Connecting online with customers and encouraging visitors to engage with you can seem like a Rubik’s cube. You’re wrestling with your website, content, search rankings, directories, and social media. You’ve heard you need everything to work well on any device, including voice assistants.
How do you get everything to line up so people can find you online? It can be a head-scratching challenge. We get it. That’s why we’ve compiled 10 SEO strategies that we’ve used with our clients. When you follow a step-by-step plan, you’ll see results.
Your audience will respond when you speak their language. As you craft the page titles and descriptions for your website, use words that reflect how your customers talk about your product or service.
A few years ago, Google began trying to answer search questions by returning short paragraphs, a list, or a table pulled from relevant website content. They call these results’ featured snippets’ and place them above the top-ranked search results. To write content that will make your site a contender for featured snippets, use the following approach:
Make it easy for your visitors to enjoy their stay by including links to other pages within your website. Internal links should improve UX and navigation; avoid having too many to minimize confusion.
Backlinks, which mention your website as a resource, act as referrals, and increase your authority – one of the critical dimensions Google’s algorithms use when producing rankings. Backlinks are most effective when they come from reputable sources – those that are relevant to your site. Podcasts are a growing tactic for getting quality backlinks; if you have your own, your host website generates a backlink. If you’re a guest on a podcast, you’ll also gain valuable exposure. Don’t forget about the tried-and-true methods of creating backlinks:
Search online for guidance about what defines ‘quality’ for content, and you’ll find a wide range of advice. From our perspective, it’s not about word count or keywords. Content will be shared and linked when it has these characteristics:
We live in a visual word, and video content is becoming a ‘must-have’ to get noticed. Search statistics show that 55% of Google results have at least 1 video. Why? Because videos provide color, movement, and simplicity to keep your audience stimulated and interested.
Think about how you can tell your story visually on your website, in blog posts, or as a video featured snippet. You’ll connect with your audience and boost your ‘dwell time’ – the amount of time a visitor spends with you.
The importance of a mobile-friendly website isn’t news. But we’re compelled to mention it again because we still see sites and less-than-optimal content for mobile devices. Layouts are awkward, dropdowns don’t work, and load times are slow.
Several solutions are available to ensure your site performs consistently across all devices. Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), for example, use a simpler version of your site’s HTML code to deliver faster page loads. Take time to investigate your website settings and set them appropriately. If you work with a website designer or digital marketing agency, they can help.
Getting local with business pages, directory listings, and social platforms help your online visibility, your reputation, and most importantly – your revenue. Make sure your business name, address, and phone number are current and consistent wherever you’re listed.
As with all digital marketing, having a plan for local listings will help your ROI. We recommend starting with the major players like Google My Business, Yelp, YP, and Facebook. Then, list on the platforms most relevant to your industry or location.
According to WordStream, voice searches are forecast to hit 50% of all searches in 2020! About 40% of voice searches are happening daily, with 20% occurring on-the-run via mobile. Haven’t you tried, ‘Siri, where’s the nearest gas station?’ as you’re driving?
When your content is conversational, natural, and easy to read, it will perform well on voice assistants.
Be mindful about advertising since voice assistants who will ‘read’ your content ‘as written. For example, if your headline is S A L E, a voice assistant will read, ‘S, space, A, space, L, space, E.
With Google tweaking search algorithms about 500 times a year (estimated), updating your website is a must-do to stay connected with your customers. What’s the optimal timing to update? Too often, and your brand image won’t be clear to visitors. Not often enough, and your SEO will weaken, reducing traffic to your site.
From our perspective, updates need to keep pace with changes in your business and your industry. You want your content to remain relevant and reflect your audience’s language and needs.
Your visitors won’t see many of the elements that make your site visible and easy to use. But our last Top 10 SEO Strategy is vital to performance:
You’ve started and are operating a successful business. SEO isn’t rocket science or a black box. You have the ability to implement all 10 SEO strategies on your own. But you’ve got a company to lead, a team to manage, and customer to support. A qualified digital marketing agency like Renaissance Marketing has the team and expertise to put these best practices into place for you.
contact us today to set up a convenient time to review your website and your business goals. We’ll create and implement a plan to get you connected to customers online.
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