What is SEO?
Otherwise known as search engine optimization, SEO allows business owners to implement proper strategies with the goal of increasing website traffic, engagement and brand awareness. The idea of SEO is to work alongside search engines in creating content that is applicable to what the target audience is researching. For example, a doctor’s office looking to strengthen their relationship with patients by publishing blogs weekly about latest medical news would optimize their articles using popular keywords and other SEO tools to ensure they pop up on search engine results. They may include words such as, “Heart”, “Brain health”, “Muscles”, “Virus”, etc. These words are like an interpreter for software engines like Google to get a better understanding of the purpose and intended audience for the content. The more optimized content is, the more likely it will be pushed across the internet.
The implementation of SEO can be a long and complicated process. Although the concept may seem obvious, there are many steps involved in this lengthy strategy to elevate your businesses. In this blog, we cover why SEO may be of importance to you and some components of creating proper SEO strategies. PLUS, we share some of our favorite SEO applications that we use as a small business ourselves.
SEO Importance
To understand the importance of SEO, consider the fact that SEO drives 1,000% more traffic than organic social media. Less than 1% of Google users scroll to the bottom of the first page and continue on to the second. This means the only websites that get clicks are those at the top of Google’s search results.
Imagine this, a consumer is looking to hire a lawyer that specializes in employment law. They search, “What to do if I’ve experienced discrimination in my workplace?”. Tons of results pop up on their computer. A map of their local area with multiple attorney options they can look into. As they scroll further down, Google shows them several different websites that may be applicable to their search. Without the use of SEO, Google does not know what the lawyer provides and will not show them at the top. It would take extensive research by the consumer to find said lawyer.
Business owners looking to increase their website traffic and accessibility would implement SEO strategies from multiple ends including:
- On-page SEO: The most obvious part of SEO, on-page SEO focuses on what the actual content on the site offers. It gives business owners a chance to show google exactly what the consumer will experience. This is done through proper meta descriptions, consistent content and use of keywords.
- Off-page SEO: Building backlinks to show search engines the value of the site. This can include social media marketing, influencer marketing and other content found outside of the main website that demonstrates your credibility.
- Local SEO: Search engines use location to provide consumers with accurate results. Someone looking for a construction company to help with their home renovations in New York are much more likely to see local companies rather than ones in other states because Google understands what to prioritize based on location. Location-specific pages on your site can help paint an accurate image to Google on your location of operation.
- Technical SEO: Sites that do not seem to have a solid foundation, page speed, security, etc. are less likely to appear in search engine results because they are interpreted as lower credibility and lack of trust in its ability to properly perform. Business owners that put effort into maintaining their website’s functionality will ace the technical part of search engine optimization.
Recommendations
SEO audits: Applications that offer SEO audits allow website owners to run tests on their site’s SEO performance. Once the audit is completed, the application lists some of the issues it identified across the pages on the website. Typically, these applications give users a list of tasks to complete in order to optimize their website while fixing the identified issues.
We recommend- Site Guru
SEO keywords: Many SEO applications allow business owners to find strong keywords to include in their content. Many options also use Ai to generate better results for the user.
We recommend- SemRush
Search Queries: Applications that provide users with an inside look at exactly what their target audience is researching. This allows them to determine exactly what content they should produce based on the demand for it
We recommend- AnswerThePublic
Conclusions
Business owners that implement proper SEO strategies into their website are seeing an uptake in website traffic. Search engines are able to showcase websites it determines will be of value to the searcher. This process is one that every business owner should put time into to ensure overall efficiency.
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