With so many websites competing for attention, search engine rankings are more powerful than ever.
Marketing can be complicated. There are so many businesses competing for the attention of millions of people searching for information online. You need to find a way to stand out above your competition. Search engine optimisation, otherwise known as SEO, can really help. It basically means that you are using the search engines to your advantage.
Ignoring SEO can be a big mistake. Unsure where to begin? Here are some SEO tips you can use for your business.
It is important that you do your research to see what keywords people are using when they are searching online. Not only should you use single word keywords, you should use longer keywords because that is how people search. They usually search for phrases instead of just one basic keyword.
Too many writers try to stuff as many keywords as possible into each blog. Not only can this make it really hard to read, it will turn off your readers. They will go to another blog that is easier to read.
The search engines will see that people are not staying on your website so they will send them to other ones. They monitor how long people stay on your website because it is a sign about how good the information is.
Though you might not want to go the extra step to make sure that your website works well on multiple mobile devices, this can be a big mistake. If your website is not mobile friendly, the search engines will be less likely to send people there! Because of this, you should hire someone to develop your website in order to get as much traffic as possible.
While you may not want to use links in case your readers decide to leave your website and not come back, the truth is that blogs with links rank higher on the search engines.
When putting links in your blogs, make sure that you include both internal and external. With internal links, you should send readers to other blogs on your website that can give them more information. External links are links to other websites. Make sure that you don’t send anyone to the website of your competition.
Write Content on a Regular Basis
Content is only king if it supplements authority to your domain and ranks as the featured snippet.
Search engines like to send people to websites that are changing on a regular basis. Because every time that you blog means that your website is changing, it increases the chance of people finding it.
Though you might not think that search engine optimization is important, it really is. SEO could be the difference between being on the first page and the fifth. Since most people only search the first and second pages, if you are not there, you won’t be found.
Because of this, SEO needs to be a priority. Really think about your keywords, both short and long. However, don’t stuff them into every sentence or your blogs will be really hard to read. It can help to think really hard about your topics and giving thorough answers instead of worrying about the keywords.
You also need to make sure that you are using helpful links. Though many blogs don’t use links because they don’t want their readers to leave their site, search engines send people to blogs that have links more than ones that don’t.
Are you ready to out rank your competition? Connect with eSense today to see how we differ from most agencies and show you the true heavy lifting of SEO.
SEO mistakes that small businesses make (and how to fix them).
I have found that a lot of businesses who think they have gotten SEO in the bag make the same easy to fix mistakes.
Using the same Meta tags in Title, keyword and description on all of their pages.
If you have a site that offers different services it’s good for SEO to have a page for each one with DIFFERENT keywords descriptions etc.
For Example if you are an accountant and you do tax returns, bookkeeping, financial planning etc. You should have a general home page and then other pages that target the individual things. Search Engines think you are irrelevant if you have the keyword “bookkeeping” in a page that is all about financial planning.What many small businesses do is have meta keywords like “Accountancy, chartered account, bookkeeping, financial planning, tax returns” on every page.
Not putting ALT and Title-tag text with images.
“IMG -234″ etc is not a useful search term.
If you have images on your site use the ALT text field with relevant keywords for the description. This is good for search engines (SEO) and good for people. The Alt Text field is the text you see when the image can’t be displayed. People see them sometimes when they have a certain set up on their computer and it’s what programs that read sites for the vision impaired use to describe the picture to people who can’t see it.
Its also what google images use to find relevant images in that search, so relevant ALT text can improve your SEO on many levels.
Some websites use “images” as their menu buttons, it’s VERY important if you are doing that that you use the ALT text to name the internal link. Also, some templates use images for their graphic design, too many of those just look like a mess to the search engines and it’s probably better to re-do the whole site in a different way. ( This is what I have to do with my natural therapies site). Its easier to re-do it from the start and copy the text than to try and get in and fix it all.
Using too many Keywords.
You should only use between 3 and 10 keywords in the meta tags per page. Most small businesses try and think of anything their customers might be searching for and whack it in the meta tag. Search engines see this and think you are not focused enough. They are trying to find the most relevant page for the search query. The more you have the less relevant they figure you must be to any one search term.
Related to this is putting in nearby suburbs as keyword tags. Unless you mention the suburb throughout your page google think you are trying to “keyword stuff” , they don’t like that!
Again I made this mistake myself. I moved from Dee Why to Beacon Hill (5 minutes away) and figured people still might try and search for me where I was, and leaving “Dee Why” would make it easier for them – sound logical?… I thought so… Nope – one of my sillier SEO mistakes, my rankings went down because the search engines thought that “Dee Why’ was an irrelevant search term for a business in Beacon Hill.
This is where keyword research comes in. You can’t be all things to all searches, you need to pick a few targeted keywords that people are searching for and are relevant to the particular page.
How do I get my website on Google?
What do you mean by getting your website on Google? There is often lots of confusion about this. Google (and other search engines) take specific words or phrases people type in (called keywords) and try and find the most relevant web pages that match the search.
This means that there are an almost infinite number of searches and you will never ever be on the front page for each and every one. So… you have to pick your battles. It’s usually easy to rank for your business name, (unless you have a really generic one). So you should do that for sure. That way when people want to find you specifically they can. If you search for “eSense Web Design” for instance you’ll find that the whole front page is us. Yay team! This is great for referral based businesses like ours.
BUT – You want people who don’t KNOW they want you yet though – right? So you want to rank for broader, more general search terms.Usually when someone says they aren’t on Google. What they mean is they aren’t on Google for the words they want to be found for.
The trick is picking the right words. Ones that people are searching for and the competition isn’t too high for your effort / reward. You need to make sure you get a good ROI (return on investment)
Example: You wont find me for the term “SEO” (Search Engine Optimization). I haven’t tried to rank for it and I don’t intend to. It is a part of my business – sure and my team do a great job at it. BUT if you think about it… I’d be competing for the term SEO using SEO against full time massive SEO firms. It would be a hopeless case unless I spent huge amounts of time / money. The ROI isn’t worth it to me. For me I get SEO work from referrals and existing clients and that suits me fine.
But, I do rank for “how much does SEO cost?”On the front page… For a blog post I wrote a year ago… And did nothing with other than post it. (with basic on page optimization that I will teach you later) By the way phrases like that “how much does SEO cost” are called long tail keywords. They have less searches but are more specific and easier to rank for. If someone is searching how much something costs you have a pretty good idea they are almost ready to buy, or else they are new to the industry and trying to set their price.
This is usually your business name plus other more generic things.Tips on how to target:
- If you are a local business target your location. (eg Photography [CITY])
- If you specialize target your speciality (eg Baby Photography, or combine the two and target “Baby Photography [CITY]”)
- Research what people are searching for. Are they looking for baby photography? or Infant photography? Or Baby Portraits? or something else entirely.
This is called “keyword research” And you can do it yourself with 3rd party data aggragator sites i.e. aHrefs, SEMrush, Mangools, eSense, etc.
One of the big indicators Google uses to decide what is relevant to show to searches is how “current” a website is.
Think about it for a minute.There are 9 gazillion websites out there – lots of them have been abandoned for years and have very out of date information.
How does the big G know what information is still good? One way is how recent it is…
FACT : If your website is updated regularly it can help your rankings.
FACT: If you have lots of quality pages on your website it can help your rankings.
FACT: If your website is shared with others on social media it can help your rankings. (AND bring more referral customers)
FACT: If people come to your website and stay a while it can help your rankings.
FACT: If people come to your website and then come BACK repeatedly it can help your rankings.
FACT: One of the easiest, neatest, most effective way to do all of the above is with a blog.
Whether you call it a blog , news, musings, tips and tricks, spotlight, current events or anything else a blog serves many, many MANY purposes. Not only for SEO (search engine optimisation= ” getting on google”), but for client education, engagement, setting yourself up as the expert in your field etc.
This post is all about SEO though, so how do your write a blog post with good SEO in 5 easy steps?
Step 1. Write for your customers / clients and tell them things that they are interested in.
Don’t get so caughtup in SEO for SEO’s sake. Always write with your clients in mind. What are the questions you get asked all the time? How do they ask you? Use the words THEYuse in language they understand.Some good topic ideas or simply use People Also Ask Q’s provided by Google: How to… Top 10 Case studies Stories Client spotlight Behind the scenes Quick Tips
Step 2. Once you have written, go back and make sure you are actually using the words (or related keywords)consistently throughout the page.
This means beginning middle and end. In a natural way.Example: One of my earliest clients had a page he wanted to rank on google for “Groove Casino”. They had a bio on their studio website, with testimonials and a set list but it wasn’t coming up in Google Search. When I had a peek, I noticed that the name wasn’t anywhere on the page after the intro paragraph.He had switched to “we” or nothing at all. So, a few edits like saying “Grove Casino set list” in a heading, and“Groove casino compilation” in a link to the demo and “Book Groove Casino at”. instead of “book us at” has that page ranking number 1 on Google for their keyword ever since.
Step 3. Name your Images and use ALT text
When you put images on your blog name the actual file something useful and descriptive (not IMG-7864). And use the alternate text field. Most content management systems have a spot during the upload process that you can put in your “ALT Text”. Use it. This is not only to tell Google what the image is but also for vision impaired people so they can have the page “read” to them. Don’t just stuff in keywords though. Describe the image and if you can work in a keyword while you are doing it all the better.
Step 4. Use your meta title and meta description tags
This is easy if you are using WordPress, if not you may need to try a bit harder.The title will be the blue links that show up in Google search and the description the couple of lines of text underneath that people read to decide whether or not to click your listing.
If you use WordPress:Some WordPress themes have a built in SEO section. If not you can download Rank Math.The settings out of the box are usually fine (unless you know what you are doing it’s probably best to just leave them as it is). Once installed you will have a section below the part you write your post in. The two sections that are REALLY important are the title and description.
If you use Joomla: Here is a good post on how to do the mechanics for your Joomla site.
If you use html: You’ll need to look in the <head> section for title and description see here:
Step 5 – Make it easy to share
Install a social media plugin of some sort so people can share your content easily with their friends. Again, with WordPress its super easy. I like (and use) shareaholic which works on WordPress, Tumblr, Drupal and many other platforms. Here is their WordPress plugin. Which reminds me…
Bonus step 6: Don’t be afraid to link out If it’s relevant link out to other sites, Google is all about getting the best experience for their users, so link to relevant content on your or to authority sites, resources and examples like I have throughout this post. It’s good for your visitors and good for google!
QUICK TIP: set your links to open in a new tab though so people don’t lose their place if they are following along and clicking as they go. So, there you have it.How to get your website on Google by smart blogging.If you liked it share the love below and look out for part 3 >>>>Using social media to help rank on Google.
How to Redesign Your Site Without Killing Your SEO?
There are plenty of reasons to redesign your site if its performance is sub-par. Making it mobile-friendly, restructuring your site navigation, and switching to a different content management system can all vastly improve your site’s user experience.
There is, however, one major reason not to redesign your site: it could kill your SEO campaign if you’re not careful. Plenty of businesses have witnessed their organic traffic disappear into thin air thanks to a botched redesign.
The good news is that with a thoughtful strategy, you can both maintain and improve your site rankings following a site redesign. It all starts with knowing what factors will be affected the most.
Where you stand to lose
There’s a lot that can go wrong when you start messing with your site’s navigation, links, and content. This Search Engine Land article handily provides a nice, compact list of all the potential SEO problems that come with a site redesign:
Content can be removed. (It won’t rank if it is not there!) Content can be changed.
Content may move within the site’s hierarchy.
URLs may change.
Page-level optimization may change.
New content can be added.
New sections can be added to the site.
New technology or features may be used.
New technical issues can be introduced.
Internal link structure could change.
Domain name may change
.Sub-domain may change.
Protocol may change.
This list is comprehensive, but not shocking in any respect. A site redesign will very likely change your site’s content, URLs, and domain name.The important thing to note is that a change in any one of these factors can make a huge difference in your SEO. If you ignore any of these elements, then you’re gambling with your site rankings.
Where you stand to gain
As long as you pay special attention to your content, links, site navigation, domain name, and load speed, you’ll be able to maintain your current site rankings. Some businesses, however, want to redesign their sites specifically for SEO reasons. In that case, here are some areas to focus on to improve your site rankings:
Make your site mobile-friendly
If your old website wasn’t mobile-friendly, then you stand to gain a lot just by making sure your new site works on smartphones and tablets. Google’s mobile-friendly test is a free, popular tool to check if your site meets the minimum requirements. Mobile-friendliness is an important factor in Google’s search algorithm, so hitting this benchmark can give your site a sizable SEO boost.
Have a place to post new content
Both search engines and users want to see that your site is active. Besides satisfying that criteria, posting new content to your site helps establish thought-leadership and brand credibility.When redesigning your site, make this a point of focus. Even if it’s just a blog, you need a dedicated page for sharing fresh content with your website visitors. Also be sure to add social buttons to make each post shareable.
Good programming abilities = SEO expertise
This last point addresses a common misconception. Good programming abilities can in no way make up for lack of SEO expertise.A programmer has the tools to edit your source code, optimize your site’s load speed, and create an intuitive site navigation. But without knowing what the SEO standards are, they won’t be able to optimise your entire site.
That’s why it’s important to work with someone who has experience in SEO, especially when it comes to redesigning your site. If you just bring in a full-stack developer who doesn’t care about things like organic traffic, then that will be reflected in your marketing metrics.
SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, is the process of telling search engines, and visitors, what your website is about and why it is important within your space. Dental practice, law office, retail; it doesn’t matter what niche you are in, because the fundamentals of SEO will be the same. If you’re interested in improving the performance of your website within search engines like Google and Bing.
In the beginning, the internet was a place for businesses with very basic websites acting as digital brochures for their business. Things were simple. You created a page or two, added some text that described your products and services, and provided potential customers with contact information. Many people did not have a website, and social media wasn’t even a concept.
Now, businesses of all types are using their website to do many important tasks related to running the business. Scheduling appointments, downloading important documents, even face to face video conferencing; it can all be done with your web presence. The important thing to know now is this: If search engines can’t figure out why they should send people to your website, they won’t.
Having a wealth of relevant content that tells customers and search engines what you do is the first step in optimizing your website for good search ranking. Your content needs to contain lots of keywords relevant to what your offering customers, and it needs to be elegant and readable. Engines will not give your website the attention you need if you try to trick them by loading a bunch of keywords into your pages without having a logical reason that makes sense to human readers.
Developing a good content creation strategy is the first step toward success in the search engines.
When you create your websites content you need to consider how you are working to separate yourself from competitors. You need to organize content in logical and creative ways while creating solid navigation systems that help visitors and search engines understand how to find what is most important. The way that you create links between your web pages from within your navigational structure and content is an important art and science that needs to be well planned.
Offering valuable content that sets you apart from your competition should be an ongoing process. You should always consider how your visitors perceive their time on your site, and you should think about the things that you can provide to them to make their lives easier. For example, if you can offer an important educational tool digitally, you may be able to get a leg up on your competitors from a customer service perspective, and the search engines will know that you are unique in this regard.
Seeing things from the visitors perspective will allow your site to organically improve with time.
Always Stay Up To Date
The process of search engine optimization takes time and a steady hand. There are various ways to gather data about how people are coming to your site and what they are doing once they get there; you’ll need to review this data at regular intervals so that you can improve your site where necessary. Thinking that SEO is a “one and done” process is the biggest mistake that website owners make.
Your presence within social media platforms, business review sites, and the depth of your content are things that Google is putting more importance on as the web evolves. SEO always comes back to the value you are offering customers online, and how you are doing it better than another website. Taking the time to manage and improve your role within the many digital platforms is important.
Just Scratching The Surface
We’ve tried to inspire your mind and get you excited about improving your SEO strategy. As you know, there is always something new to consider when learning, and search engine optimization is a process that has principles which stay the same, but technical aspects that are constantly evolving and changing.
Hopefully, you’ll take the next step toward building a successful SEO campaign, and your site will get the attention it deserves.
