Search engine optimization has become somewhat of a buzzword that ebbs and flows when Google changes their algorithm. A lot of people have heard the term SEO, yet don’t fully understand what it entails. Between the seemingly more frequent changes in search engine algorithms and the use of social media as a primary marketing vehicle, many business owners are confused as to why they should even bother with SEO.
In short, SEO encompasses a range of different tasks. All of the tasks are dedicated towards getting your website into searches on platforms like Google. A lot has changed since SEO first became a priority for businesses. However, one thing remains: we need to stay abreast of the fundamentals!
Easy Ways to Modify Your Content to Improve Your SEO
At its core, the basis of all SEO is content. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring three different approaches to SEO, and how the content on your site can be adapted to meet them.
Think Like A Local to Improve Local Visibility
There are a lot of businesses in the world which are only able to serve local customers. When you’re in this position, you will want your website to appear in searches which have been made by those in your area, and not those outside of it. A local SEO company can help you to start your work on this, getting you signed up with the right services.
Along with this, though, you’re going to need to edit your content a bit. Think about how the members of your community would be looking for your kind of business. When performing a search for a local business, people will often include the name of the city, location, or neighborhood as part of the search phrase.
A Practical Example
For example, if I’m in Pittsburgh, PA and in need of a plumber for my bathroom, I wouldn’t type in “best plumber” in the Google search bar. Instead, I would likely type in “Pittsburgh plumber” or “plumber Pittsburgh PA”. Why? Because I could care less about a plumber on the other side of the country. That wouldn’t help me with a plumbing issue. This would of course, narrow down the search results so that only plumbers in (or near) Pittsburgh, PA would appear in the search results.
Therefore, the plumbers who have a website, and include Pittsburgh, PA in their website copy and meta data would likely appear in the SERPs. And those plumbers in Pittsburgh, PA who do not include their location on their website (often enough) would probably never be seen by me.
Therefore, it is critical for a local business to include location throughout their website. You should include the name of your location as if it were a normal keyword. Ideally, the location should appear multiple times across your site. You can also include pictures of the local area and be sure to add the “alt text” to them with the location. When tagged properly, the local pics will also drive traffic to your site. Finally, some companies will even have their location in their domain name. This is not a bad idea, especially if your business only services the local area.
[Tweet “Local SEO tip: include your location in the website copy AND alternative image text to boost local SEO.”]
Focus On Page Quantity To Expand Your Keyword Options for SERPs
The second way in which you can modify your content is to have a robust, multi-page website. Many of the SEO resources you read around the web put a lot of emphasis on quality hits over getting lots of bad quality ones. For some businesses, though, the type of people visiting your site won’t matter, and you will be able to sell to anyone.
In this case, creating a range of different home and landing pages can be very helpful, as this will draw as many people as possible to your site. Each of these pages should have unique keywords and content, all designed to capture as many searches as possible. This approach is getting harder as time goes on, but is still perfectly relevant.
A Practical Example
Think about a tale of 2 companies. Let’s continue with the example using the local plumbers.
Company A has a 3 page website, that includes a home page, contact page, and services page.
Company B has a 10 page website, which also includes an About Us page, an informative Blog with new posts published twice monthly, a Resources page that links to partners who provide residential services homeowners might need, a Testimonials page, a FAQ page that covers basic questions around residential plumbing issues, and a Local Flavor page that links to events and happening in the city that are relevant to home owners. Yes, all of this for a local plumbing company.
Now, let me ask you 3 questions:
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- Which company sounds more interesting?
- Which company website has the better chance of including more relevant keywords in their content? Think of this just based on the quantity of keywords that could be used throughout the site.
- Can you guess which company has the best chance of ranking higher in search?
You got it, Company B wins hands down! Strictly from a quantity perspective, Company B has a better chance of ranking higher. They simply have more pages on their website that can be SEO’d and ranked.
So again, focus on page quantity to expand your keyword options for SERPs.
[Tweet “Each page on your website should have unique keywords and content, all designed to capture as many searches as possible. #SEOtips”]
Piggyback On Popular Authority Sites
Finally, popularity contests actually matter when it comes to the internet. If you’ve been working with SEO for a while, you will have probably seen the difference having content on a range of different sites can make. You can piggyback off of the popularity of other brands in your niche to build up your own SEO.
For example, if there are articles on a popular blog which mention your business, it can be much easier to get your own site recognized by Google. There are a number of ways to achieve a goal like this.
Guest blogging for other people is one of the best ways to do it. This is often a two-way relationship, with the blogs and websites which you make content for hosting them for free. This enables both parties to benefit from this effort. Instead of putting all of your blogging energy into your own blog, why not sprinkle some guest blogs throughout the web? This will help you get some links back to your website while expanding your visibility. Get in front of other people’s audience and leverage their popularity!
Having a backlink strategy is another way to leverage relevant brands in your niche. Relevant backlinks to your website is a determining factor in your SERP ranking. In other words, if Google sees popular blogs linking to your website, it will “assume” that your website is legit and should be ranked and seen as well.
[Tweet “If Google sees popular blogs linking to your website, it will “assume” that your website is legit and should be ranked and seen as well. #SEOtips”]
Bottom Line
With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to adapt your website to match the approach to SEO which you need to take. A lot of people ignore the power of search engine optimization. They often work on other types of marketing which cost a lot more and for less reward. However, a solid SEO strategy will help you to extend your visibility. Never under estimate the power of organic search!
Ciao,
Miss Kemya
