SEO these days is very much about content marketing – a blog allows you to not only be seen as a thought leader in your field, but also creates a platform for continuous quality-content creation and promotion.
For those not in the industry, SEO – Search Engine Optimisation – can be a complicated, necessary evil. But, it doesn’t have to be mythical or difficult to understand the basics.
In this three-part series I’ve compiled 30 tips for small businesses to follow, here are the first ten:
- Build a fast, mobile-friendly website
Dubbed “mobilegeddon”, in April 2015, Google released an update to its algorithm to include a ranking signal favouring mobile-friendly sites. The speed that your site loads is also an important factor.
- Set up a Google-My-Business account
It’s free, and exists to display businesses in local search results for queries specific to their products/services, in a given geographical area.
- Make a point of understanding your online audience
Understanding your audience allows you to tailor your site and content to their preferences. Define your typical online customer and understand them in detail:
- What do they search for?
- What kind of content do they like to see?
- Do they spend a lot of time on social media…?
- …And on which platform?
- Do you have a good quality presence there?
- Do they like to read articles and educational pieces?
- Do you have a blog that is updated on a regular basis?
- Perform extensive keyword research to unearth opportunities
Trying to mimic or going head-to-head with your bigger competitors won’t get you very far. Their budgets and scale give them the upper hand. Instead, spotting and exploiting gaps where they aren’t targeting keywords will deliver you quick wins.
- Use Google Search Console
It’s free and provides an immense amount of valuable information about your website’s performance in Google search results, along with highlighting errors on your site, and problems that need to be addressed.
- How are results displayed in your industry?
Do you understand your competition, and how they rank against you? You need to. If you target keywords that return results with images or videos included, you should create that sort of content, rather than text-based content only. Don’t forget that Google will show local business results wherever possible, so ensure your site has prominence in those results.
- Use readily available tools to check for onsite issues
Onsite issues will seriously hamper your ability to perform well in Google. There’s a wealth of tools available that will give you a report highlighting areas that need attention.
- Create a blog
SEO these days is very much about content marketing. A blog allows you to not only be seen as a thought leader in your field, but also creates a platform for continuous quality-content creation and promotion.
- Agencies that promise the earth are trouble
There is no way of genuinely promising position #1 for any keyword. We can make educated guesses, or assume a level of risk, but we cannot genuinely promise top ranks because we don’t control Google. Agencies promising #1 ranks as part of their sales pitch should be treated with care, as it’s very likely they’re using tactics that could land you and your website in hot water.
- Be sensible, and patient
It’s tempting to hire someone cheap. If a candidate seems too good to be true unfortunately, they probably are – you’ll probably not only waste money, but also incur a penalty from Google and/or damage to your social-media profile. If you don’t have a decent budget for online marketing, take baby steps. Find an SEO agency that is honest, and agrees to start small and grow the campaign with you.
Stay tuned for part two of this series next month.
Nathan Sinnott, Chief Executive Officer, Newpath WEB
