Most businesses go through a phase where they suffer declining profits. But you don’t need to set up a $1 billion investment fund for your marketing department to get your sales back up. All you need to do is invest in a strong SEO plan for your website.
“SEO” stands for “search engine optimization.” You can use SEO to make your website more visible to web users by incorporating relevant keywords on your site. The basics are relatively simple, but if you want to gain true success and profitability from SEO, it takes long-term planning and a very carefully laid out SEO strategy. Let’s review some of the SEO basics and how you can use them in your business.
What is SEO?
The best way for your website to get exposure to web users is for it to be featured among the top results on a search query. So if your business sells decorative bookends, you’d want your site to pop up on the first Google search page when a user searches for “decorative bookends.” The higher your website is featured on the search results, the more likely it is that web users will click on the link and visit your site. And the more people that visit your site, the more likely it is you’ll be able to convert them to sales.
Google, in particular, uses an algorithm called PageRank to rank pages from most relevant to least relevant. You’d want your website to be one of the first sites listed. Here’s what Google looks for on your page when it’s trying to find websites for a given query:
- Keywords
- Domain authority
- Internal and external links
Keywords
Keywords are how search engines determine that your content is relevant to a search query. You should include lots of keyword variations on your website that are related to whatever product or service your company offers.
Domain Authority
Websites with a high domain authority are more likely to be listed higher on search results. The main way you can improve your domain authority is to get other websites to provide links to your site. This is where you can utilize your strategic partners. Ask your partners to post links to your site, and you’ll post links to theirs in return. You can expand your number of strategic partners by using a business partnership app.
Internal and External Links
Search engines value when websites guide users to a greater amount of information. Your website should have links to other informative pages on your site, and they should also have links to other websites that offer similar information (but you shouldn’t ever link to competitor sites).
Get Good Reviews
Earning good reviews online can be a great way to boost your business, but it’s also helpful for SEO. Learn how reviews help SEO and you’ll be able to use good word of mouth to boost your web traffic.
To summarize, there are various websites where users can post reviews about your business, including Google My Business and Yelp. When users search for nearby businesses, like a local restaurant or store, these sites will list businesses that have earned good reviews. If your business has lots of good reviews, it’s more likely that you’ll be listed near the top of the search results.
How can you earn good reviews? It’s simple: make sure that your product and customer service are always excellent. When you notice that a customer is enthusiastic about their experience with your business, encourage them to post a review on one of the online review sites. Remember that poor reviews could hurt your company’s reputation and SEO. To protect your business, try and offer refunds or discounts to customers in exchange for them removing negative reviews.
Higher Web Traffic Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Greater Sales
It’s important to remember that higher web traffic doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily have higher sales. SEO can help drive people to your website, but it’s up to you to convert them. Make sure that you have well-written copy on your website that makes heavy use of call to actions, and which entice readers to buy your product or service.
SEO is truly one of the best marketing and financial tools you can invest in. And, if you take the time to learn all the painstaking details, it can also be the most affordable.