Want to get the most out of your SEO efforts? In this article, we will share a few tips that will give you best possible returns for the hard work that you are about to put into your site.

Outsource your SEO to an expert

You could attempt to apply the principles of SEO on your own, but we know there are higher value tasks that you'd rather be focusing on instead.

In this instance, we recommend leaving this task to a SEO firm. They will tell your employees what they need to do to improve the search rankings of your web properties, and when needed, the firm will personally undertake activities that are beyond the skill level of those in your company.

If you don't think you have the budget to farm out your search engine optimization efforts, don't worry, as you can always hire a SEO reseller.

These firms provide many of the services that the big guys do, except they charge a fraction of the price that the A-listers demand.

Be diligent in your vetting efforts though, as there are some companies that over-promise and under-deliver. Try to find someone that has used a reseller that you are considering, and see what they think of them.

Failing that, there are often online reviews that you can read; we recommend going through several pages to get the most balanced view possible.

Create custom 404 error pages with internal links

Whenever someone clicks on a broken link (hey, it happens!), or mistypes parts of your URL in their address bar, they will be taken to a default 404 page generated by your browser.

This is of no use to you, as it makes it look like something is seriously wrong with your site. However, if you create a custom 404 page that makes fun of this embarrassing occurrence, you'll get a laugh out of your customer, but you'll also get a chance to re-direct them to where they were intending to go.

Moreover, the extra internal links that you'll build will help to further improve your domain and page authority stats, so get thinking of a great 404 gag, and build a great error page around it.

Create content that targets your ideal customer

Many website managers make the mistake of creating content that is irrelevant of the theme of their page, as they seek to ride the wave of a current event that is trending.

If the article doesn't fit what you are trying to sell, you shouldn't be surprised if your conversion rates stink, despite the fact that you managed to draw elevated amounts of traffic to your site.

Instead, use key terms that target your top demographic, and write articles that resonate with the overall theme of your site.

If you do, you'll attract qualified prospects that will be more likely to subscribe your list, and buy what you are selling.