A Needle in a Haystack?
In the modern world, marketing yourself online is vital. Research shows that when someone who has access to the internet needs something, they search for it on the web. The percentage that does so depends on the product, but it is roughly between 70 per cent and 95 per cent.
Sadly, if you are a company or sole trader with an online presence, you are one of hundreds or, in some cases, thousands of firms trying to be found online. The only way to ensure you are the one people find is to get your SEO strategy right. Given that over 66 per cent of all searches in the English language are carried out using Google, your SEO strategy needs to be Google friendly.
Beating the Google Algorithm
The problem is that Google is constantly moving the goal posts. They are continuously tweaking the algorithms they use to determine which website has the information searchers are looking for. This means that an SEO strategy that is Google friendly today may stop working tomorrow.
The best tip is to seek professional help. A Search Engine Optimization (or SEO) specialist has a much better understanding of what works now than you could ever have.
However, if you are on a tight budget, you may not have any choice but to do your own SEO. Luckily, there are still strategies you can use that have worked for years and are not likely to stop working in the future. There have always been certain things Google have rewarded.
Content is King
Google really does reward good content. Make sure that your website contains information that will really help your customers.
Try to turn your website into an authority site. Sites with plenty of pages relating to a subject automatically look important to Google.
However, be careful not to duplicate pages on your site. Google penalizes sites which have duplicated content on them.
Keep Your Site Fresh
Refresh your information regularly. Doing this ensures your site is up to date and gives Google’s bots new information to find.
Add video and images to your site. Google likes to see a balance between text and other information on websites. Make sure you label videos and images using relevant keywords to get the most out of them.
The Role of Keywords
The phrases you use on your website are what tell Google’s bots what your site is about. You need to sprinkle each page of your website with relevant phrases known as keywords.
However, use them carefully – too many on one page and Google will penalize you. Put your main keyword in your page title, first paragraph and last paragraph. That is enough for a 300-400 word page. For every additional 125-150 words, add another occurrence of that keyword.
The more pages you have on your website, the more keywords or phrases you can target without Google slapping your site down.
Linking Internally & Externally
Last, but not least, are links. Link the pages on your site to each other properly. Google likes it and people will stay on your site longer if it is easy to navigate. Get other people to link to your website.
However, when it comes to backlink quality is far, far more important than quantity. The likes from Facebook, Google+ links and other social links are very powerful, so target them.
About The Author – Amy Harris is a writer for Expert Market- which offers a free service to businesses, providing a sourcing tool for finding office equipment and business services (such as cheap post in the UK). She enjoys helping assist businesses in sourcing products and services at an affordable rate.