Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of today’s most important digital marketing strategies that will allow businesses to generate valuable leads.
Keeping up with established competitors can be overwhelming if you are a small business and have just started your venture in the online space. But keep in mind that best practices in SEO change. And you can leverage that to get ahead of your competitors.
In this blog, we will run down some important do’s and don’ts of SEO. This way, small businesses like yours will have a better grasp of this marketing strategy to increase your sales and conversion rates.
Do’s
61% of marketers believe that SEO, along with organic traffic, generates more leads compared to other digital marketing tactics.
Equipping your business with the best SEO practices is important to build a foundation to increase your visibility. Here are some things you should keep in mind to land a spot on search engine results pages (SERP).
Do use relevant keywords
Always have a primary keyword to target when doing SEO for web content. But your content optimization should not stop there. Finding other relevant keywords to include in your content increases your chances to rank on SERP, generating traffic and gaining sales.
Do track your website traffic
One of the most important SEO practices is regularly tracking your website performance. Without this practice, it will be impossible for you to determine which SEO strategy you were doing right or wrong. To do this, you should set metrics to focus on to help you measure the success of your goals and marketing campaigns.
Do use Google My Business
Getting listed on Google My Business aids your business in increasing your online presence and visibility in your local area. This free platform is an effective way to improve your CTR and promote your products and services. (Click here to check out the free guide we prepared to help your small business get listed on Google My Business)
Do optimize the title tag and meta description
Title tags and meta descriptions are the main selling point of your website once they appear on SERP. These two elements are the first elements your potential customers will see once they input a query on search engines. Thus, you want to ensure that these are properly optimized for you to rank and generate clicks from online users.
Don’ts
Now that you know some important SEO practices, you should also know a few things you should avoid. Some of these are the following:
Don’t stuff keywords
Keyword stuffing is a form of a black hat SEO strategy which you should not do. Keywords are important to rank your content, but you should not abuse them by spamming the keywords. Ensure the content’s quality is maintained by incorporating the most relevant keywords without overusing them.
Don’t plagiarize content
If there’s worse than keyword stuffing to hurt your rankings, it’s copying other websites’ content. Search engines can detect plagiarized content across the web. Once they have found these out, expect to receive a penalty in your rankings.
Don’t neglect what the user wants to know
Relevance is crucial to push your website’s ranking on Google. Knowing the user intent allows your website to understand what online users want to know. That way, you will better understand which topic your content should focus on.
Don’t ignore website design and interface
User experience is essential to enhance your website bounce rate and CTR. Since most online users access search engines using their phones, your website should also be optimized for mobile use.
Need help to get enhance your ranking using SEO? A digital marketing agency in Portland is just what you need!
Here at Talk Out Loud, we have a team of marketing professionals to support the growth of your small business through our digital marketing services.
For more information about us, please visit our website or you can book an appointment here or contact (800) 773-0029.
