Search engines like Google direct the majority of web traffic. In fact, over two-thirds of online experiences start with a search engine. This is important to understand if businesses want to get found online. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving a website’s domain authority relative to others over time. The more optimized a website, the more likely it is to be displayed on a better search engine result page (SERP). Since 75% of users never leave the first page, websites which land here are sure to get the most traffic. The following are our top 5 SEO tips for businesses in 2021.
Google is the largest, most popular search engine by far. It accounts for over 92% of the total search engine volume, making it a major driving factor of any good SEO strategy. Google provides an opportunity to feature key information about your business with a Google My Business profile. This profile is often displayed on the first SERP when users search relevant keywords. It includes reviews, an address and phone number, business hours, products and services, and a website link. Improve your website’s SEO by creating an account and following the steps to verify your Business Profile. Fill out all important information and be sure to add your business to Google Maps, also.
Search engines tend to reward active websites. They hope to provide their users with the most accurate, up-to-date results. That said, a website is only as good as its content, so make sure yours is worthwhile. Build out complete service or product pages and update them often. Be sure your contact information is current and easy to read. Consider adding a blog and publishing posts at least monthly to share news, advice, and industry insights. Try to include both internal and external links for supporting evidence, statistics, or more detailed information. Doing these things will signal to Google that the website is valuable to its users.
One major element of SEO strategies is keyword targeting. Keywords are basically what help a search engine know what’s contained on a website. When a user is looking for an answer to their question, their query will contain certain main points. The search engine will use these words and phrases to connect them with an appropriate answer somewhere online. Various tools exist to help with keyword research. They will show how often certain phrases are searched and the kind of competition for them. With this information in mind, you can target relevant keywords in your website’s headings, URLs, page titles and copy, meta tags and descriptions, image data, and anchor text.
Most users prefer to search on their mobile devices, accounting for up to 61% of search engine visits. Because of this, Google especially likes websites that are mobile-friendly. In fact, it enabled mobile-first indexing in 2019 which prefers to rank websites using their mobile version rather than desktop. Ensure your website is optimized for mobile devices by including the same links, keywords, alt text, and metadata as your desktop version. Reduce page loading times by using the .jpg format for images and deactivating plugins that you don’t need. Use tools like Google’s mobile-friendly test and mobile speed test to verify that your website is optimized for mobile devices.
The internet is home to millions of active websites and it’s likely that yours will not be entirely unique in its design or content. Fortunately, websites can stand out from the crowd by appealing to diverse audiences with different backgrounds, expertise, and reading levels. Given that the average American reads at the 7th-8th grade level, the best websites are informative but inclusive. Users should be able to tell what your business does within seconds of landing on your homepage. Make it engaging and easy to read, and you will be rewarded with more traffic.
Businesses must adapt to the digital world to be competitive. Consumers expect their favorite brands to have mobile-friendly websites with products, resources, and contact details. If your business needs a website or SEO tune-up, please feel free to reach out or fill out our free SEO report card.
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