We know that running a business means that while you WANT Google success, you may not have the time for it.
So these tips are realistic ways to boost your Search Engine Ranking (eg Google and Bing), quickly and efficiently.
Top Tip #1
Put enough words on each page and make them read well!
One of the best ways to give a big thumbs up to Google when it’s reading your website is to have your own high quality and unique content.
People talk about good content but what does that actually mean?
It means that what you write on your website isn’t waffle.
It helps people find the answers they need quickly.
And you’re writing for your website visitor, not for you.
Google likes it when you answer much-searched-for questions.
So if someone types in eg ‘Gardener London’ your website content should include mention of ‘gardener London’ often, and in a way that reads well (see Tip 2 for more about keywords)
We recommend that each page on your website has at least 600 words (ideally 800 – 1200).
When you’re writing, think about using the words ‘we’, ‘I’ (if you’re a one man band) and ‘you/your’: writing as though you’re talking to a person rather than an audience can help make your copy more relatable and accessible.
Top Tip #2
Do your keyword research!
It doesn’t take long and you don’t HAVE to go into Google’s complicated advertising hub to find out what people are searching for in relation to your business.
There are a lot of FREE resources so you can get a list together of what people look for when they are thinking about your services, or are trying to fix problems that you can help fix for them.
Here are a few:
https://www.wordstream.com/keywords
https://www.wordtracker.com
https://keywordtool.io
https://answerthepublic.com
Don’t forget to include a few core keywords – what are these?
Well if you’re offering certain services, it’s those services!
It’s the words people think of when they are looking for what you do or are asking questions of the search engine that they want to be answered.
For example, if you’re writing about a local plumbing business in Exeter, include ‘plumbers in Exeter’.
Top Tip#3
Use your keywords properly!
Don’t ‘spam’ your keywords into the words on your website.
It’s pretty obvious when a website is just trying to rank for the keyword it really wants to be ranked in the Search Engines for: you’ll see that a webpage includes the keywords many times and it makes for poor reading and a poor web visitor experience.
You do want to include your keywords often but you also want to do it in a way that’s reasonable and not spammy.
Some SEO [Search Engine Optimisation – so getting everything on your site to be the best it can possibly be to help the search engine find and rank your website] professionals suggest 1 keyword in every 200 words is best.
We think as long as the copy reads well, you can have it a bit more often. It depends on what you’re saying and how you’re saying it!
Use the target Keywords in your page title [what the page on your website is called eg ‘Hairdressers in Bath] and H1 tag [the first heading you’d put on your page which is the main description of what your page is about: it’s the most relevant thing about the page eg “We’re the best hairdressers in Bath”].
This will indicate to Google and the reader what the page is about.
Top Tip #4
Add alt tags on images
You’re going to want to have images on your web page.
And a really quick way to help your Google ranking is to give the search engines something to read.
Loads of people add an image but don’t add the little bit of information about the image that the Search Engines read.
Search engines can’t read pictures.
So you need to fill in the ‘alt’ tags.
Make sure you use some of your keywords in those alt tags!
Top Tip #5
Add a blog
If you’ve built your website in WordPress or Wix or any of the website template options that are out there, it’s usually a very simple step to add a blog.
(If you haven’t got a blog, we can always help you with that!).
And writing something about your profession and services, or some of the questions you get asked the most, is a really effective way to help the search engines find your website, and rank you.
Some business owners shy away at the thought of having to write a blog.
BUT what we’ve found is: talk to any business owner or marketer and you’ll see their passion straightaway!
So rather than struggle to think of what you can possibly write about: you could very simply get into the habit of talking to camera or a friend about what you know.
You could either record it and upload it to your website as a VLOG (video blog) or get someone to transcribe it for you, add some good headings in (with keywords included!) and voila, you have a blog!
It’s all about quality and not quantity when it comes to blog posts. A fortnightly, well written, 1000+ word and relevant blog post with useful tips, tricks and information is much more effective than a 100 word blog post every day.
Just make sure you have lots of paragraphs and headings to split it up and keep people reading on… no one likes loads of copy in front of them: it’s overwhelming!
Top tip #6
Build high quality & relevant backlinks
This one isn’t usually instant (although a good link from a good source elsewhere on the internet, back to your website can be SO effective) but it is a big and important factor when it comes to improving your Google rankings.
A backlink is your website URL eg www.greatlondonplumbers.com listed on another website.
You are after high quality links which means you really want other websites which rank highly on eg Google and Bing, to link to your website.
These are called high quality backlinks.
Tips for persuading another company to list YOUR website on THEIR website!
Ask: if you don’t ask, you don’t get! So if you know of a website that you’d love your website to be listed on, ask. The best approach is the most genuine.
If you’re a new business, offering a brilliant product or service, approach the people who run the website you’d like to be listed on, tell them you’d love for them to list you, and tell them why it would be great if they did!
In Summary
There are a LOT of other ways to improve your website to help move them up the search engine rankings including getting your social media working for you, getting news stories in your local press, teaming up with other local businesses, having a Google My Business page and so on.
Find out more about our services as a leading SEO agency in Essex
