4 SEO Tips Your Small Business Can Use
Not only can utilizing SEO for your business increase traffic to your website, but it can help your business to grow offline, too. Nowadays, it’s hard to find a better marketing method for reaching as many people as possible. Simply put? SEO is here to stay, and here are the stats to prove it.
While SEO is useful for nearly every type of business, it can be especially effective if you’re trying to run your company online. Whether you sell t-shirts, offer a service, etc., a great way to reach a wider audience is by increasing your website search engine rankings for keywords related to your product or service by utilizing search engine optimization methods.
In this article, we’ll talk about four steps you can take to boost your site SEO, and attract more customers and website visitors as a result.
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Use ‘Google My Business’
It’s no secret that Google rules the rest when it comes to search engines, so it’s always a good idea to take advantages of the tools and services they offer. Not only are they extremely helpful and beneficial, but Google pays attention, and they’re more likely to boost your site ranking when you’re using their tools.
When you set up a My Business account through Google, you’re creating a one-stop information centre for your business on Google. These accounts include things like your business name, address, phone number, website, hours of operation and other relevant information. Be sure to fill out your business information as thoroughly as possible when you’re setting up your My Business listing. Make sure the name, address and phone number for your business matches the information listed on your website. Don’t forget to add a detailed description of your business and be sure to also include your logo and any other pictures you might have. Google takes this information and not only organizes it into one convenient spot for you but also uses this information as one of the factors to determine which business will show up in the local maps section of Google for local searches for your product or services.
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Optimize Your Website
Many business owners think that simply having a website is enough to give their business a boost. Yes, it’s important to have a website. However, it’s how that website functions that really makes a difference. If you’ve put time, effort, and money into creating a solid site, then making the most of it should be a high priority.
There are a few simple rules to follow with websites when it comes to SEO. First, focus on keywords strategy. These are words that people might use to search for your products or services online. Keywords should sound natural within the content of your site, but they should also have prominence. With that being said, content is the most important thing to consider. Search engine algorithms are changing and becoming smarter. Now, it’s not only important to have conversational, easily-readable content for viewers, but for search engines, too.
Finally, make sure your website loads quickly and efficiently. Utilize free tools like Google Page Speed Insights, Pingdom and GTmetrix to analyze your site load times. If a site doesn’t load within 3 seconds (especially on a mobile device), your visitor is going to leave, and start clicking elsewhere. Make sure your site loads immediately, so you can engage visitors to stay longer and read your incredible content.
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Blog, Blog, Blog
While page content on a website is extremely important, it may not gain you any repeat visitors. After all, if someone has read everything there is to see on your site, what’s the point in coming back for more? Blogs offer a solution to this problem by showing off fresh, relevant content as often as possible. By adding a blog to your website, you not only boost your SEO presence, but you give people a reason to visit your website again. Plus, blogs are a great way to utilize social media, since they are easily shareable, and will take fans and interested customers from your social media platforms back to your website.
Blogging can be more casual than traditional web content and can be a perfect starting point for conversations between you and your visitors. If you want to add a personal touch to your business, while boosting your digital presence, blogging is a great place to get started.
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Target Your Audience
Remember the importance of keywords when it comes to web content? The keywords and content you use should cater to your target audience, and who you’re trying to bring to your site. Try to use words that are not only relevant to you, but to your competition as well. If you’re not sure where to get started when doing keyword research, use some of the free tools provided by Google, such as Adwords Keyword Planner and Google Trends. Or, utilize the expertise of a digital marketing company to help you find the right, most profitable keywords to target for your company.
Starting Up With SEO
Whether you have a digitally-based company or a physical location, SEO will likely benefit your business. These professional strategies have been proven time and time again to increase web traffic, and get businesses noticed. If you don’t have a strong online presence, there’s a good chance your business will go unnoticed. Traditional advertising techniques simply don’t work the way they used to, and SEO has replaced a lot of outdated methods. Using some of these techniques to make sure your website (and business) is fully optimized can help you reach your business goals quickly.