Five things you need to know about SEO.
Having an online presence is essential to business success in this internet-driven world. But it’s not enough to just be online – as we’ve touched on in previous posts (read this one if you’re a small business owner), to truly harness the power of digital marketing for your business. It’s important to be able to rank high in online searches (so that your business is easy to find). And one way to do this is through Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
When you use SEO tactics, your website is more likely to rank (appear higher up) on the search engine’s search results list e.g. the list that comes up when you search for a topic on Google. The higher you are on the rankings, the more traffic your website will get. Relevant, quality traffic can lead to greater exposure and more sales.
There’s so much to learn about aspects of digital marketing like SEO (that’s why we recommend working with an expert marketing management team like us!). Let’s look at some essential pointers around the importance of SEO for your business.
Things you need to know about SEO
1. On-site and off-site optimisation
Getting your website noticed by Google can take some doing but with the right skills, it can be done. On-site optimisation helps Google (and other research engines) rank your website. This is about the actual content on the pages of your website – it is this content that gives Google an idea of the subject matter and focus of your website and that’s why it’s important to incorporate the most relevant keywords, phrases, and tags in your website content. Off-site optimisation also works on ranking but via external means such as links between your website and other bigger, more popular websites or blogs. In Google’s eyes, a website’s perceived importance is determined by how many other sites are linking to it.
2. Quality content is king
Generating content has become the main practice when it comes to increasing a website’s SEO. What’s better than content? Great content – that means content that’s relevant, high-quality, valuable, and focused. This is the kind of content that gets noticed and pushed up the ranks.
3. Speed is of the essence
No one likes to wait around for a website to load so one that loads quickly and works properly is likely to move up SEO rankings faster than other slower, older websites (one of the reasons an up-to-date website is a must). A faster website response time (the time it takes the first bit of information from your website to load) can lead to a better user experience, which can lead to increased sharing and lower bounce rates. The point? To do its job, your website needs to function like a well-oiled machine.
4. You want to be white-hat, not black-hat
White-hat SEO refers to legal methods of increasing your SEO ranking – methods such as back linking (links coming into a web page from other sites) and keyword analysis (analysing the keywords or search phrases that bring visitors to your website through organic and paid search and using those to optimise content and drive more traffic). Black-hat SEO is the (illegal) opposite of white-hat SEO, such as keyword stuffing and invisible text. This kind of method could result in a website being banned from search engine results.
5. SEO strategies are an investment
As with other digital marketing techniques, you might find yourself asking whether investing in a SEO strategy is really worth it or whether it is just another expense? Research shows that’s it’s more of an investment than a cost. Getting SEO right for your business by delivering quality content to your target market will raise your business’ profile and brand awareness in an arena that matters significantly in today’s digital world, especially when it’s combined with other digital marketing techniques. It’s also cost-effective and trackable via reporting tools (and reporting is another must).
Getting your website to a high ranking position on a search list is not simple, requiring much time and energy. However, if you apply the right online marketing techniques, you could see massive results. What to make sure your business is taking full advantage of SEO and other digital tools? Call us! From our keyword audit service to our ignition™ retainer which deals with all things digital, we can help you put your website (and your business!) on the digital map.