As a business owner, you know that SEO is important. But what exactly is SEO and how can you improve your business’s searchability on search engine result pages? Read on as we discuss the basics and give you tips on how to improve your rankings and visibility online. We'll also talk about a few common mistakes business owners make and show you how to avoid them.
The importance of SEO
SEO stands for "search engine optimization” and it’s the process of improving the visibility and ranking of your website or blog on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. When people search for keywords or phrases related to your business, you want your website to appear as high up on the list of results as possible.
Why is this important? Because the higher your website appears on the list, the more likely people are to click on it. And if people are clicking on your website, that means they're interested in what you have to say or sell.
There are two main types of SEO: on-page SEO and off-page SEO. On-page SEO refers to the content on your website, and how well that content is optimized for the search engines. Off-page SEO, on the other hand, refers to factors that are not directly under your control, such as inbound links and social media signals.
Tips for improving your business SEO
- Use keyword-rich titles and descriptions. When people search for keywords related to your business, you want your website to come up, right? So make sure your website is optimized for the keywords you want to be found for. Use keyword-rich titles and descriptions, and include those keywords in your website content.
- Make sure your website is mobile-friendly. More and more people are using their smartphones and tablets to search the internet, so it's important that your website is designed for mobile devices. Google has a "mobile-friendly" test that you can use to see if your website passes muster.
- Use social media. Social media is a great way to connect with potential customers and promote your business. But did you know that it can also help with SEO? When you post links to your website on social media, it helps improve your ranking on search engines. If you want to improve your SEO, therefore, make sure you're active on social media and be sure to include links to your website in your posts.
- Create quality content. This is one of the most important things you can do for SEO. Google's algorithms are designed to surface the best, most relevant results for a given search. So if you want your website to appear in the search results, you need to make sure you're creating quality content that is relevant to what people are searching for. This could be in the form of blog posts, articles, infographics, videos, or anything else that is interesting and informative.
- Get inbound links. Inbound links are links from other websites to your website. They act as a vote of confidence, telling the search engines that your site is relevant and authoritative. The more inbound links you have, the better. There are a number of ways to get inbound links, such as guest blogging, writing press releases, or creating helpful resources that others will want to link to.
Common SEO mistakes to avoid
- Not using keyword-rich titles and descriptions. We've already talked about how important it is to use keywords in your titles and descriptions. If you're not doing this, you're missing out on a major opportunity to improve your SEO.
- Not optimizing your website for mobile viewing. In today's day and age, more and more people are using their phones and tablets to search the web. If your website isn't optimized for mobile, you're missing out on a lot of potential traffic.
- Ignoring local SEO. If you're a local business, it's important to optimize your website for local SEO. This means including your city and state in your titles and descriptions, as well as on your website itself.
- Not using social media. Social media is a powerful tool that can help with SEO. If you're not using it, you're missing out on an opportunity to improve your ranking on the search engines.
- Creating low-quality content. As we've mentioned, the quality of your content is important for SEO. If you're creating low-quality, keyword-stuffed content, it's not going to do you any favors in the search results.
Supercharge your marketing success with a cutting-edge business SEO strategy
If you want to improve your SEO, there are a few things you can do. Use keyword-rich titles and descriptions, make sure your website is mobile-friendly, use social media, and create quality content - these tips will do more than just improve your marketing strategy but also connect you to the right audiences time and time again.
If you need help with SEO or improving your online presence, get in touch with our team today. We help you explore how you can improve your searchability and SERP rankings through our expert-led team and tried-and-tested strategies.
BOOK A CALL