Marketing a small business now days can be a challenge, although exposure is easier with the use of the Internet, the competition is also a lot higher. A solid SEO strategy is key to attracting new customers and getting your name out there.
Although SEO may seem complicate and confusing, there are several things you can do to improve your search engine rankings and improve the odds of clients finding you.
11 Simple Tips That Can Improve Your SEO Strategy
- Keyword research: you may think you know what your keywords should be, but are you sure? Use a keyword planning tool to make sure that the keywords on your site are the same as the ones your potential clients are actually looking for.
- Start a blog: a blog is a great place to showcase your industry knowledge and provide your readers with added value; however, it also has great SEO value! Search engines appreciate fresh and updated content; additionally, it serves as an opportunity to expand on other keywords that might not be featured in your product or services pages.
- Set up social sites: an SEO strategy is not complete without social sites. Social media is a great resource for small businesses to build their online presence.
- Encourage reviews: user reviews can help build your reputation as well as improve your visibility in local search results. Pages such as Yelp and Google+ tend to appear high on search engine rankings and they showcase your business’ review. Encourage satisfied customers to leave a positive review.
- Engage on social media: ensure you social media profiles are updated, have the correct information and are optimized. Also, develop an online marketing strategy that engages with potential clients on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other popular social networks.
- Simple URLs: use simple URLs that clearly explain the content of the page. I.e.: bizcentralusa.com/services/business plans clearly state that the page will have information regarding our business plan writing services.
- Alt Tags: one simple action that can help improve your strategy is optimizing your website images. When you upload an image try to add a keyword to the file name instead of IMG001. Also, ensure all images have alt tags.
- Optimize local listings: when optimizing your online marketing strategy, a great idea is to optimize local pages for local keywords. For example, Appliance Repair Services in Orlando, FL.
- Ensure your content is shareable: by proving easy access to share buttons you improve your changes of readers sharing your content, increasing your exposure.
- Review your site’s navigation: ensure you website has a cohesive and user-friendly navigation.
- Follow best practices: although quicker results may sound tempting, ensure you are following current best practices to avoid being penalized.
SEO marketing requires continuous effort and is a long-term process. When creating and implementing an SEO strategy it is important to be patient. Also, think about your potential client, what are they searching for? What would interest them? How can you set yourself apart from others?
While search engine optimization is the process of optimizing your website and online marketing strategy to rank better on search engines, it is important to not lose sight of the fact that you are doing it to attract customers, human customers, so ensure you strategies are always customer oriented.
A solid SEO strategy plan requires good content, social interaction and a user-friendly experience.