Build Your Brand Using SEO���������������

ERIN DECKER

MS, RD, LDN, CDCES

GUEST AUTHOR

Have you ever wondered how websites get their articles and pages to show up on Google? When you search for a topic, you see the same site pop up time and again� Clearly, they must know what they’re talking about� Getting your content to show up on search results is an impactful way to grow your brand and reach� But how do you make that happen? It seems like writing and developing good content would be all it takes� This is certainly a step in the right direction� However, there are a few critical steps that are essential to get your content to show up on page one� These steps are known as search engine optimization (SEO)�

WHAT IS SEO?

SEO is a strategy of building and structuring your website, pages and articles in a way that allows search engines to understand your content�1 This is important so that search engines can in turn provide your content to the user searching for the information�

HOW CAN SEO HELP BUILD YOUR BRAND?

In a nutshell, SEO gets eyes on your brand� Assuming you are already creating content for marketing purposes, incorporating SEO principles can help your content go even further without significantly increasing your time investment� SEO is important for both online businesses and brick-and-mortar offices� If you have an online business, SEO can help increase and diversify your reach� By producing high-quality content that readers are searching for, you can drive traffic to your site, connect with potential clients and drive them to your offers� Higher traffic also means greater potential for brand partnerships and ad revenue� When you consistently show up in readers’ search queries, you are establishing yourself as an expert in your niche and building awareness around your brand� Surveys show that at least one-third of patients are finding their healthcare practitioners online�2 Optimizing your website can allow your site to show up when a user searches for a provider� Even if a potential client finds you through a third party, such as an insurance network or a friend, having a web presence can build trust and allow clients to learn more about you and your approach�

WHAT MATTERS FOR SEO?

Search engines (primarily Google) are getting better at understanding what users are searching for�3 In order for your website and content to show up in Google, there are steps you need to take to optimize your website and content so that the search engines can “read” your content, rank it against competitors and ultimately direct users to your site� What matters for SEO is constantly being updated and changed� This may feel overwhelming, but it is actually a good thing� The goal of the search engine is to connect users with the highest-quality content that accurately matches their needs� Your goal is to deliver this� The factors that have the biggest effect on your search rank include: y High-quality content with regular updates y Proper use of headings and keywords that meet the search intent y Established expertise, authority and trustworthiness on the topic you write about y Overall user experience, such as mobile friendliness, site speed and ease of use y Technical factors such as site structure and organization

START A BLOG

Simply having a blog is a great strategy to increase your reach� Regular posting tells the search engines that your site is relevant, upto-date and includes expertise in a given topic� Consistency also tells the search engine how often to “crawl” your site or check it for new content� Generally, more recent content ranks higher than older content� Complete regular audits and update your content to ensure that your posts remain relevant� That being said, SEO is a balancing act of regular posting while making sure the content is high-quality�

OPTIMIZE NEW AND EXISTING CONTENT

Quality over quantity reigns! You can enhance your existing blog posts by making proper use of headings and keywords and incorporating images, links and figures� This is a great starting place if you already have a backlog of content and you are just getting started with SEO� Keep these factors in mind with all new content as well�

USE HEADINGS

Ideally, your posts would be structured with several headings and subheadings� This helps the search engine understand your content� It also makes for a better user experience since it makes for easy skimming and organization�

(...Continued from page 17) RESEARCH KEYWORDS

Keywords are the search terms that a user puts into the search bar� Examples may include “what to eat before a run” or “dietitian near me�” Incorporating keywords into your blog title and headings helps the search engine connect the user with your content� It is important that your keywords and headings are search terms that readers are actually searching for and match the search intent� You can research keywords by using free services, like Google; search suggestions and questions you receive from clients; or by using a paid subscription service such as Keysearch or Semrush� These services allow you to see how many people are searching a given term each month and how much content already exists on the topic� Ideally, you want to find long-tail keywords with a high volume of searches with low competition� Long-tail keywords are those that are very specific and longer in nature compared to broader, short-tail keywords� See below for examples�

Short-tail Keywords Long-tail Keywords

Dietitian Sports dietitian in Raleigh Granola bar Gluten-free granola bar recipe Bloating High-fiber foods that won’t cause bloating Stress eating How to stop stress eating at work

The more specific your keyword, the more likely you are to meet the search intent and connect with your ideal client�

USE IMAGES, LINKS, FIGURES AND INTERNAL LINKS

Using images, graphs and bullets can help convey your point and make reading easier for your audience� These factors contribute to the quality of your content� That being said, make sure your images are optimized to your site theme and not too big (more on that below)� Internal links connect your content� It demonstrates expertise if you have multiple posts on the same topic� With every new post, see if you can link to a past post and vice versa�

SHOW OFF YOUR EXPERTISE

There is a lot of information on the internet, some of it more reliable than others� Search engines are trying to highlight sites with reputable information from experts, especially when it comes to important information on the topics of health, medicine and nutrition� You want to prove that you know what you’re talking about� This is where dietitians shine! Make sure you have an easy-to-find “About” page that highlights your credentials, education, awards and experience� If you have been featured in any publications or the media, share and link to those as well�

Additionally, make sure that you are linking to reputable sources in your content and encourage others to link back to you�

CONNECT WITH OTHERS TO BUILD INBOUND AND OUTBOUND LINKS

Inbound links, also known as backlinks, are links from other websites that send users to your site� These are important for building authority in your niche� Others linking to your site is a sign to the search engine that not only do you consider yourself an expert, but others do as well� Outbound links are those that link to other sites in your niche� Including these can help build trustworthiness, especially if they are high-quality, reputable sites such as Pubmed� Building your network and backlinks takes time� However, you can speed the process up by connecting with others in your niche� For example, Dietitians on the Blog is a Facebook group where dietitians request recipes and other content for them to link to in roundup posts�

CONSIDER USER EXPERIENCE

Have you ever visited a website only to be bombarded with a pop-up ad that you can’t close? Or a site that takes too long to load? It’s frustrating and search engines know this� The user experience should be an important factor in your SEO strategy� User experience includes factors such as mobile friendliness, website speed, ad placement, security, straightforward site navigation and well-organized posts�

MOBILE FRIENDLINESS

Mobile searches now comprise the majority of internet searches�4 If your site is not mobile-friendly, users are less likely to remain on your site� This can indirectly affect your ranking� If you are not easy to find on a mobile device, you are missing out on almost 55% of potential readers�

Users prefer faster load times� Studies show that delays cause a notable increase in stress levels�5 You may be familiar with this yourself� Factors such as image size, site design, hosting, ad placement and number of “plugins” can all impact site speed�

SECURITY

Having a secure site should be top priority� A security certificate, also known as an SSL or TLS certificate, authenticates and secures your website� This changes your URL from HTTP to HTTPS� It tells your readers that your site is owned by you (i�e� that it’s not a “fake”) and provides encryption to reduce the risk of data theft� Chrome has introduced a warning for sites that do not have a security certificate which may scare readers away� Your host will likely offer this installation free of charge�

GET TECHNICAL

Technical SEO includes factors such as site structure, navigation, URLs, properly submitted sitemaps and schema� These are factors you might not “see” on your website, but they are essential code that allows the search engine to understand your site�

GETTING STARTED WITH SEO

SEO is a powerful marketing tool that can make use of content you already have written� However, it is a skill that can take time to learn and apply� If you’re looking to get started or enhance your website SEO, there are ways to DIY-it or refer out to an expert�

RESOURCES TO LEARN MORE

Depending on your tech-savviness, it is more than possible to optimize your site on your own� There are free and paid resources out there to get started and learn at your own pace� The following resources are great if you want to build your own knowledge on SEO and update your site with a DIY approach: y Google’s SEO Starter Pack y The Unconventional RD podcast,

How to Start a Website tutorial, and SEO Made Simple course - TheUnconventionalRD�com y Brianne Bell’s SEO Audit for

Dietitians - Bribell�com y BuildaWellnessBlog�com y SearchEngineJournal�com

REFER OUT

If the terms site speed, user experience and security are making your head spin, you can refer out to an expert to help optimize your site� See below for some SEO writing and tech resources to get you started: y For SEO optimized writing:

Anareisdorf�com y For site design and set-up:

Chloecreativestudio�com y Tech support:

Imarkinteractive�com y Tech support:

Nerdpress�net y Tech support:

Blogfixer�com y Should you opt for DIY or professional web designer? rd2rd�com/freelance-versusdiy-website-design/ y Check with your hosting company — they may offer support options as well Similar to our message to our clients that lifestyle changes take time and patience, SEO is a longterm game� That being said, it is well worth the time and effort and will pay off for years to come! 1 Getting Started for Beginners�

Available at: https://developers� google�com/search/docs/ beginner/get-started�

Accessed January 13, 2022� 2 How do patients find doctors in 2019? (Results of Survey of 5,000

Patients)� Available at: https:// www�linkedin�com/pulse/howdo-patients-find-doctors-2019results-survey-5000-richard-girling�

Accessed January 13, 2022� 3 How Search algorithms work� Available at: https:// www�google�com/search/ howsearchworks/algorithms/�

Accessed January 13, 2022� 4 Statcounter desktop vs mobile vs tablet� Available at: https:// gs�statcounter�com/platformmarket-share/desktop-mobiletablet� Accessed January 13, 2022� 5 Streaming delays mentally taxing for smartphone users: Ericsson

Mobility Report� Available at: https:// www�ericsson�com/en/pressreleases/2016/2/streaming-delaysmentally-taxing-for-smartphoneusers-ericsson-mobility-report�

Accessed January 13, 2022�

To obtain CPEU credit, go to the CPE Library at nedpg�org� The Newsletter Courses area will house the CPEU article and quiz�

Erin Decker, MS, RD, LDN, CDCES, runs a virtual private practice in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she considers herself a generalist - she works with all types of clients through an intuitive eating lens, though is particularly interested in diabetes, eating disorders and sports nutrition� She enjoys updating her own blog, ErinDeckerNutrition�com, to experiment with various SEO strategies�