Author: Amber Bockman, Head of Digital Strategy
As a business owner, you likely spend a lot of time promoting your company, but there may be one critical area you are overlooking: your website. Unless you’ve optimized your web copy for search engines, a process often referred to as SEO, you could be missing opportunities to attract new business.
Here are some tips and strategies that SEO experts use to build website authority and ensure visibility across the major search engines your customers are using.
When developing a website content strategy, your first goal should be to meet the needs of your customers with fact-filled and relevant information. However, in order for customers to find your content, you must first get it in front of search engines, such as Google.
Search engines collect information by crawling websites, indexing pages and ranking them according to their effectiveness in meeting the search query. They do this, in part, by using keywords.
Keywords are search terms that your customers use to discover information about your company, products or services. Search engines use these keywords to determine not only what the user is looking to find, but also what they intend to do once they find the content.
For example, if a user searches for patio furniture, most search engines assume the user’s intent is to buy furniture items suitable for outdoor use. Results will then be focused on sites that offer patio furniture for sale.
On the other hand, if a user requests information on “trending patio furniture,” the search engine will assume an informational intent, and provide results on some of the most popular outdoor furniture designs.
Ensuring your content is found by search engines is then highly dependent on finding the right keywords and using them in your content.
Despite the importance of keywords, search terms are not the only signal search engines use when deciding where to rank your content on the page. Where your website ranks in search results is vital to engaging with customers, because the top 5 results account for over 65% of all clicks.
To snag one of these top placements, be certain to create useful content and pay attention to the tips below:
Beyond keywords, remember that the intent of your website is to provide information quickly and easily, so always include a contact number, email address or form for customers to reach you. Brick and mortar businesses may also want to include an address and hours of operation.
Most importantly, understand your customers’ preferences and how they move through the sales funnel. Then build a website with content that nurtures that journey, using the tips above to ensure that search engines love your website as much as you do.
The articles in this blog are for informational purposes only and not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations. When making decisions about your financial situation, consult a financial professional for advice. Articles are not regularly updated, and information may become outdated.