Search engine optimisation (SEO) is highly technical and there are many influencing factors (more than 200, according to Google) that determine where your brand sits amongst the search results. It’s no wonder that it’s difficult to know for sure what you need to do to make it to page one – and stay there.
It is difficult to understand every element of SEO, especially as Google deliberately reveals little about how it ranks results.
Yet there are nine simple things you can do to maximise the general and local SEO opportunities for your website.
1. Answer audience questions with quality content.
The first thing you need to remember with SEO is that people go to Google with very specific questions in mind. The page that can best answer each question is the one Google wants to link them to.
It could be anything from how to cook steak, to where to get the best deal on new car tyres, to the definition of SEO.
Because of this, it’s important to consider what questions people most commonly ask relating to your products and services.
Here are a few ways you can search for the most frequently asked questions relevant to your business:
- Talk to your sales team
- Review the questions sent to your contact forms and social media accounts
- Explore FAQ sections of your biggest competitors
- Use a keyword search tool such as Ubersuggest, enter in your product/service, and switch to the ‘question’ section
Once you have a good understanding of the questions your potential customers want answered, spend time creating quality, useful content that answers them.
2. Use keywords.
While Google’s algorithms have evolved significantly since the early days of search, and there is now much more to SEO than just keywords, they are still the connection between your website and your potential customer’s Google search.
That’s why you need to decipher which keywords your audience is typing into Google and then sprinkle them throughout your website (not just in your blog posts).
Never force keywords. This is known as ‘keyword stuffing’ and Google will punish brands they find doing this by sending you down the rankings rather than up. Instead, work your keywords into your website naturally.
Here’s where you should be using your keywords for maximum effect:
- Headlines
- Subheadings
- Throughout all content (including blogs and your landing pages)
- In the captions and alt text of images
- In meta descriptions and title tags
- Hyperlinked to other pages within your website
- In URLs
All of this will tell Google what your website is about, and will help to ensure that your brand gets seen in the results when a customer searches for those keywords.
RELATED: Why great SEO is so much more than just keywords.
3. Optimise for mobile.
In 2015, Google confirmed that more people were searching online using their mobile phones than laptops or desktop devices. In 2021, Google officially moved to ‘mobile-first indexing’ which means that it predominantly uses the mobile version of a website for indexing and ranking.
That’s why it is absolutely vital that your website is optimised for mobile. Google will give preference to websites with mobile-friendly pages, so your content must be easy to read and navigate, quick to load and user-friendly.
For example, if a page doesn’t load within three seconds, 53% of users will exit and go elsewhere. That’s potentially half of your customer base gone if your mobile site isn’t fast enough.
You can test the mobile responsiveness of your page using Google’s own mobile-friendly test, and you can also test site speed with Google.
4. Share your content for more backlinks.
Once you’ve created your content and optimised the basics you need to get backlinks.
Backlinks are links to your site from other websites – the more authoritative the website providing the link, the better.
For example, if there was an article on the ABC’s website that linked back to you, that would give your website significantly more authority, because the ABC is one of the biggest websites in Australia.
It’s similar to if a noted expert were to endorse your brand on TV – awareness and trust increase because that person is a prominent figure. This is similar, in principle, to how backlinks work.
Getting backlinks is not easy, and a massive 66.31% of web pages don’t have a single backlink, even though it is one of Google’s biggest search factors. That’s why if you can get even one backlink, you’ll already be ahead of a lot of your competition.
An important step is getting your content out there and getting people to visit your page. You can do this by sharing your posts out to people on your email list or on social media. If your content is high quality, informative, and helpful, those people will share it with others, increasing your traffic, while also boosting your chances of getting backlinks from other sites.
RELATED: SEO boosting backlinks – the what, the why and how to get them for free.
5. Claim your Google Business Profile.
If you haven’t already done so, you’ll need to claim your Google Business Profile. This is where you add basic information about your business, such as your address, contact number, business category, opening hours and photos.
It’s crucial to keep this updated, as it will increase the chances that your name pops up whenever someone Googles terms relating to your business and area. Many customers also rely on Google for information about your opening hours and contact details (rather than going to your website), so getting it wrong can mean missing out on customers even when they do find you.
RELATED: How to set up and update your Google Business Profile.
6. Make sure your contact details are up to date.
Double check that all your contact information (address, phone number, email, opening hours, and any other relevant information) is current and appears on every page of your website, or any other site where you have a business presence, such as Facebook.
This is because Google doesn’t just use the information from your Google My Business page, but also your website, to determine your local rankings. It’s called your website ‘NAP’ data – name, address and phone number – and Google will use it to verify your correct information when creating search results.
If this data conflicts with what’s on your Google My Business page or is inconsistent, Google might not feature your brand in its search results in favour of another brand that offers concrete information.
7. Make the most of directory listings.
Google (and other search engines) will also rank your business based on local search citations, which refer to mentions of your business on other websites. The more well-regarded those websites are, the more value they are to you – which is why not having your business listed is missing out on an easy local SEO boost.
Having a comprehensive directory listing with all your vital business info on Yellow Pages Online will therefore give you even more local SEO juice.
8. Encourage customer reviews.
Online reviews are worth their weight in gold, not just for boosting your business reputation but also for your local search ranking.
Websites or businesses with genuine customer reviews are typically ranked higher in local search results than those without, so be sure to encourage your customers to put in a good word online.
RELATED: How to get more online reviews for your business.
9. Utilise social media.
One of the most important factors for ranking highly in local search results is building up your business online.
Focusing your efforts on social media platforms that work well for your audience will help with prominence, link building, local citations and growing your overall online presence. Be sure to add a link to your website from your social media, not just so your customers can use it to find your website, but so Google can find it as well.
