by Shari Finnell
When a couple of sports reporters showed up for one of Dirk Nowitzki’s workouts recently, they left in disbelief.
ESPN’s Bob Salmi said the NBA player’s routine was just crazy; one of the most bizarre things he had ever seen in basketball. Dave D’Alessandro of the New Jersey Star-Ledger was a bit more descriptive. He said Dirk was making awkward moves consisting of pirouettes, dizzying angles, crouching, extremely stretched out legs, 360-degree reverse spins and “high-arc stuff from outer space.” 
Though unconventional, that practice routine helped Dirk and his Mavericks teammates win the NBA Championship against some formidable foes. By preparing for every unlikely possibility, the 2011 Finals MVP player was prepared when they actually happened.
Whether on a basketball court or in a business office, it’s a good chance that success comes on the heels of a well-planned, well-executed strategy that takes all angles into account.
Slingshot SEO gets that.
The internet marketing company is raising its clients above competitors in search engine rankings through a plan that goes by the acronym CLASS.
CLASS works because it strategically covers all the bases … focusing on multiple key areas that are essential to a successful SEO strategy: Content, Links, Architecture, Social Media and Strategy.
In consulting with clients for the first time, Slingshot often finds they aren’t adequately prepared to compete when it comes to internet marketing. They’re not getting the results they want because they may be doing well in one or two of the CLASS categories but are neglecting other areas.
For example, a company may have strong content and success with social, but its in-bound links aren’t competitive and its website is not well configured for search engine visibility. This gives it little chance of winning in its category.
Here’s a summary of Slingshot’s CLASS methodology:
CONTENT
Consider it PR for the web, whether it’s blogs, on-site content, infographics, video, podcasts or other types of content featured throughout the internet. It’s important to make sure your brand has a voice that extends beyond your own site. As part of CLASS, Slingshot helps clients step up their game with article creation, blogging and other opportunities to tell their brand story on the internet.
LINKS
When it comes to links, it’s important to think in terms of quality … not just quantity. At Slingshot, we realize that many of our clients that meet the definition of a “deserving brand” require more emphasis on the optimization of the links they currently have rather than creating new ones.
ARCHITECTURE
The construction of your site needs to be optimized so it will make the most sense to search engines. This architecture includes what’s happening beneath the surface, including Internal Linking Structure, Page Load Speed, Meta Descriptions, Title Tags and URLs.
SOCIAL
The first S in CLASS, Social, consists of the conversations a business is engaged in and how it keeps track of its engagement in those conversations. This process includes a process that includes amplification, indexation, conversation and monitoring.
STRATEGY
With Strategy, Slingshot focuses on each of the factors above and tailors a comprehensive solution for each individual client. The plan is then followed by regular checks to measure progress.
With all areas covered in CLASS, clients are positioned to “win” the game … gaining maximum exposure for their brands in an extremely competitive market. If you would like to dive deeper into the CLASS method, download our guide to CLASS.