SEO is possibly the most multi-faceted form of business marketing, and constant changes in the industry mean that methods are evolving all the time. The format of print adverts in newspapers has hardly changed in 50 years, but SEO has seen several major changes already this year, and it’s still only March. However, there are a few SEO techniques that appear to be standing the test of time, and these are also pretty easy for anybody to implement. So, if you fancy doing some DIY SEO, read on.
Build A Great Website
Build it and they will come! While this is not actually true of digital marketing, there is an element of truth in it all the same. A good website ranks well in Google, and sometimes, a new site that is built to modern design and usability standards can outrank more established sites.
For SEO purposes, a good website is one that is very mobile friendly – it must not only display properly on all mobile devices, it must also be fast and easy to use.
Write Great Content
This is extremely important today. It does not matter whether you are providing a truly unique service or selling the same products as 1000 other online stores, your content must be unique, well written, engaging and targeted specifically for your audience.
Optimise Page Titles
Page titles tell Google, and searchers, what your page is about. The words used in META titles are used to help rank pages in search, so when writing a title, think not only about what the product or service is, but what it does for the customer.
Write A Blog
Google loves fresh content, and so do your customers. A blog is a great way to engage with your customers while also updating your website with new information. Blog posts often rank better in search than product pages, because they usually help answer questions. For instance, if you are selling mobile phone covers, a blog post about how to protect your iPhone will draw in searchers – you then direct them to your product pages.
Be Part Of The Web
A website is not technically “part of the web” if it is not connected to other websites. Link out to, and connect with, other businesses, and invite them to do the same in return. Link building has developed a bad rep in recent years, but not only is it perfectly natural for businesses in the same field to link to each other, but it is also vital for the health of the Internet and search.
Get Listed On Google Maps
Local is growing, and as the number of businesses online grows, it is likely that in the future, local search will become even more important. For example, when there were only a few plumbers online, they could win a lot of business by ranking for London based searches. Now, this is almost impossible for new plumbers, so ranking for the local town or village is more important. As the Internet grows and more people operate online, your reach may recede, but the market will stay the same size.
Never Let Old Pages Totally Die
The 301 Redirect is an SEO’s best friend. If you stop offering a service or stop selling a product, rather than allowing the page to 404 (server error: not found), redirect the page to the most relevant alternative URL. This helps to maintain any inbound link value your site has gained.
Use Google Search Console To Target Keywords
Many people fall into the trap of trying to rank for keywords phrases that are too competitive. Search Console provides information on keyword search volume and the position in the results your site appears. Use this to target keywords that you are already ranking on for in the top 20 results, and aim to make these pages better by improving content and building internal links through blog posts and interlinking related products.
Have Sitemaps
Sitemaps are a very old idea, but one that is still used by Google today. Have both HTML and XML sitemaps to help users and Googlebot to find all of your pages. This can help keep pages in the search index that are not linked to from your other pages.
Copy The Competition!
The wonderful thing about the Internet is that almost everything is so open. You can easily see what your main competitors are publishing on their blogs, which products they are promoting and where they are marketing their site. Replicate some of their work to see if it has a positive impact on your business.
These ten simple SEO techniques will help your business site rank higher in Google. However, if you are struggling to get the results you really want, get in touch with FSE Digital today and ask about our SEO management services.
