If you’ve just started your own business or you need to upgrade your website because of an increase in business, you’ve probably heard about SEO. Search engine optimization is a clever, albeit technical, way to increase your chances of being seen when search engines are used to look up your industry. Here’s what you need to know when you’re an SEO beginner.
Do Your Research
So, you know you have to use keywords on your website for searchers. That way, when Joe Bloggs searches for a ‘plumber in London’ and you’ve written ‘plumber in London’ in your website content, your business is more likely to rank. However, you shouldn’t just pluck keywords out of the sky. Do some research into the type of keywords being used in your industry and the ones that are proven successful for other businesses like your own.
Optimize Your Titles
This doesn’t mean you have to have a long-winded page title that will put your audience off. In fact, the HTML element isn’t shown on the page- it’s just the behind the scenes stuff. Think about what your visitors will want to know. Who are you, what do you offer and where are you. Optimizing your titles will mean you’re more likely to get clicks through searches. For example, instead of ‘plumbers in London’, your title could be ‘Emergency London Plumber – Free Quote’.
Upgrade Your Content
Once you’ve researched your keywords, you’ll need to place them in your content naturally. This isn’t always easy to do if you aren’t used to writing content on a regular basis. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from professionals that provide SEO services. Your content doesn’t just refer to your blog or your website information. You can also post videos, tutorials or even have a forum where customers can comment and offer suggestions on where to take the business in the future.
Social Media Marketing
Marketing on social media is all part and parcel of SEO. Not only is it a great way to point followers in the direction of your website, but it will also help search engines determine how trustworthy your business is. The bigger your social media presence, the more trustworthy you become. If your social media can direct your audience to your content and your content is good enough to grab the attention of viewers, it’s all a big thumbs up according to search engines like Google and Bing.
Link Building
This is the part where most business owners go wrong. Although link building is vital to getting SEO right, there’s a fine balance between building and ruining your business’ reputation. The simplest rule to follow is to make sure other sites that are relevant to your industry are linking to yours. You can do this by naturally adding in links into content and guest posting on other sites. Not only is it a great way to develop strong visibility but it also shows sites like Google that you’re alive and kicking.
When all else fails, always do your research before jumping in the deep end with SEO.
