There are a whole host of articles that will tell you everything you need to know about why SEO matters, but what about if you just want to get on with it? What you want is a simple, easy-to-follow, and direct article that talks you through how you can put your business website in the spotlight. When we couldn’t find one ourselves, we decided to write one. Here’s everything you need to know.
Create shareable content people care about
SEO can become overcomplicated before you know it, so it’s vital that we stick with the basics. Whilst it relies on sophisticated algorithms and techniques to function, its sole purpose is to show people what they actually want to see. This means that if you want to skyrocket up the Google rankings and get yourself onto the first page, you’re not going to be able to do it without engaging content.
Make it relevant, easily accessible, and shareable. No amount of cleverly chosen keywords will compensate for mediocre content, so make the quality of what you produce your main focus.
Remove duplicate content from your website
As well as quality content, you want to ensure you don’t fall into the trap of duplicate content. Whilst it’s true that a few well-chosen keywords will help improve visibility, it’s very easy to go too far. If you’re posting page after page of duplicate, or virtually identical content, you need to think about what it is you’re really doing.
As a potential customer you wouldn’t sit there and read the same text a dozen times just because it was posted on a different page each time, would you? Google knows that, and it downgrades the rankings of sites that take this misguided approach.
Use unique tags and meta descriptions
This is one of the most overlooked aspects of SEO, and it’s hard to understand why. If you want people to know what your site is before they even click on the link, you need a good description. Make it short and sweet, informative, and eye-catching. That way you’ll have covered all of the bases when you’re trying to stand out amongst the competition.
Eliminate 404 errors- Business Website
This might sound a little technical, but you don’t need to get too involved in the fine details. All we’re really saying is that you need to ensure your site is fully functional. If you’re linking off to pages and third parties whose content is no longer alive, it’s going to hurt your visibility. Schedule a monthly audit where you test drive your site so you can easily stay on top of things.
Use long-tail keywords naturally
People typically search phrases of 3-5 words, these are known as long-tail keywords. One of the mistakes people make is trying to force them into written content where they really don’t belong. Often, the long tail keyword will not be a grammatically correct component of a meaningful sentence. Instead of jamming it in regardless, change it slightly, or leave it out entirely. The last thing you want to do is sacrifice the quality of your content.
Be proactive with your promotional efforts
Many people will tell you that email campaigns are dead and buried now that social media is king, but we couldn’t disagree more. If you want to connect with people in the palm of their hand, there’s still no better way to do it than with an engaging email sequence that drips and retargets every couple of days. By being proactive when it comes to your promotional activities, you’ll be on the front foot in the world of lead generation.
Optimize your loading times- Business Website
No one likes to have to sit and wait for a site to load, so speed your site up. It really is as simple as that when you get down to it, and when you factor in that more than half of the people won’t wait more than 5 seconds for a site to load, you can see that a slow-loading site is a real issue.
Also Read: How To Find And Remove Duplicate Content From Your Website
Submit your sitemap to search engines
Sitemaps don’t just help new browsers and potential customers navigate your site, they also signpost search engines. Most people will tell you that if you submit your site to the search engines nothing much will happen, but if you don’t try, you’ll never know. Improving your visibility is all about getting every little thing just right, and it’ll rarely be down to a sudden change of keyword that transforms your business overnight.
Localize your keywords- Business Website
One of the most common SEO mistakes is to forget that your business is based on a specific geographical area. If you’re a plumber, it’s no use getting thousands of global hits when all you actually need are dozens in your hometown. Localization is all about making simple adjustments to your keywords so they reflect your location. It can be as simple as appending the name of your town or region to the keywords you’ve already been using. Just make sure you do it in a way that doesn’t sacrifice readability and content quality in the process.
Update your site with topical content
If you’re still posting about the must-have Christmas presents of 2015 then no one is going to read what you’ve written. But if you’re already predicting the trends to look out for in 2020, people are going to sit up and take notice. Keep your content fresh, engaging, and relevant, and you’ll find browsers naturally flock to it in their droves.
Provide links to your social network
Your business needs to be on Facebook and Twitter, it really is that simple. Add clearly visible links to your profile pages on your website, and then add a link on your social media profiles that redirect followers back to your website. It doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that when you’re getting everything up and running.
Backlink to your website as a guest writer
Backlinks may sound technical, but the idea is very simple. All you would do is offer to write a guest blog for a relevant third-party site, and then ask if you can include a link to one of your pages in the text. This is known as a ‘backlink,’ and it’s designed to improve the visibility of your website by showing search engines that people care about what you have to say.
Clearly display your contact details
Last but not least, make sure your content details are clearly visible. It’s not going to skyrocket you up the Google rankings, but it will ensure new prospects can easily get in touch when they are ready to talk business.
Also Read: How to Duplicate WordPress Pages or Posts? – A Beginner’s Guide
Business Website-Final Thoughts
Now that you’ve heard all about how to make your website more visible, it’s over to you to start putting our hints and tips into action. Start with one at a time rather than trying to do everything all at once. You’ll find it gives you a clear structure and direction as you start to take your business in an exciting new direction.
Bridgette Hernandez is a Master’s in Anthropology who is interested in writing and is planning to publish her own book in the near future. Now she is a content editor at SupremeDissertations. The texts she writes are always informative, based on qualitative research but nevertheless pleasant to read.
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