Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is essential for making your business’s presence known to the 85% of Americans who are regular Internet users. Appearing on the first page of Google when someone types in your business or industry is more important than ever. People turn to the Internet as a resource for researching and contacting businesses over using a phone book or Yellow Pages. Google has created algorithms to determine what websites are relevant to the searcher and what websites are not.
SEO involves following industry best-practices that correspond with the criteria search engine robots look for in a credible site. I could write a novel covering all the tricks-of-the-trade that the Google bots enforces to score highly in its favor… but then I’d have to re-write it all again next month! Google’s algorithms are constantly changing to keep marketers on their toes prevent spammers from cheating the system. Google praises those who do their research and understand how to optimize their web pages to fit their quality guidelines, and punishes those who abuse it.
We have found that many of our clients use SEO in one of two ways: either as an afterthought or complete overkill. Both are major pitfalls in the practice. By forgoing SEO tactics, you are missing a valuable opportunity to increase your organic search engine ranking free of charge. By implementing SEO overkill, loading your text with keywords, hiding texts or links on your page, and using sneaky tactics to trick the Google bots, it actually negatively affects your search engine ranking.
Here are a few easy ways to creatively increase your SEO:
- Infographics: Infographics are designed to be shared, and often go viral on visual mediums like blogs and social media. And though Google cannot read images, your target market will! By linking the infographic back to your website, you will increase the number of inbound links that count toward your website’s relevancy score. With a pretty design and interesting text, and boosting publicity of the image through social media and your own blog, your infographic will be SEO gold.
- Have a Facebook and Twitter Presence: In the past, Google used to derive SEO benefits from having an active Google+ page. However, after many failed attempts to make Google+ more relevant to consumers and businesses, Google is putting more emphasis on social signals from Facebook and Twitter. Since the social medium platforms have such a strong credibility as websites, your business’s webpage linked to a business profile on these sites will boost your SEO.
- Optimize Your Mobile Site: Regardless if someone is looking at your site on a desktop or mobile device, if your site does not have a mobile component to it, your SEO is hurting bad. Depending on what platform your site is built out of, adding a mobile site is as easy as flipping a switch. Check out this tool to see if your site is mobile-friendly.
Your SEO will not improve overnight. It is a lengthy process with worthwhile results. If you’re SEO is not where you’d like it to be, you’re in luck! TRIO has hired a Digital Marketing Specialist, Brady Grimm. Reach out to us with your digital marketing needs, we’ll help you find a solution.
