SEO - Plain and Simple
Ask ten people what SEO is and you’ll probably get ten different answers. Why does Search Engine Optimization stump so many people? Google and other search engines change their algorithms constantly in order to properly prioritize websites on any search. And given that there are over 350,000 new websites launched every single day, that is a lot of competition! Here are the basics that any website needs to focus on in order to keep up and get ahead of the crowd.
What is SEO?
In a nutshell, Search Engine Optimization is the practice of optimizing websites to improve their visibility and ranking on search engine result pages (SERPs). This is known as organic traffic (vs paid traffic which is when you pay for Google Ads). Organic traffic is sustainable where paid traffic only lasts as long as you are paying for the ads. It takes longer but the ROI (Return on Investment) is much higher.
Build the Best Foundation
Start with a descriptive and memorable domain name using these rules:
Use a .com wherever possible
Use strategic keywords
Shorter is better
Use only letters avoiding hyphens, special characters and numbers
Ensure you have a secure and speedy website hosting platform. Faster load times equals higher rankings.
Make your website’s structure as clean as possible. It should have a logical layout so that both viewers and search engines can easily navigate the contents.
User Experience (UX)
If you have a website that viewers find difficult to use, you will lose them. Period. There is so much competition out there that they will just find another one they like better and find easier to navigate. This is called the bounce rate, meaning that the faster someone bounces out of your site, the higher your bounce rate score.
It is vitally important that your website is clean and easy to navigate while still clearly spelling out your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) or what sets you apart from others selling the same thing. Your products or services should be plainly visible and it should be obvious who your target market is.
What should be included:
Navigation should be easy to find and use. This is not the place to add some cutsie graphics or hide the navigation behind some obscure section. The navigation’s organization should be logical to a fault. Don’t hide the important pages, but leave them out and easy to find.
CTAs (Calls to Action) should be easy to find no matter where the viewer is on your website. Ensure the contact or schedule an appointment button in on the header and at least in a few more places like the footer or strategically placed in the content.
Reduce or eliminate pop-ups or ads. No one wants to see them and they maybe be enough of a nuisance that viewers will leave the site before closing the ad.
Site speed is critical. A slow-loading site is not only frustrating to viewers who are used to sites loading at lightning speed, but search engines will penalize slow loading sites and move them down in rankings.
Mobile-Friendly Websites
Multi-screen size optimization is important, but having a mobile-friendly site is the most important. Google now uses something called a “mobile-first approach” which prioritizes sites that work well on mobile over all others. Use tools like the Lighthouse tool for Chrome to pinpoint which images may be too large or other items that are causing errors.
Other important things to consider when designing a site for mobile:
Ensure fonts are large enough and content is well organized. Move long words to the next line instead of hyphenating them.
Test out all forms or other input fields to ensure they are easy to see and fill out online. There is nothing more frustrating that trying to read extra small print or having a form that is too compacted.
Make any buttons or other interactive content large enough to actually use on a phone.
Ensure that there are hyperlinks on phone numbers for auto-calling or texting and on emails for quick responses.
Optimize for voice search, used by over a quarter of mobile users and this rate is rising daily.
Use local SEO, including locations and keywords specific to the area.
Keywords, Keywords and More Keywords
A keyword or keyword phrase is simply what a potential customer may use to try and find you in a Google Search. Keyword research is imperative to find out the following for your business:
What are the most relevant keywords?
How popular are those keywords?
How difficult will it be to rank for those keywords?
What keywords are your competitors using?
You’ll need to subscribe to one or more keyword analytics tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, or Google Keyword Planner (or hire an expert).
When planning your keyword list, use the following tips:
Find out what keywords are currently being used on your existing website. You may be surprised by what’s trending!
Start with basic thoughts for keywords, then expand from there. For example, you may start with “Web Designer”. Then you can add frequently used descriptive words like “best small business web designer near me” or “affordable web designer in New England”. These are called long-tail keywords.
Check out your top competitors to see what keywords they are using and look for any gaps.
Content is King
Not only is structure important for a website, but the content keeps people on your website longer. The goal is to aim for clearly written content that solves a reader’s problem while showing why your company does it better.
This is where your keyword research is all-important. Try to dedicate only one primary keyword phrase on each page. That keyword should be used in the header (H1) and there should only be one H1 per page. Secondary keywords may be used in subtitles (H2). Keep things clear and consistent. Avoid using synonyms or multiple variations of the primary keyword. Ensure the primary keyword is in the URL name as well.
Be sure that a CTA (Call to Action) is clearly visible on every page. This can be a button, a link, or even a contact form, and it allows your reader to easily schedule an appointment, buy something, or request more information.
Test drive a number of different types of content and see what resonates. Depending on your business model, infographics may click more than long blogs or vice versa. Try video, animation, case studies or other types and check your analytics to see what’s working.
Search engines value new content over old, so once you have a catalog of blogs, ebooks, or other content, feel free to refresh and re-release your content often. If you stop adding new content constantly, search engines will allow other websites to creep ahead of you in rankings.
Landing Pages
One of the most effective ways to ensure search engines is finding your content is to building landing pages. A landing page is a single web page that is created with a specific goal or call to action in mind. It is designed to capture the attention of visitors and encourage them to take a particular action, such as signing up for a newsletter, downloading a guide, learning more about a product or service, or making a purchase.
Landing pages are often used in digital marketing campaigns to drive traffic to a targeted page that focuses on conversion. They typically have a clean and uncluttered design, with a clear message and a prominent call to action button. A well-designed landing page can have a significant impact on the success of a marketing campaign by guiding visitors toward the desired outcome.
Combining landing pages with SEO can make a huge difference in traffic. The trick is to have one landing page per specialty and/or geographic area, then add those keywords in the title, title tag, and SEO statement. For example, “Best Small Business Web Design in Hartford, CT” tells Google exactly which page to bring up if someone searches using those keywords. Most effective titles are 60 characters or less so don’t pack every keyword into one landing page title.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO refers to the important process of improving a website’s architecture and backend elements to improve its visibility and performance on search engines. It involves metadata, title tags and a host of other basics that can drive more traffic to your website.
Metadata and Title Tags tell search engines what your overall website is about, and then how each page relates. Think of metadata as a 150 character elevator pitch to search engines: “Here’s what I offer and why this website is the best one to choose for a query”.
A few more tips on creating meta descriptions correctly:
While you may be able to add 300 characters or more, it’s better to be concise and to the point, staying around 150 characters.
Keep your primary keywords in mind and try to keep them at the beginning of the meta description
Use primary and secondary keywords in the title tags with action words like “discover” or “right now” to capture attention
As with anything else on the website, analytics play a key role in determining what is working the best so ensure you are connected to Google Analytics and other analytic tools.
Backlinks and Local Citations
A backlink is a direct link to your website from a page on another website. A local citation, however, is a direct online mention of your business’s name, address and phone number. Similar to a backlink, citations will benefit your SEO by determining online authority to your business.
Both are powerhouses in raising your overall SEO score. But how do you get them?
There are backlink processing firms that will scour the internet looking for the best links for your business, rank them, and then proceed to submit your information to them. Be careful with those that only leave your information if you continue to pay. Look for those who will submit your information permanently (or until you choose to take it down).
Reach out to other businesses and sites and ask them to post your business information and website link. Doesn’t hurt to ask and these tend to work the best.
Link to other relevant content, then ask for a return favor. It works!
Contribute to other websites with guest blogs or articles. Offer to write content for them for free as long as you can include a link back to your own site.
Create the best content you can. Skip AI-generated content - it’s a dime a dozen. Research what’s missing or trending and get something out there that’s needed.
Measure Your Results, Make Adjustments, and Do It Again
With SEO, there is no magic formula for every business. The only way to know what works is to try something, check analytics, and if it’s not working, tweak it until it works. Eventually, something will hit. Perseverance is key. It takes months and sometimes years to start showing up consistently on some searches. In summary:
Start with a great domain name and website hosting platform
Create a UX-centric website that viewers will want to visit and can fully grasp the benefits your business provides
Ensure the site works exceptionally well on mobile
Research keywords thoroughly and ensure they are located properly throughout the content and in the metadata and title tags
Add new and needed content constantly
Get as many quality backlinks and local citations as possible
Need Help?
5-star Google-rated Charlotte’s Web Design, LLC is a sole proprietor web design and digital marketing firm specializing in custom, professional websites, SEO, branding, logo design, digital marketing, content writing, and graphic design with over 35 years of technology experience currently working with over a hundred small businesses. Please contact me for a free consultation.