The first thing that new business owners need to ensure is the quality of their products and services.
The second thing is the proper recognizability of their offer to potential Internet users.
Search engine optimization (SEO), as a process that increases the relevance and visibility of digital content, plays an important role in positioning a business successfully on the Internet.
In this article, we’ll describe seven effective SEO strategies that will help SMB owners become more competitive online.
1) Identify the best keywords
Internet users enter different queries in Google and other search engines. The closer your content gets to users’ search entries, the more likely it is that they notice it.
To get there, it’s important to identify the best keywords for your business and your industry.
You can start with Google Keyword Planner or use any other keyword research tools. Depending on the solution you choose, there are various options, from searching trendy keywords to finding niche-specific keywords.
Once you’ve found several keywords or keyword clusters, start creating content around them.
It’s important to use them in your guides, articles, and blog posts. However, don’t overfill your website with keywords. Google considers such use of keywords as spamming.
Therefore, use them naturally and your potential readers will soon spot you.
2) Exchange links
If a business wants to be properly recognized by search engines and Internet users, it needs to use both internal and external links.
Internal links lead to blog posts, web pages, and other content bits on your website or blog.
On the one hand, some readers will click on those internal links and, consequently, spend more time on your website. The longer they are on your website, the more likely they are to become your customers.
On the other hand, if you have more cross-reference on your website, search engines will like it more.
External links lead to other websites. Let’s say that you’re writing an article about personal finances. Adding a link from Forbes or any other relevant source will make your article look better. What’s more, you’ll show the readers that you pay attention to the content you write.
Another option is exchanging links with other blogs and websites. You publish other people’s articles with links leading to their websites, while they do the same for you.
Additional two cents: ask those guest authors to insert at least one link to an article from your blog. This will add to better rankings of your website in search engines, as well.
3) Study the competition
When you’re bringing your SEO strategy, keep an eye on the competition. We’ve already pointed out above that you need to analyze the most popular keyword for your business and industry.
While doing so, do your homework and check out your main rivals. These are the best ranked websites on SERPS when you search Google for your niche.
Here’s how you should analyze those competitors:
- Visit their websites to see what’s their unique proposal.
- Analyze the pricing plans and features they offer in each of these packages.
- Observe the website to see how they’ve organized various sections.
- Pay attention to their visuals. Do they use generic materials, or they’ve posted their own photos?
- Write down every detail that you think they miss and add it to your website.
Follow your competitors on social media to get live updates on their moves and campaigns. The more you know about them, the better it is for your SEO strategy.
4) Produce useful content
Content is one of the crucial elements of SEO.
If you want to produce relevant and useful content, highlight these features:
- Promote your strengths. Write an appealing web copy that will put your strengths into the spotlight – your experience, testimonials, special discounts, or any other advantages that you bring.
- Make tutorials and educational materials. Bring content that solves your readers’ problems. Creating practical, problem-solving content is the best way to promote your services without being aggressive. People who resolve their issues applying your tips are almost converted to your customers.
- Follow the current affairs. Publish blog posts and news that break down the current affairs in your niche in simple terms. Readers will appreciate that.
- Create user-oriented content. The content you make should promote your business, but it needs to focus on your readers and their needs. SMB owners often fall into the trap of praising themselves without offering practical solutions to potential users. Don’t go there.
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5) Build a user-friendly website
The ideas you get from your competitors’ websites, the most popular keywords, and the content you produce are all on the same mission: building a user-friendly and trustworthy business website.
For starters, keep your homepage as simple as it gets. Welcome your visitors with a concise, but powerful tagline that will comprise your entire business vision. If you’re not good with words, find a copywriter to do it. This message is the first impression that people get when they come to your website.
After that, grasp readers’ attention with special offers, promotions, or any other powerful calls to action. As the design experts from a Houston web design company stress out, the less is more when it comes to website elements. If you overload your website with too many details, you’ll confuse the readers. Instead of converting visitors into consumers, you might lose the existing visitors.
Add the homepage button to all the pages and let the visitors freely navigate around the website. Finally, limit the number of sections up to four or five categories.
Business owners who properly manage their SEO features will stay ahead of the curve. They’ll attract more customers than their rivals and, consequently, more revenue. So, do proper research to find the best keywords for your business and build your content around it. Exchange links with other blogs and websites. Keep your website design informative and concise to provide valuable information to your visitors.
All these features will help you improve your SEO status and your position in search engine page results.