Search Engine Optimization: How to Boost Your Business with A Better Online Presence
When you’re looking for a new product or service to use, chances are you’re not opening a physical newspaper and browsing the local section. You’re probably using an Internet platform, and most likely, a search engine to help you find exactly what you’re looking for quickly and efficiently. We live in an era of quick consumption where everything is available almost instantly at our fingertips – this includes a selection of new brands and businesses to order from.
With millions of active websites taking up real estate all over the Internet and competing for consumers’ attention, how do you make yours stand out? The answer may be simpler than you think: search engine optimization, or as it is known colloquially in the marketing world, SEO. You’ve probably heard about the importance of SEO, but what actually is it, and how can you use it to your brand’s advantage? Here, we’ll go over the basics of SEO, finding the right keywords for your audience, and best practices to optimize your SEO strategy. Let’s dive in.
Keywords: The Building Blocks of SEO
At the core of every SEO strategy is usually a focus on keywords. Why? Keywords help search engines direct searchers to websites based on the relevance of the words they’re inputting into the search engine. When a user searches for a specific phrase, search engines will scan websites and determine which content best matches the user’s needs. By using the right keywords on your website and digital materials, you can boost your site’s visibility by improving the ranking it gets on a search engine’s results page.
There are two buckets which keywords fall into: short-tail and long-tail. Short-tail keywords are usually generic phrases consisting of one to three words that cover a broad topic and have a much higher search volume. Some examples of this include, “graphic design services” or “coffee near me.”
On the other hand, long-tail keywords are more specific phrases that target a niche need, such as, “poodle dog groomers in Miami.” Because of their specificity, long-tail keywords generally face less competition and can drive conversion by bringing users exactly what they’re looking for. So, which should you use?
Choosing the Right Keywords
Before we get into how to choose keywords to boost your brand’s online presence and search engine discoverability, it’s important to note that both short-tail and long-tail keywords are important for a well-rounded SEO strategy. While short-tail keywords can help a wider audience discover your brand, you also face a higher volume of competition when dealing with this more general search request. Long-tail keywords help adjust for the competition by the nature of the specificity but can be more difficult to identify (and they also generate much fewer searches).
Now that we’ve established you need a mix of both generic and niche keyword options in your SEO plan, let’s talk about keyword research. There are many great tools for identifying keywords relevant to your business and goals, such as Ahrefs and Semrush. Many of these platforms are now using AI to accurately audit and predict keywords that will help boost your brand’s discoverability on search engines.
Another great way to find the right keywords for your brand is to conduct a competitor analysis, where you research the keywords your top competitors are using and ranking for. By analyzing their top-performing keywords, you can get a better insight into what phrases your target audience is using to find these businesses and potentially discover new keywords to incorporate into your digital content strategy and website.
It’s important to have a consistent way to measure and track results when testing new keywords. Without measuring search engine results, your website traffic, and conversion rates, how do you know if your SEO strategy is working? A quarterly analysis can help you make sure you stay on top of the latest search trends and don’t miss out on bringing new consumers to your site.
SEO: Best Practices
While keywords should be a primary focus of your SEO strategy, there are other best practices to consider to make sure you’re putting your best digital foot forward. For example, while a list of keywords is a great starting point, the placement of these keywords on your website and in your digital materials matters. Consider incorporating keywords into headlines, titles, and meta descriptions to help drive traffic to your page.
Another way to improve your SEO strategy is to confirm that your website loads quickly and has a user-friendly mobile view. Make sure image file sizes aren’t clogging your download speeds and always preview desktop, tablet, and mobile views before making any updates.
Besides keywords and user-friendly website optimization, another helpful SEO practice is linking – specifically backlinking and internal linking. Internal links can help search engines better map out your site and boost your page’s visibility. Backlinks from reputable websites help build up your own website’s authority and help you climb up the search engine ranks.
Conclusion
A solid SEO strategy is key to driving traffic to your website. When building out a way to boost your brand’s digital presence, remember to focus on both short-tail and long-tail keywords, conduct keyword research and competitor analysis, and implement best practices for making your website as user-friendly and efficient as possible. It’s crucial to track progress as you test new keywords and conduct a quarterly audit of your strategy to make sure you’re staying up to date with the latest search trends. Don’t miss out on potential consumers by slacking off on your SEO strategy.
