So, you have created your company website and it’s gone live, but how are people going to find it amid the mass of other pages on the web? The next step is to ensure your business gets seen on google and that people are clicking through onto your site. This is known as search engine optimization or SEO for short. Recent data revealed that Google now processes over an average of 40,000 search queries every second which amounts to 3.5 billion searches per day. If you want your business to be seen by as many people as possible then there is simply no better place to advertise than Google. Here are some great tips on make your site more visible on the internet’s largest search engine.
Google My Business
Google My Business, formerly known as Google Places, is a useful tool which allows you to list key details about your business on Google’s search engine. Not only is this a great way to increase the chances of people finding your website, it is also free to use. Any business is free to list their details on Google, regardless of the type of industry you’re in and Google My Business also allows users to include a map of your location as well as location-based keywords such as the name of your town/city.
Build a network of high-quality backlinks
A backlink is simply a link that’s been established by someone clicking through to your webpage via a link that’s come from another site. This could be via a simple url published at the end of a social media post or a link that’s been put up on another company’s blog or webpage. When it comes to backlinks Google tends to prioritize higher quality links that have come from what they consider to be reputable websites over more spammy links where the same content is posted over and over again and on forums, blogs etc. Therefore, the best way to generate more backlinks is to create high quality content such as advice-based articles, video’s and infographics that encourages people to click on to them organically. Google will then use this data to decide where best to display your website on it’s rankings, placing you higher on the list depending on the number of high-quality back links it is able to pick up.
Choose the right keywords
Choosing the right keywords to include in your web content is an essential part of SEO. This is because there’s a link between the words people type into the search engine and the words you’ve incorporated into your site’s content effectively meaning that if someone types something that matches a phrase included in your website then your page is more likely to show up. For example, if you’re company that sells trainers and you have an offer on Men’s Nike Trainers then you should include the words “Men’s Nike Trainers Offer” somewhere on your site. There are several useful keyword predictor tools on the internet which can help you select what keywords to choose such as Google Keyword Planner and Google’s autocomplete function.
Add Your Website to Local Directories
Another way to boost your visibility on Google is to add your website to online business directories such as Yell, Trade Finder and the Small Business Directory as this will help you feature higher in Google’s overall rankings. Some of these sites are free and some charge a yearly fee, however the more directories your site is advertised on, the more you increase your chances of being found. Studies have shown that more than 97% of consumers search for a local business online whilst the number of online searches for local businesses has grown by up to 58% in the last few years, highlighting the importance of featuring highly on Google’s rankings.