Marketing today has evolved to be heavily dependent on the internet for attracting and retaining customers. The ultimate goal is to appear on the first page of search results for the services offered.
The challenge, however, is that many businesses aren’t sure what they need to do to improve their search engine ranking. Google keeps its algorithm locked up tight – and for a good reason – but there are some things you can do to improve your ranking online.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. The gold standard is to rank organically on the first page of search results. Organic search engine ranking differs from paid because you are not subjected to paying for placement in a sponsored ad. Instead, you earn your placement by incorporating smart strategies that position your business as a trusted resource for Google (and other search engines) to send queries.
SEO Should Continually Evolve to Improve Search Engine Ranking
Search engine optimization isn’t a set-it-and-forget kind of strategy. Because Google continually evolves its algorithm to level the playing field for businesses, doing the bare minimum will not cut it. Other competing companies will eventually overtake your placement on search engines if you only do the minimum.
SEO Basics
There are two main elements to any SEO campaign. The first is making all website content easily accessible by search engine bots. This includes images, video, and written content – both on the front end (onsite) and the back end (offsite). Your content should be appropriately tagged so the search engine bots know what the content is about and can quickly match it to relevant searches.
The second element is to provide a positive user experience. Useful information offered in various formats is one of the best ways to do this. Google Search Central is useful for understanding how people interact with a website.
Best Practices for Boosting Search Engine Ranking
Google and other search engines prefer sites that are updated regularly. Content marketing – or the development of content placed on the internet is one of the best ways to marry two marketing tactics. By curating blogs and articles, businesses create new searchable content online. The more pages a company has of quality and well-written content, the more opportunities they have for being found online. As a bonus, content marketing, when done correctly, positions a business as an industry thought leader. And customers prefer to do business with companies they feel are leaders in their specialty.
If you want to help your business rank better online, start with content on your website. Is it well written? Does the copy use keywords that are being searched by your target audience? You may be surprised that many businesses fail to include main service keywords on their website. Take the time to analyze your site and see what’s missing. Hire MindStream Creative or another marketing agency to help your site perform better on search engines.