When it comes to growing your business, digital marketing is your best bet. SEO and other digital marketing methods are the most effective tools for reaching a wider audience and finding ideal clients who are likely to need your services. But the trick to using SEO is knowing what it is and how it can help you. Once you know that, you can make the most of SEO as a tool to direct more traffic toward your site. Read on for a short guide to the ins and outs of SEO.
What Is SEO?
In short, SEO is the process of optimizing your website to improve your rankings in online search results. Potential customers look for services all the time, and search results provide answers for prospects’ queries. SEO’s job is to make Google and other search engines consider your site a quality source and rank it higher for your desired search queries.
Why Does SEO Matter?
SEO’s main job is to help you rank higher, but high ranks are a means to an end. The real benefits of SEO are typically traffic-related.
- SEO leads to more traffic
One of the aims of SEO is to help you rank higher and appear on the first page of search results. Most users tend to click only on results from the first page, so the higher you rank, the more likely you are to get clicks. SEO also targets ideal clients who are likely to need your services. Your keywords correspond to likely keywords those targeted clients use, allowing your content to appear on relevant search results.
- SEO gives you consistent traffic
The results you get from SEO tend to be consistent over time. SEO is a long-term strategy, so you’re very likely to continue receiving traffic once it starts working. This is in stark contrast to social media-based marketing. Social media marketing favours fresh content, so you’re very likely to see a sharp spike in traffic in the short term before it fades. The number of searches done on search engines every month tends to stay consistent, making it much easier to get consistent traffic once you rank.
- SEO offers “free” traffic
SEO is also a fairly cost-effective method, especially in contrast to other methods like PPC. Ads typically have a steeper price compared to SEO, which makes SEO a more appealing option when you’re on a budget. SEO also boasts a great ROI. You may start to show results within a short time once you implement SEO for your website. SEO is also a long-term option, allowing you to use it for years to come after embracing it. The initial investment may take some money, but consider it a useful investment for growing the business instead of a cost.
Tips to Start Strengthening Your SEO
- Claim Your Google My Business Listing
Google My Business is a free online profile that appears in relevant search results on Google. Claiming your listing allows you to provide Google, and your users, with immediate information about your company. These crucial details include your address, contact information, operating hours, and website URL. These details provide valuable information that may influence a customer’s decision to choose your business over another’s. Claiming your listing is a simple task, so make it a priority once you start taking steps to strengthen your online presence.
- Target Long-tail Keywords
Keywords are an integral part of good SEO. The key to getting people to find your content is to find keywords that are relevant to your clients, find out the search intent of your prospects, and incorporate the keywords properly into your meta tags and content. Long-tail keywords are one of the most useful types of keywords available. As the name implies, long-tail keywords are longer keywords that carry more intent. Keywords like “divorce mediation in Toronto or relationship counselling in Windsor” are very specific in terms of services offered and location. These help your content appear to a targeted type of client in a certain place, who have the intent and are near enough to you to use your services.
- Focus on Creating Useful Content
Content is another integral element of a strong marketing strategy. Good content is a way to directly help your clients by answering questions they may have. Whether they’re looking for tips to help them keep their teeth clean or a video guide to making simple meals at home, your content is in a good position to provide the answers your clients want. As an expert in the field, you have information most people don’t possess. Your content is the perfect medium for sharing what you know with your client base. It’s not just a way to be of service, it’s also a way to make a favourable impression and build goodwill.
- Make Your Website More Mobile-friendly
More and more users are turning to mobile devices when looking for useful services. It behooves you to make your site more mobile-friendly to cater to the needs of those clients. Part of good SEO is creating a positive user experience. Having a website that works properly on different mobile devices makes the experience of visiting your site that much more convenient. Websites that go the extra mile to give users a good time tend to make a favourable impression. Making a good impression may just be the last thing you need to turn a visitor into a customer.
Can You Do SEO on Your Own?
SEO isn’t an easy approach to pull off, but it isn’t rocket science either. It’s possible to implement some of the concepts of SEO right away, but some things will take time to bear fruit. For instance, you can start adding relevant keywords to your pages and creating useful content for your clients now, but it may take time before you see any noticeable results.
One alternative to handling your business’ digital marketing on your own is finding an SEO provider to help you. Rather than tackle the job of building your digital marketing on your own, you can find a partner like Local SEO Search Inc. to assist with optimizing your SEO. Working with a partner is a smart way to leave the work to someone with a better understanding of it while leaving yourself free to focus on your own specialty. Whatever you choose, remember SEO is always a worthwhile investment that can bring in a steady stream of qualified traffic to your site, 24/7.