If you have ever investigated digital marketing, you have probably come across the term SEO, or search engine optimisation.
Creating a website for your business is one thing but generating traffic and increasing your exposure is another. Understanding SEO and meeting the requirements that are set out by search engines means that your content can be exposed to lots more potential customers. In fact, 89% of all clicks happen on the first page of Google, so making sure that keywords, phrases and locations are included on the website can really help to generate the overall exposure to your brand.
Well, how does SEO work? When your website is made, search engines like Google consider over 200 different factors to determine which sites rank highly. Websites that adhere to Google's standards are more likely to reach the first few pages, which will in turn optimise your visibility online! These standards include having relevant information, specific keywords, backlinks, and sometimes a specific location that will link to the user’s device when they search for something.
These are not the only benefits that come with understanding and using SEO! Search engine optimisation also brings relevant users to your site, which will better your chances of promoting your product to a large number of people, resulting in more revenue.
Areas that will improve your SEO:
Keywords: research which keywords are the best to use for your brand, by testing which words give you the most amount of engagement, and using tools such as Google Trends, and keyword optimisation. Although finding out which keywords will work best may need to be tested through trial and error, they are one of the best ways to improve your search engine optimisation and give your brand a better chance of being noticed by potential customers. Make sure that your keywords stand out from the competition, but are also still relevant to your brand. Get into your customers' heads – imagine what they may be searching for when they come across your website. Once you come to terms with the best keywords to use for your website, your website can be evaluated to see if they are included in your website's HTML (Hypertext Markup Language).
On-page optimisation, or on page SEO, are the measures that take place directly on a website’s page, and will overall improve the website’s search ranking. On-page SEO is the opposite to Off-page SEO, which refers to optimisation that happens outside of your site to improve the site in search rankings. On-page SEO refers to elements such as using the correct keywords, optimising your title tags, and meta descriptions, as well as creating high-quality and relevant content that adheres to the standards of search engines.
URLS: having a URL that is short and includes keywords is great when getting your site to rank higher. Having around 4/5 words in a URL is better for the algorithm, as it holds a lot of weight and explains briefly what the website is about. If some of these words are keywords, even better. Having a properly structured URL that seems professional and informative can really help your site reach a higher ranking.
Off-page SEO: once you have your keywords and on-page SEO sorted, it’s time to promote your website and get it out there. This is where networking plays an essential role in promoting your business. Having backlinks from other websites (where another website links to yours) can really help search engines to recognise your website and rank it highly. This could be through an article, a blog, or just a recommendation to your website. In order for other companies to acknowledge your site, to begin with, creating frequent and high-quality content is a must. Off-page SEO includes factors like backlinks, social media mentions, and influencer marketing; these are all factors that happen outside of your site and help search engines like Google to rank your website higher, as your site becomes more popular and trustworthy.
Contact us at enquiries@theoceanagency.co.uk to find out how we could help you captivate your audience.