This article is for the small business that already has a website up and wants to understand why they may not be seen on the first page of google. It is more than having a beautiful looking website with excellent content. I will cover some of the basics of what is required in the initial setup and starting the process of an ongoing campaign.
Two acronyms to consider: SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing).
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – is the process of maximizing the number of visitors to a particular website by ensuring the site appears high on the list of results returned by a search engine.
On-Page SEO
The process includes making sure all the page titles, page descriptions, Alt-Tags for images are correct and accurately describe what a visitor is looking at. Also, a Sitemap would need to be created which allows a search engine such as Google to look at this file and understand the structure of the website.
Website content also needs to be modified to ensure proper keyword usage as well as utilizing H1 and H2 tags which a search engine will see and put more emphasis on when someone types in a specific keyword in their search terms.
Off-Page SEO
This process includes claiming/creating your Google Business Listing, claiming your Social Media Profiles, adding your website to Google Webmaster Tools, Generating Google Analytics code and embedding it on your website.
One of the great benefits of Google Webmaster Tools is that it analyzes your website and can alert you if anything is out of order or is causing the website to not be properly indexed.
After your website is optimized and properly indexed for search engines this is when you need to focus on Search Engine Marketing. A new website would be further down the list of the search engine results page so this part is equally important as SEO.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) – is a form of internet marketing that involves the promotion of a website by increasing their visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) primarily through paid advertising.
Google AdWords
One way to promote your website is through a Pay-Per-Click Campaign (PPC) using Google AdWords. You can research your direct competitors and come up with a list of keywords you are trying to target. Based on the keyword research you can create an AdWords campaign, set a daily budget, and monitor the results of the campaign on a daily basis.
Social Media Marketing
Another piece to SEM is Social Media Marketing (SMM). You need to identify which social media platforms you would want to focus on and work to gain followers by posting articles, sharing other content that is relevant, and creating additional Pay-Per-Click Campaigns to target specific demographics. Posting a few times a week can go a long way for your business to stay relevant in an already crowded space.
These are some of the basics that need to be covered when looking to gain more traffic to your website. Organic growth is critical for a website to be successful. Google constantly changes their algorithm and it is important to keep your content updated consistently.
45 Design is a local Web Design and Search Engine Marketing company located in South East Florida. We would love to hear from you and can meet for a no obligation consultation and go over your business needs.