SEO campaigns look like a daunting prospect for beginners who don’t have an education or background in search engine optimisation.

Amid all of the careful diligence and practice that has to be followed to make SEO a successful exercise, it is only the implementation of a few key ventures that can change the fortunes of digital brands. SEO Shark understands that finding the correct technique to improve your websites traffic is crucial.

For beginners who want to make headway with this digital skill but don’t have the time to watch extensive videos or read intricate textbooks on the subject, it is worthwhile listening in on some key advice.

1: Have Patience in the SEO Process

Much like a sporting franchise investing in youth prospects for future prosperity, the work of SEO experts is to lay the groundwork and build for sustainable success in the following years. Just from the very outset, it will take between 3-4 months of hard work before any results are produced. In order to yield sustainable growth and rise up those key rankings, operators have to chip away at key practices and continue that push for the following weeks, months and years. If managers and executives think about optimisation as they would a fitness regime, they know there is no real turning off point. It has to be managed and crafted for the duration.

2: Know Your Target Market for SEO

Although there are ways and means of actually undertaking some research and discovering what profile of consumer shops with the brand, it helps for SEO programmers to know what the target market is ahead of engaging in the campaign. If it is for single mothers in the suburbs, from teenagers in working class districts, DIY dads or hipsters who love organically fresh foods, understand what type of people are attracted to the business. From this juncture it is easier to formulate marketing messages and directing advertisements at these demographics based on location, gender, age and their listed interests and hobbies.

3: Scale the SEO Budget

The good news about working within the realm of SEO is that the budget doesn’t have to be static. Once results are achieved from the 6-9 month mark, that additional revenue can be reinvested back into the program. So many beginners will look at this exercise and believe they have to throw anywhere between $20 to $50 or $100 a week into the venture in order to make it a success. Although those funds will be well spent if they are channeled in the right direction, much of the traction can be earned without spending a penny on advertising. If a small portion or percentage of the brand budget is allocated to this project, that approach will be a working model that allows for sustainability.

4: Diversify the SEO Campaign

The best SEO practitioners will diversify their campaign and spread resources to get maximum exposure. This includes mobile, social media, blogging, video, image galleries, keyword research, branding, audio, email marketing and more. Beginners should be aware that this exercise is not limited to just one of these techniques or a handful, but it is the combination of each of them that will drive results. They will end up overlapping and intersecting at different points in time and across various platforms. The essential aim is for maximum exposure and that means engaging all manner of outlets and speaking to constituents in mediums that will suit their behaviours and tastes.

5: Defer to SEO Mobile Performance by Default

The final piece of advice for SEO beginners is to make mobile performance a number one priority. Do not fall into the trap of looking at optimisation through the lens of desktop users because as of 2016 they are in the minority. If the website loads well and is easy to consume on a handheld device, then the brand is heading in the right direction.