Anyone tapping into the online business has seen these three letters: SEO. Shorthand for “search engine optimization”, there’s a reason that the business world has been consistently buzzing about SEO. While it’s a complicated process that usually requires the practiced hand of a professional to be done effectively, every business owner should at least be aware of the basics of search engine optimization and how it is essential to the survival of their business’s online presence.
Everyone on the internet uses search engines… and they’re less straight-forward than they look.
How do your clients find you on the web? Generally, through a search engine such as Google. In the U.S., we collectively conduct around 12 billion web searches per month. If a client needs a tree removal service, they may search for “tree removal service near me”. Your business may be a tree removal company near the client. All that relevant info is obvious on your webpage. And yet, you may not appear on the first page of Google results, where the client is vastly more likely to choose a page to visit. How do you make Google notice you in page rankings? How did those businesses on the first page get Google to notice them as the ‘most relevant’ search results? The answer is SEO.
Keywords are the key.
We cannot stress enough the importance of keywords in SEO. Keywords are the words and phrases you want associated with your business that consumers will type into search engines. SEO uses thorough keyword research to determine what keywords are the best options to associate with your business. Linking keywords with certain pages on your website brings in the potential for more web traffic. Using that tree removal service example once again, keywords may include “tree removal”, “tree removal north carolina”, “natural disaster cleanup”, etc. Keywords are tailored to the specialties of the business and the interests of their potential customers.
Search engines look for high quality content on your website.
When using keywords, simply spamming your online presence with them until the search engine notices won’t work. Google and other search engines prioritize high-quality written content — think articles, blogs, and news stories — over something that seems like it would be uninteresting or unreadable for real web users. Keeping a fresh supply of optimized, high-quality content running through your business’s web space can be time-consuming, but it prioritizes your webpage in search algorithms.
As the Google algorithm updates, your SEO strategy must update too.
Search engine optimization is not something that is done once and never needs to be revisited. It’s a near-constant exercise in link building and keeping up with Google algorithm updates. The Google algorithm can basically be summed up as the underlying code that determines how searching on Google functions. Google changes its search algorithm around 500-600 times a year, ranging from minor changes to large ones that can impact your website’s traffic. Keeping abreast of Google algorithm updates can improve keyword rankings from your website and keep you on top of the search pile.
SEO can feel overwhelming without the right training and support.
As previously mentioned, search engine optimization is a complicated and ever-evolving process. To bring your business to the top of the search pile using SEO can feel like a constant uphill battle if you attempt it on your own, and it takes up huge chunks of your valuable time and energy. We at MRN Web Designs encourage you to reach out to us for the support you and your business need to stay afloat in the internet landscape. You have a business to grow — let us convince the search engines you’re worth it.
