What You Need to Know About SEO

Most small businesses know that getting on the first page of Google’s search results is important. But did you know that the number-one ranking on the page gets more than a third of the traffic, and that the bulk of the rest goes to the other entries on that page? Getting on the first page is vital and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the tool that gets it done.

But it’s a complicated and ever-shifting discipline, and one that we study carefully here at Top Marketing Agency. Technology changes. Rules change. Customer habits change. To help stay on top of the current climate, here are some lessons worth learning:

Location-Specific SEO is Important

By some measures, four out of five people who search are interested in something local, and GPS-enabled smartphones facilitate their choices. These are folks in your area looking for your location or address, your hours or whether you have a certain product. Moreover, these people are far more likely to buy something after they search.

Do your best to make sure they can find you. Optimize around location-specific keywords; make sure that your name comes up when they search both for your company and your competitors; and be sure that your hours and contact information are correct on all of your sites. If you are a bricks-and-mortar business, include a photo.

Keywords Are About People

A good keyword strategy flows from intimate knowledge of your customers. For example, if you sell tennis shoes, you’ll likely optimize around brands like Nike and Adidas. But you’ll also want to know how your customers refer to their shoes. If you have a young customer base that refers to their shows as “kicks,” “scoots” or “trainers,” those may be keywords, too. But you’ll only know that by communicating with your customers constantly, in person and via tools like surveys and social media.

Focus on Mobile Optimization

As the world turns to mobile devices, Google has shifted its emphasis to the mobile world too (read their Mobile Playbook here). The takeaway is that your mobile sites should be optimized for search like anything else. Moreover, customers must have a high-quality user experience, no matter what device they are using, In fact, you should design for mobile first. Your websites should be responsive, and render well on smartphones and tablets, as well as desktops. If you have iPhone and Android applications, consider native apps that make full use of the functionality available.

Include SEO Throughout Your Marketing Plan

If you are spending time, money and effort to employ a keyword strategy and optimize your sites for search, make sure that the folks who run your social media and write your press releases are aware of and a mirroring that strategy. It leverages your online efforts.

Quality is Job One

Google practices are ever-evolving and they will continue to morph. Yet while rules and practices will change, on thing will not: the emphasis on quality content. Keywords and other strategies are important, but the best way to optimize for search is to provide content that customers want to read—and that answers their questions—in a format that is easy to use. If you can do that, customers will find you, they’ll buy and they’ll return.

Want to learn more about Search Engine Optimization? Call Top Marketing Agency at (888) 843-9840 and find out how we can help.