The internet is the wild west of marketing, and learning to wrangle it is a must know. Honing your use of SEO, or Search engine optimization is one of the most effective ways of mastering digital marketing. The main purpose of SEO is to increase your website’s visibility by drawing in more possible clients. This is done by improving your website’s chances of appearing in online searches. There are a few methods to making this happen, such as utilizing SEO services, but it is important to understand the basic SEO for a new website before starting the hiring process.
- Building an SEO Friendly Webpage
The first step to online marketing is having an SEO friendly website. This type of work is known as on-page SEO, as it deals with everything on your webpage. Your company website needs to be easily accessible to your audience. Information needs to be delivered clearly. Viewers will not be happy if they must look for the information they want. This leads to making sure the page is set up in an aesthetically pleasing way. An ugly webpage can make a business look unprofessional. Content needs to load fast, or possible clients might click off the page. Keywords are important, and you should include them in the title tag, URL, and then the first hundred words. Having brand-specific keywords are even better. By using them, you increase your chance of appearing at the top of the search page.
- Taking Marketing Off-Page
Just as there is a branch of SEO focusing on the webpage, there is one concentrating on what is not. That branch is known as off-page SEO. This type of SEO deals with the search engine and making your company appear higher on it. It’s important to have a good mixture of both branches when designing your SEO plan. Below we’ll look at the common forms of off-page.
- The Difference Between Good and Bad Backlinks
To put it simply, backlinks are links that exist on other webpages that lead back to yours. They are helpful as search engines consider websites with the most backlinks more important. Backlinks are good for a page’s traffic, but you must make sure they are good. You want your backlinks to be on a trusted webpage with similar content as yours. Websites that have been penalized by the search engine should not be linking your website. Before getting a website to create a backlink to your page, make sure to carefully check them out.
- The Power of Local SEO
Local SEO is valuable for any business with a brick-and-mortar shop. The purpose of local SEO is to attract clients not only to your webpage but to your physical building. Most companies try using the Local 3-Pack method, which pushes for their business to be one of the first three listed in a search engine’s map. This is important as most consumers do not look past the first few businesses listed in a search menu. Good reviews and relevance to the topic is a key factor in keeping your business high on the list.
- Being Social on Social Media
There are no escaping social media in this age. Most companies use social media as a chance to reach out to their audience. Those that don’t run the risk of being forgotten. Beyond this, social media pages also appear in search engines, giving your company even more of a chance to pop up. Having a social media page also gives you a trusted backlink as it is another page that you run. Remember, most social media platforms have their search engine that you can utilize. The same rules apply when designing your social media profile as when you build a website. You want clear information and professionalism.
The world of marketing can be a tough one, and the digital world is always changing. Having a strong understanding of the basics is the foundation for tackling the digital market, no matter how much it changes. By following these tips, you’ll be one step closer to promoting your business in the modern world and seeing an increase in your website’s traffic.
Delan Cooper is a writer with years of experience in marketing communication. He enjoys meeting new people and reading more books to get inspired for his own book. Connect with him on Twitter.