SEO 101 - What you REALLY need to know
Are you befuddled by SEO?
Bewildered by web traffic and conversion rate optimization?
You're not alone - small business owners have a lot on their plate, and SEO can seem like a foreign language.
But never fear! In this SEO 101 guide, we'll demystify the jargon and give you practical tips on how to improve your SEO score.
What is SEO?
SEO is short form for “Search engine optimization”. SEO is a long-term marketing strategy employed in order to improve a website's visibility and organic search results in google and other global search engines.
SEO isn’t easy, but with the right foundation, your website will be well on its way to earning more traffic and climbing the search engine ranks.
Why SEO matters for small business owners
As a small business owner, you know that every little bit counts when it comes to attracting new customers and growing your business. SEO can be a powerful tool to help you reach new audiences and boost your bottom line.
SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” It is the process of optimizing your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), making it more visible to potential customers.
There are many benefits of SEO for small businesses:
SEO can help you reach new customers.
If your website is optimized for the right keywords, it will appear higher in search engine results pages. This means that when people search for those keywords, your website is more likely to appear at the top of the list. And since people are more likely to click on websites that appear higher up in the results, this can help you reach new customers and boost your bottom line.
SEO can help you to stand out from your competitors.
If your competitors are not doing SEO, then you have a chance to stand out by being more visible in search results. This can give you a competitive edge and help you to attract new customers.
SEO can help you to build trust and credibility.
When people see that your website is appearing high up in search results, they will be more likely to trust your brand. SEO can help you to build trust and credibility with potential customers, which can lead to more sales and grow your business.
How To Get Started With SEO
There are a few SEO tips that small business owners can use to get started with SEO and improve their website ranking.
1. Do keyword research
Keyword research is the process of finding out which keywords your potential customers are searching for. Once you know what keywords to target, you can start optimizing your website for those keywords.
There are a few different ways to do keyword research. One is to use a keyword research tool like Google AdWords Keyword Planner or Moz Keyword Explorer. These tools will give you ideas for keywords to target.
Another way to do keyword research is to simply think about the words that people might use to search for your business or product. For example, if you sell flowers, people might search for “flowers” or “buy flowers online.” Make a list of these keywords and start optimizing your website for them.
2. Optimize your website content
Once you know which keywords to target, you can start optimizing your website content for those keywords. This means including the keywords in your website copy, such as in your product descriptions, blog posts, and pages.
You should also make sure that your website is fast and mobile-friendly. Google has said that speed and mobile-friendliness are now ranking factors, so it’s important to make sure your website is optimized for these.
3. Build links to your website
One of the most important ranking factors for SEO is link popularity, which is the number of links pointing to your website from other websites. The more links you have, the higher your website will rank in search results.
There are a few ways to build links to your website. One is to reach out to other websites and ask them to link to your site. Another is to create high-quality content that other websites will want to link to.
4. Monitor your SEO progress
Once you’ve implemented SEO changes on your website, it’s important to monitor your progress to see if your SEO efforts are paying off.
There are a few ways to do this. One is to use Google Analytics to track your website traffic. Another is to use a tool like Moz or SEOmoz to track your website’s SEO metrics, such as your keyword ranking and link popularity.
Common Mistakes Business Owners Make With Their SEO Strategy
One common mistake is not doing keyword research. Keyword research is essential for SEO success, as it allows you to target the right keywords and optimize your website for them.
Another common mistake is not optimizing your website content for the keywords you’ve targeted. This means including the keywords in your website copy, such as in your product descriptions, blog posts, and pages.
A third common mistake is not building links to your website. Link popularity is a key ranking factor for SEO, so it’s important to build links to your website from other websites. There are a few ways to do this, such as reaching out to other websites and asking them to link to your site, or creating high-quality content that other websites will want to link to.
Finally, it’s important to monitor your SEO progress and make sure your SEO efforts are paying off. You can do this by tracking your website traffic with Google Analytics.
Conclusion
SEO is a complex and ever-changing field, but it’s important to keep up with it if you want your website to rank well in search results. By doing keyword research, optimizing your website content, and building links to your website, you can improve your SEO score and attract more visitors to your site.
