SEO can be a minefield to some; it is continually changing, so it’s understandable if you have trouble keeping up. There are some SEO tactics which can help you be ahead of the game and can give you some fantastic results. Google updates its algorithm hundreds of times per year, it is the gatekeeper to massive amounts of traffic and leads, and search engine optimisation (SEO) opens the doors, here’s what you need to know:
It’s All About Google
Last year, 73.62% of all global desktop search traffic was conducted on Google and to win at SEO, you have to play by Google’s rules. Ranking high on Yahoo or Bing is nice, but companies who rank on Google are likely getting the most business. Google receives over 63,000 searches per second on any given day. Potential customers don’t want to feel heavily marketed to but if you’re ranking well in search engines enables them to do their own research, and it works out for you because a lot of people are online searching for what you offer.
…And Mobile
More Google searches take place on mobile devices than on computers in 10 countries, including the U.S. and Japan. Even with knowing how important mobile devices are, so many many websites are still not designed to account for different screen sizes and page load times. Mobile optimisation takes not only a look at your website design, but also the site structure, page speed, and so much more.
Speed is Essential
When it comes to visiting websites, there is nothing more annoying than seeing the page loading speed being slower than your broadband provider. Site speed is a HUGE ranking factor, so improving it is a fantastic opportunity for your website.
Tell People You’re There
No one is going to accidentally stumble across your website unless you tell them about it and where they can find you. A straightforward, quick win for SEO is Sitemap submissions. By submitting your sitemap within Google Search Console, you are essentially telling search engines ‘This is what pages my site has, please come and check it out!’.
Reclaim Old Mentions
One of the quickest SEO wins is reclaiming unlinked brand mentions. All you need to do is to search your brand name within Search Engines, and locate the online publications which mention your business – but don’t have a link in. You can also you some great tools such as Buzzsumo and Meltwater, to track this.
A digital strategy is vital in 2019, and it can be scary, overwhelming and seem like a lot to do, but there are an increasing amount of companies specialising in this and can take it off your hands. Your website has the potential to be at the top of those search engine results, so get it up there. Whatever it is that you do, make sure when people are searching for your product or service that you are the first place they see. No one goes onto the second page, so don’t get stuck there.
