How to amp up your searchability is something entrepreneurs should be looking for, and at, as we move into the new year. Is your site being found? Are people connecting with you because they found you and your site in an organic search? Are people only finding you because you have specifically directed them to your URL? Do you know the answers to these important questions? If not, read on!
SEO — search engine optimization — is not an ethereal Internet term that only “web professionals” need to know about. As an entrepreneur you need to have an understanding of what your key words are. You need to think in terms of keywords when you’re meeting with new clients and you need ot think in terms of keywords when you’re creating content — or hiring someone to create content — for your websie and blog.
How To Amp Up Your Searchability
What can you to do review and amp up your business’s ability to be found in a search? We suggest this, at a minimum:
- Know your numbers. If you have Google analytics on your website — and you should, it’s free and robust — you can see how many visitors are coming to your site, what they’re looking at, how they’re finding you and how long they’re staying. You need to take some time to analyze and utilize that valuable information. If potential clients are searching for you using a particular phrase, you may want to consider working that into your SEO marketing plan. A busines website and/or blog needs to be a living, ever-changing entity and needs to be tweaked regularly.
- Content matters. The content on your site needs to be in alignment with your business mission, vision and keywords. Keywords and your SEO strategy need to be working in concert with one another, if not you’re losing valuable opportunities. Your SEO strategy needs to be part of the knowledge base for your employees and contractors.
- Mobile matters. How good does your website look on a mobile device, whether a tablet or a smart phone? Note: When you look at your analytics you will see how many people are looking at your site on a desktop, tablet or smart phone. If you’re seeing a lot of mobile based traffic, your site needs to translate well on mobile or people will not stick around.
- Reporting matters. Remember, you can’t take every number you find on your analytics and implement changes across the board. You need to know what matters most to you and work on that first, then move to the next number you want to measure. What metrics matter most to you? they keywords people use to find your site, the length of time they stay on the site, the page upon which they land? This is a personal/business decision, but you need to make the decision and focus some of your SEO strategy and dollars on that metric.
- Strategy matters. Take a deep breath and work on your SEO strategy methodically. It’s tempting to jump in and integrate each and every SEO strategy you hear about. That strategy may not be in your business’s best interest. We urge you to work with a company or individual who specializes in SEO and SEO strategy and one who will listen to what you want to work on first. Implement one or two changes as part of your strategy, measure results, adjust as necessary.
Stymied by SEO? Not certain who to trust in the SEO “expert” world? Give us a call or drop us a comment, we can help clear those muddy waters.