Tips for Small Business SEO
A website can be a great asset for any small business, but only if it can be found. Just last week I had a conversation with an old school friend about SEO and his misconception as to what it is; it came out that he thought once you build a website Google will rank it and your site will magically appear in the search results. Anyone who has launched a website will obviously know this is not the case and the website will require Search Engine Optimisation or SEO.
There are many aspects to getting a website site ranked, and the first step should be to hire a professional SEO company for advice, and to co-ordinate an ethical campaign designed to raise the profile of the website.
As a website owner though, what should you also focus your energies on to help your site rank? I have compiled my 5 top tips below, that are easy to implement, but often overlooked by many website owners…
1/ Good content
Content is king in Google’s eyes, and by content I mean written content. A flashy website and nice pictures all make a website look great, but Google algorithms don’t use human eyes – so you need to ensure it to can see what the website is about.
2/ Social Media
No matter what niche you are targeting, you need to utilise social media. Setup and link from your website to Facebook, Twitter and Google + as a minimum, and post daily content to them. These are free to setup and they help to raise the profile of your website and give it greater reach.
3/ Dynamic content
Once a site is designed and launched, your job doesn’t end. A static site that is never updated can hurt a future site’s chances of keeping high ranks; why should Google care about you website when you don’t? Have a news section or, if applicable, a blog that is updated once a week. Ensure all content is up to date.
4/ Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics
Ensure both of these are setup on your website. They are a free service from Google, and give you valuable information to monitor your site’s performance and whether it has any problems that could be improved.
5/ Google Local Listing
Another free service that is especially useful for small business, as most work or service a specific area. This is also a great way to help Google work out what region your service is in, better targeting your website to reach potential customers.
All of the above are essential processes that most new website owners do not consider, but are a paramount first step to having your website recognised in Google search results. Small business SEO is often a daunting task for any new website owner, but the above tips are a great start to help you achieve your goals and make you website a success.
At SEOcycle, we work closely with our clients so not only do they achieve the results they want, but also provide ongoing advice to help them understand what it takes to become a successful website owner.