All You Need To Know About SEO

Search engines rank websites on what will be the most useful for users and we know that people are far more likely to click on organic results rather than Ads. To get into the local results pack, get yourself a Google My Business account and optimise it. So, enter Q&As, pictures, link to your website blogs (your website is at the centre of all marketing) and encourage your clients to leave Google reviews. 

 

Before we start giving tips and recommendations, what is SEO? Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the process of optimising a website so that it appears higher in the search results for relevant queries. It is important because as I mentioned above, people click on organic results much more than any other results. SEO is a long term strategy, building up sustainable results, which are cost effective and reliable. You can target typical web searches but also tap into niche searches or smaller communities, which help you play to your strengths online. So how do you SEO your website? 

 

A Great User Experience  

Google algorithms change. As I write, they are tuned to promote a great user experience. So keep this in mind when you are tinkering with your website. 

 

Use Keywords  

Keywords are simply the search term that a website user may type in to a search engine. So if you are a local business such as a roofer, then you would reasonably expect the area that you operate in to be included in your customers' online search. If words are not your thing then simply ask your friends or family what they would type into Google to look for your kind of services. It's one of those things that once you start thinking in that way, your keywords will start flowing. Your Web Designer may have included keywords in your headings and your URLs when you worked with them to set your website up. Your metadata is the description that you see under a page name on Google results. This is the piece that makes people click. It is always good to sanity check this data and to see what competitors are doing too. 

 

Longtail Keywords 

Longtail keywords are more specific and less people will be looking for them. For example, if you SEO your website to appear in the search 'car for sale', you are unlikely to rank highly on Google and are going to have hundreds of thousands of websites competing for that space. Less people would be searching for 'red 2017 volvo estate with brown leather seats'. So it is a balancing act, between reaching the masses and reaching the people who search for something less frequently but are more likely to click on your website when they do. 

 

It's Not Always Black & White (SEO)! 

Always ensure that you or your SEO partners operate to the tune of White Hat SEO. This is the ethical model, which favours user experience and provides sustainable, long term results. It's about providing relevant, unique content to your readers. Having a website that works well, is quick to load and mobile friendly. Navigation is important and your metadata should be clear. Conversely, black hat SEO is the opposite. It is important to know the distinction as your website could be penalised if you engage in these techniques. Black Hat SEO includes, stuffing keywords on the page, unclear content that is weak and meaningless, fake reviews, duplicate content and paid links. 

 

Your Checklist  

If you are new to SEO and are learning the ropes here is a checklist to help you. Alternatively, it'seeze Colchester provide SEO services and we have seen excellent results. If you want to learn more then please get in touch.