • Copy Schema Script - After completing the job information, copy the schema script provided on the right-hand side.

Then, paste the script onto the job page. This will make it easier for Google to crawl, increasing the likelihood that the jobs you publish will appear on Google for Jobs.

Conclusion

Performing SEO optimization is beneficial for your business website to achieve top positions on the SERP. However, it's important to remember that each industry has different target audiences and goals.

Therefore, you need to implement SEO strategies specifically designed for a particular industry. This way, you can achieve the desired results and provide advantages for your business.

In this article, we have explained various SEO strategies for you to apply to:

  • Offline Stores
  • Online Stores
  • B2B Businesses
  • Multisite/Multi-Language Websites
  • Mass Media/Portals
  • Job Search Portals

That concludes this article, we hope it's helpful. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask through the comment section.

Until next time!

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