Ignore SEO at your own peril
The success or failure of a small business has many factors. Many factors can contribute to success, and many can contribute to failure.
SEO is one of the contributing factors to your success, or to your business failure.
Perhaps you have had previous business ideas that have not worked or you have a current idea that is struggling.
The Internet
The world is more often than not turning to the Internet to find answers to their questions. The question for small business is “Will your business be in the results as the answer to those questions’.
Does your website answer those questions?
Is your website more about you than the problems you solve?
How do people find your website?
Why will they choose your website over someone else?
Ranking
SEO is not just about ranking for a few key terms. This is mainly because not everyone types the same question into Google when they are looking for your type of business.
Click-through rate
In Google engineer Paul Haahr’s recent talk he confirmed that click-through rate (CTR) is used as a ranking signal. So, let’s assume you appear in the Google results – do you get clicks!
What is your CTR?
You may rank highly but what if no one clicks on your link in the Google search results. You will begin to drop down the list. Why would Google keep you at the top if no one is choosing to click on you?
Things to remember with SEO
- Consistency is key
- YOU MUST HAVE A MOBILE RESPONSIVE WEBSITE
- User experience is vital
- Forget any old-fashioned ideas about SEO
- Google is there to answer questions from its users
- Content marketing is vital
- Understanding your audience is vital
- Content has to be useful
- Everything on your website should be relevant to your ideal clients
- Your content must have a variety
- You need a content strategy along with your SEO strategy
- Have a niche and know it well
- Remember you are a problem solver
- Search engines are always fine-tuning their algorithms and the algorithms run consistently
- Google’s best practice techniques are essential
- The only backlinks you want are natural ones
- Promotion must be used in conjunction with SEO
How can you improve your SEO
- Review your website content regularly
- Ensure you update your website technology every 2 years
- Make sure it is always answering your ideal clients
- Don’t make it all about you
- The smallest amount of good SEO knowledge implemented well will make a difference
- Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, you need far more than a free website
- Have a consistent plan and execute it
- Educate yourself our outsource
After reading this blog, review your current website and see how well you are going.
If you need some help please be in touch and if you enjoyed this blog make sure you subscribe.