If you own any kind of business with a website, then you would know what search engine optimisation is. However, do you know how important SEO is? Optimising your business website for a search engine means much more than using a handful of keywords. It requires at least a rudimentary understanding of how search engine algorithms work.
Obviously, not all business people will be able to sit down for a class in algorithmic logic. In lieu of that, let’s look at some useful SEO tips that will greatly benefit your business:
Research keywords and identify gaps
Any good online digital marketing strategy will depend heavily on the right use of keywords. Most businesses now know how to use keywords on a homepage, and how not to cram too many keywords on to a web page.
However, businesses fail to research keywords properly. If your SEO team is in the habit of picking the top two or three trending keywords to use, stop right now. If you are using the same keywords as other companies in the industry, you won’t have much of a leg up over the competition. Therefore, choose keywords wisely. Pick ones that are not being used often, along with the trending ones. Learn to use Google Keyword Planner to make this possible.
Strive for good backlinks
Backlinks are important to make your business site seem trustworthy to search engines. Google only ranks credible websites on its top 20 list. So, instead of paying for spurious blogs and ad sites to generate backlinks to yours, get quality links. You can only improve your PageRank with backlinks from other credible sites.
Have a google maps listing
Do not underestimate the power of Google Maps. Market research shows that many consumers conduct product research on their smartphones. For example, a customer in New York might search for flower shops on her smartphone. Google will return search results based on the location. So, which sites among thousands will be the most visible to the customer? The ones listed on Google Maps as well, of course. Therefore, if you have a physical address, add it to Google Maps to benefit from mobile traffic.
Don’t forget mobile customers
Speaking of mobile phones, smartphone users are the most important target audience right now. Smartphones provide unprecedented levels of access to customers. Your business can basically reach them day and night. So your SEO campaign should naturally extend to mobile phones as well. Make all your pages responsive to small cell phone screens. Have an app, ideally, and optimise it with your best keywords. Do not forget to optimise all your mobile advertisements as well. The SEO principles for mobile are the same as for the web.
There are other search engines too
Do not optimise your site solely for the Google search algorithm. Sure, it’s the most popular, but it’s not the only one. You can reach your customers on other search engines such as Bing as well. This is a good strategy because Google can suddenly change their algorithm. If this disadvantages you, your site will still be ranked well on other engines.
Also, do not overlook the use of tools such as Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools when employing SEO. These are highly useful to monitor your traffic and research your customers.
If you can invest time and energy towards implementing the above mentioned tactics, your business will benefit greatly.