Are you new to SEO? Sure, you see it all the time on business forums and marketing articles, but have you taken the time to learn about it?
Search engine optimization is vital for businesses of all kinds. They can be especially important for local businesses that rely on the surrounding community to thrive. Without SEO, most of your customers will never know you exist.
But don’t worry, we’re here to help straighten things out. Keep reading for our top seven marketing tips for those new to SEO.
1. Understand the Concept of SEO
First, you need to know what SEO is and how it works. In the most simple terms, SEO is the algorithm of search engines used to find the most relevant information based on your keyword search. For example, if you type in “how to get stains out of a carpet,” the search engine will crawl the internet looking for the most viable answer.
2. Use Multiple Forms of Media
To improve your website’s SEO, be sure to use various forms of media. Studies show that we prefer visual data – we process it faster and remember it longer.
Use plenty of imagery and videos on your website and embed them with SEO content (keywords, meta descriptions, and alt text). This coding is used in the SEO algorithm.
3. Don’t Let Your Website Become Stale
Few things in business are “set it and forget it.” Your website is no different. While it’s important to have a fantastic, user-friendly layout, that alone isn’t enough.
Make sure you stay active on your website and keep it updated. Otherwise, it will become irrelevant in SEO terms.
4. Keywords Are Very Important
If you’re new to SEO, you may not appreciate how important keywords are to your business’s success. The keywords on your website pages are what attract search engines to your website. For example, if you post an article on your blog with the keyword phrase “how to find a good dentist,” your website will come up when people ask Google that exact question.
5. Local SEO is Vital to a Local Business
You must keep in mind that location is everything for local businesses, even in terms of SEO. When people search for products or services, they almost always include their area or the phrase “near me.” Even without that localized verbiage, our devices know where we are.
Your SEO will help search engines direct people in your area to your website and business if you have optimized your local SEO. For example, because of this reason, local SEO is effective for drug rehabs trying to reach out to people in their community.
6. Use Mobile Optimization
In the US, 81 percent of us own smartphones. We use them for everything – texting, phone calls, playing games, shopping, researching, and more.
This is important because it means people are going to be visiting your website through their phones. This user experience can be crushed if a website isn’t optimized for mobile use.
7. Prepare for AI
Finally, AI technologies such as Alexa and Siri are sweeping the nation. As a result, people are using more natural speech patterns to search for things online. Instead of typing “fitness centers in ‘x’ county” into a search box, people are asking their phones “Siri, what fitness centers are nearby?”
If you’re new to SEO, you may not understand that these consumer trends dictate how you should be wording your SEO content. You need to anticipate the questions consumers will ask and the way AI software will find relevant answers.
Are You New to SEO?
If you’re new to SEO and digital marketing, this may all feel a little overwhelming. But don’t panic, we can help you. We specialize in improving your online presence and reputation.
Check out some of our other articles or take advantage of our free website audit. Good luck!