If you’re looking for some solid seo tips to help grow your business, then you’re in the right place. Learning the basic best practices of Search Engine Optimization can help you expand your online presence and help you increase your overall customer base. So, let’s jump right in and start learning some of the internet’s best kept secrets so that you can hit the ground running.
Subscribe to Relevant Business Directories
You have probably heard about business directories and many of you have probably created an account on one or two, but aren’t understanding why you aren’t seeing an increase in traffic or an increase in your website leads.
That being said, have you ever asked yourself if you are subscribing to the right business directories? Many business owners try a one size fits all approach when it comes to getting listed on web directories and I can tell you from experience in most cases that is the wrong approach.
For example, if you’re in the business of building houses, then try to find websites and directories that cater to your specific niche.
Update Your Website Often
This is another SEO tip that most business owners undervalue, but I can assure you that updating your website regularly is important. Search engines like Google take notice when websites are creating and updating their content and it’s very important to try and stay ahead of the curve.
If you struggle with creating blog posts or updating your service pages, or just don’t know what kind of content to create for your business, then why not take a step back and look at your website as if you were a customer?
Think about what kinds of questions you would have for your business and talk about them in an informative blog post!
You could even go through each one of your service pages and add a frequently asked questions section and add additional information about each specific service.
Don’t Forget About Your Meta Descriptions
This seo tip is definitely a no brainer, but one that is often overlooked. You should always remember to write unique meta descriptions for each and every page or post on your website.
It is also considered best practice to include the focus keyword of that specific page in your meta description so your users can better understand what the page is about before they click on the link.
Get Listed On Google My Business
Remember those relevant business directories we just discussed? Google My Business is definitely a directory most local businesses will want to get listed on. Not only will it help your physical location to be displayed on Google Maps, but it is literally a free lead generation tool.
If you’re a business owner and you’re not utilizing this free service, then please, do yourself a favor and create a profile.
Google My Business will let your customers give you reviews and if you’re doing good work, other people will take notice when searching for businesses like yours in your service area.
Make Sure Your Website Is Fast
This is probably another no brainer SEO tip, but a good one nonetheless. Research suggests that improving page speed can help you decrease your bounce rate and improve overall website conversions, but you’re probably asking yourself how do I do that?
Well, if you have a WordPress website, then I suggest you check out our article on page speed optimization to learn more.
But, if you don’t feel like reading that article right now, then here’s some quick and dirty advice to get you started.
- Utilize Browser Caching
- Optimize Your Images
- Don’t overuse Javascript
- Compress your CSS
- Eliminate Render Blocking JS
- Use a CDN if your website has tons of content.
Make Sure Your Website Is User Friendly
If you are going to take anything away from this article, then please make sure you pay close attention to the next few sentences, because this is probably one of the most important SEO tips in this entire post.
Google has stated several times in the past that making sure your website is mobile responsive and user friendly is definitely something that can help you improve your overall search performance so here are a few things to consider when trying to determine if your website is user friendly or not.
- Does your website load properly on all mobile devices?
- Does each page load quickly?
- Is your website easy to navigate?
Get An SSL Certificate
Think SSL certificates are only for website owners that have an e-commerce store? Think again! Google has also came out and said that putting an SSL certificate on your website is one of the easiest things you can do to boost your search engine rankings.
If you don’t know what an SSL certificate is, then I suggest reading about it by clicking here.
Update Your Images ALT Text
Did you know updating your images alternative text will help your images rank on Google images? It’s true and that’s because alternative text helps search engines understand what your image is actually about.
However, remember to be mindful of Google’s best practices when writing your alt image text by honestly describing your images. That means you
Check Your Page Titles
This next search engine optimization tip will definitely give you a laugh, but I am being very serious when I say this….Check your page titles! If you create a new web page and you have a title like laundry service near me, then you’re doing it wrong.
A page title such as laundry service in Sacramento, California would be more appropriate. If you are trying to gain local in bound traffic, then make sure to include the city and state you serve in the page title if you think it’s appropriate.
Another good rule of thumb regarding your page titles is to also try and be as descriptive as possible. However, please also remember to try and keep your page titles under 60 characters. You can learn why character limit on your page titles is important by checking out this article from MOZ.
Don’t Forget About Header Tags
So, this is my final SEO tip for this article and I saved the most basic for last. When it comes to helping search engines understand what a specific page is about it’s also important for you to optimize your header tags.
Your <h1> tag is considered the most important header tag on any page or post and should always contain your focus keyword.
Furthermore, your <h2> through <h6> tags should include different variations of that same keyword when possible and wherever appropriate.
Bonus SEO Tip: Create Better Permalinks
Before we finish up this article I also think it is a good idea to talk to you about writing better permalinks. When you’re about to publish a page or post remember to always double check and see if your permalinks contain your focus keyword and avoid using permalinks such as /123445 etc.
I hope this article will help many of you business owners in the future and I also hope you will come back and check out our blog frequently for more awesome advice on search engine optimization.
Until next time, farewell and remember to contact us if you need any help regarding web design or development!
