Optimizing Small Business Websites: Simple SEO Best Practices

While the technical parts of website optimization should be left to a credible SEO partner, small business websites can achieve good search engine rankings by following some basic SEO best practices – mainly from a content perspective.

Think about search and targeting a specific audience

First thing first, keywords are vital to search engines. You need to list words or phrases that visitors would search for in order to land on your website – some may be too common to compete for with bigger brands but a detailed list around your services, location and customer needs should be the basis of your keywords.

Conduct a site inspection and fix what is broken

• Check all pages and content for grammar and broken links.
• The best time to install Google analytics is when you first launch. The second best time is now.
• Google analytics is great for giving insight and depth into what site visitors actually do on your site.
• Make sure that the site loads in seconds…like preferably under 5 seconds
• Earmark outdated information either for deletion or updates
• Update your blog or frequently asked questions with common issues and topics raised by customers
• Have good, relevant and, preferably your own pictures

Content is a big deal

There is a lot the sameness on the internet when it comes to content – rehashed, rephrased but the same message on closer inspection. Content overload is a real thing, yet there are some glaring gaps in some subjects and niche fields. How do you create valuable content? Nothing is more search engine friendly than relevant and valuable web content. Each post should aim at problem solving; provide answers, gives new perspectives, forecasting trends etc.

Aim for timeless content

Often referred to as ‘stock’, timeless content is generally content that your audience finds useful even in a few years. Checklists, how to guides and problems solving type posts generally work well as stock content.

Develop a content calendar

Every section or page on your site requires updating regularly. Develop a calendar to bookmark updates. Develop and new Leverage on industry news and updates by posting content on topics that your audience is already talking about.

Diversify the content

Most of us digest visual content quicker than plain text. E.g. watching a 10-minute video versus reading 1000 word post. Make web content easy to scan and digest key messages by creating multimedia. That means anything from live event coverage and video interviews, to insightful infographics, checklists and how-to guides.

Great content goes viral – Make it easy spread the word

How readers consume and share your content affects web rankings so making sharing easy a norm is important. Some easy ways is to embed “tweet this” call to actions over block quotes in an article; add visuals to the text and open up the comments section.

Setup a Free Business Listing on Google

If you have a physical location, you need to get a business listing on Google to target search queries around your business and location – providing opening times, directions and other useful information. Do not leave it at that though. Add images, regular updates and more. Oh and it is free.

On-Page SEO

Here is a fact: Bad on page SEO practices can hurt your rankings and trust ratings even if you follow good SEO practices. We compiled a quick list of what avoid when building a new site; fix if you already have a site and what to regularly monitor:

• Duplicating instead of repurposing/updating throughout your site
• Reposting, copying and distributing content verbatim from other sites to yours
• Using the same copy when distributing your content on external sites and blogs
• Writing for search engines by neglecting content that valuable and relevant to your target audience content needs. Keywords stuffing is a perfect example.
• Thinking you can buy your way to the top of any search engine
• Not researching your audience and the search behaviour
• Badly structured website links’
• Not having social sharing options for web posts
• Ignoring multimedia content – infographics, videos, photo stories, etc.
• Having a site that takes too long to load – long meaning more than 5 seconds!
• Not scanning and fixing spelling errors and broken website links
• Posting thin content by only providing information that in overly saturated areas, generic, and does not go beyond the surface, essentially offering no real value
• Ignoring long form posts
• Ignoring social media integration and engagement especially when your audience/s are active on these channels.
• Not optimising content for local SEO that targets potential customers around your geographic area
• No having unique content – rehashing a lot of the sameness that exists on topics without offering new insights or perspectives
• Having too many website ads
• Not using Google Webmaster Tools to keep track and fix of possible threats and technical issues with your site
• Having too many external links that usher visitors away from your site.
• Low mobile experience – having a site that is not mobile friendly and ready
• Not having properly formatted HTML posts

Losing Traffic and Web Rankings after Redesign? 10 Things to check

Regaining website traffic after a redesign and development without an updated SEO strategy is risky. An SEO strategy should always accompany a website as things like architecture, new copy and keywords change and affect website rankings. If SEO in not part of the redesign project, hiring an SEO expert to check and fix major factors that affect traffic may be an option.

1. Make sure your Google Analytics tracking code is correct and in place to track views, number visits, pages per visit, bounce rate, new visits, and average time spent on site, traffic source and top performing posts.
2. Even the slightest change to a URL (link) has an effect on SEO and ranking. Create a new sitemap to display the new site structure. Check all links and ensure they all work and link to intended page
3. Update keywords to match page new or updated copy
4. Test the loading time of the site and all pages – increased loading time contribute significantly to website rankings
5. Deleting a lot of copy and web pages negatively affects web rankings- rather edit and repurpose the content on the pages
6. It is preferred and less of a headache to keep the same url structure as the old site. Should content have to be rather update or revamp the page coy but keeping in mind it still has the previous goals
7. Changing site navigation – losing text aspect of menus or increasing the number of pages the homepage links to
8. Track traffic drop – a sharp decline is expected after web redesign but a steady decline may be due to incorrect or lack of following good SEO practices, new competitors,
9. A completely new website address will affect ranking as it will be considered as a new site to search engines
10. Content strategy and SEO should not be in isolation but as part of the design & development process.

Hiring an SEO Company: 3 things that matter.

If you have been tasked with hiring an SEO company to help boost your digital marketing efforts, you’ll soon realize it’s easier than done. We have been in the online marketing space for over 10 years and have worked with over 300 clients, giving some authority in giving advice on this matter.  Factors to consider, chat about and request in initial discussions from a prospective online marketing company.

How to find a reputable SEO company

A mere Google search for “best SEO company in my area” is not going to cut it. Being at the top of a search engine result page has very little to do with being the best service provider. This is true for a lot of service or product based businesses.  Rather, request recommendations and referrals from a company that you have admired for their online marketing.

False prophets

Any company that guarantees to be number one on the to be in search engine results page you should, There is no guarantee in positioning even if you buy PPC adverts – There are just too many factors that contribute to search engine positioning to guarantee it in the first place. We suggest you move right along if this is promised to you. In fact, they may be conducting practices that Google will penalize in the end. Ask for examples of work – Who have they helped and how?

Have SMART business goals

• Making your website work for you require some critical thinking as a team by setting some SMART SEO goals. The goal cannot be just to increase traffic. It needs to be traffic with a purpose.
• Know whom you are targeting, why what you are offering is relevant and needed, what channels you are going to use and how you are going to measure success and shortcomings.
• Aim for the results that matter to the business e.g. conversion and engagement over generic traffic.
• Get to know the SEO team – SEO in an investment and long-term partnership, giving you every right about their skills, years in the game, successes, and opinions on the field of SEO and digital marketing.

4 Easy Ways to Find Customers Using Local SEO

The focus of local SEO, as opposed to general SEO, is the specific and added strategies to target customers within your area. If you have a physical location for your business, local SEO a vital component for search engine marketing strategy. Here is the easiest way to put it: a search query for “makeup artists in Durban central” should not return search results for makeup artists on a national scale.

We have outlined the basic ways of incorporating local SEO in your search engine marketing and content strategy:

Mobile Friendly Website

Ensuring your website design and development adapts to mobile devices is highly important. Since 2015, Google has added having a mobile friendly site as a plus in their website ranking criteria.

Competitive and Relevant Keywords

Having a competitive advantage on keywords that are popular is difficult and often avoided when research and compiling keywords. However, local SEO does make targeting popular and relevant keywords attached to geographic location meaningful.

Write Local SEO Optimized Content

Having a say via a blog site or social media channels on things that matter to your audience is one of the most credible ways of gaining and engaging with potential & existing customers.

• Share post that is about local search queries and interests
• Get to know what interests your audience beyond your products. This does require networking, attending and supporting local events and initiatives.
• Provide content that solves problems to regular industry or product challenges
• Develop blog and news updates around local news and hot topics

Get on My Google Listing & Other Business Directories

According to Google Think “four in five consumers want search ads to be customized to their city…” which means they already know what they are looking for and just want a business within their location to provide a product, service or answer.  This makes getting your business listed on Google My Business and other popular business directories important.

Contact us to chat about creating a local SEO strategy for your business.