The term Search Engine Optimization (SEO) isn’t a new term in the world of online marketing and it is as important today as it was 10 years ago. Much has changed over the last decade but the goal of SEO remains the same; help potential customers easily find the website they are looking for as well as help them find the right website.
There is no ‘magic’ formula when it comes to SEO and there are numerous contributing factors that must be considered when you are designing or updating a website. For now, we will go through the 7 Basic Keys to SEO.
7 Basic Keys to SEO
User Experience – Long gone are the days where you could create a basic website, throw in some content laced with keywords about your product or services and hope to be found online. Your website needs to be engaging, attractive and keep your potential customers interested. The longer a person stays on your site and the more pages they view, the better your site will do in search results.
Design – The technology we use to view the Internet has advanced and so have the expectations of your potential customers. Search Engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo and others are designed to understand human behavior when they ‘crawl’ websites and take user interaction into consideration. If your website doesn’t work properly on a Smartphone or Tablet, then it will negatively affect your rankings.
Social Presence – Social media has been the buzz word of the last decade and this can be applied to your business in a number of ways. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are excellent ways to interact with your potential and existing customers. There are other great ways in which your website can improve your social presence such as using Yelp, Google Places or other review sites.
Content – One thing that can’t be stressed enough is having great content on your website. This includes writing articles, using images or showing videos you’ve created. The easiest way to create great content is by writing about your products or services. After all, who knows about your business better than you? Even if you aren’t going to win a Nobel Prize for Literature, you should be able to write passionately about what you are trying to sell.
Keywords – Within your content are keywords that the Search Engines use to help determine what your website is about. Keywords remain one of the most important factors when a website is found online. It’s worth noting that you shouldn’t attempt to manipulate the keywords you use and should write naturally about your business and allow the keywords to fall into place.
Updates –The more frequently your website is updated, the more likely those pages will be indexed by the major Search Engines. That’s why it is extremely important to continually update your site by utilizing a blog. You can write about a charity you’re involved with, a sale you are promoting or write about your most recent employee of the month.
Location – One huge factor when it comes to being found online is your location and the location of your potential customers. Think of it this way; if you search for a Flower Shop, you don’t want to see Florists from a city that’s 500 miles away; you want to see the one that’s closest to where you live. Optimizing your website to reflect your location will drastically help with your search rankings.
Whether you are building a website for a small business or for a huge corporation, SEO is essential when it comes to your marketing campaign and acquiring potential customers. If you are interested in learning more about SEO contact NetGain today!