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SEO – or search engine optimization – in the most basic terms is about helping customers find you online. If you know what you are doing with SEO, you should see your site rise higher up the listings on a Google search, with an increasing number of visitors to your website as a result. Many small businesses think they need to hire an expert to help them with this, and it’s certainly true that some of the more technical aspects of SEO are best left to the professionals. However, if you’re a small business owner, then there are lots you can do first.
Links
One of the most important factors in search engine ranking is links from other sites. Not just any links though; Google and other search engines will look at the quality of sites that are linking back to yours. Links from a much-used business directory such as 118businessdirectory.co.uk will carry more weight than, for example, a link from a personal blog on an unrelated topic. You could also consider writing testimonials for customers or suppliers which they can feature on their website, in return for them doing the same for you. Another good option is to create a stand-out piece of newsworthy content about your company or industry, which is then shared by other sites, along with a link back to your company.
Content Creation
Google and other search engines like a site that is fresh and active, and which is regularly updated with new content. Add a new blog post at least weekly to let customers know what’s going on with your company, or about any new offers and promotions which you may have running. Mix up the content you add between short articles, longer pieces going into depth on a topic, or even video. Don’t be afraid to remove or delete old content which is no longer relevant to your company or products. If you haven’t got time to write your own content for websites then get someone else to do it for you. Just make sure that the writer is clear about what your business offers, and has a good standard of written English.
User Experience
Once you have got visitors to find your website, you want to provide them with an experience that makes them stay. If your website is clunky and slow to load, uses overwhelming color, multiple banner ads, crashes regularly, or has dead links which take users nowhere, they aren’t going to stick around to explore which will also push your site down the rankings. Ease of use is the most important factor here and it’s easy to be blind to the faults in a website that you have lovingly created. Ask a friend or colleague to take a look and point out anyways you could make things easier for your potential customers. Take a look at your website on different devices, especially if you’re building it on a desktop or laptop. How does it appear on a tablet or smartphone?
Read this: What Is SEO / Search Engine Optimization?
