Here at WPamplify, we help our clients by optimizing their websites every month to help them show up in search results. SEO is important for your online marketing efforts, because it organically brings people to your site. In this guide, we are going to go over a few basics of SEO for businesses.
What is SEO?
To begin with, we want to define this term you’ve likely heard over and over in relation to websites; SEO. SEO stands for search engine optimization, which is the process we use to give Google the right information to help your site come up to the top of search results pages.
For example, if you are looking for a plumber near me, Google is going to find a website that it thinks will give you the best option for a plumber in your area. The same goes for any search you do. The goal is to create a user-friendly website that has valuable information so that you get chosen above others.
Basics to SEO
In order to help Google chose your website over others, there are things you can do every month to give yourself a better chance. Here are the top things you should consider:
1. Spend Time on Keyword Research
A keyword is a word or phrase that someone searches to find an answer. When you add those relevant keywords to your content, it helps Google know that your page or post will contain the answer a user is looking for. Keyword research is the basis of everything we do in SEO. Without it, we can’t target the search terms people are looking for.
You can use tools such as Ubbersuggest to help you determine if a keyword is worth it. Look for a term that gets traffic each month, but also has a green score, which means that it is easy to rank for. The terms that have high competition are red and harder to get traffic for.
2. Look For Related Search Terms (LSI)
LSI keyword, otherwise known as related search terms, are words that Google has deemed relevant to your main keyword. To find your related terms, do a Google search for that phrase and then scroll to the bottom of the results page to find a section called “related searches”. If there are any phrases that are related to your main keyword, they will show up in bold in this section.
Use any of the bolded words that are relevant to the content you wrote. As a note, it is not helpful to add in words that aren’t relevant to you.
3. Pick The Right Pages on Your Website
Now that you know which keywords are best suited to your business, you will need to find content on your website that supports those keywords. Your homepage will not be stuffed with all of the information relevant to your business. So, you can’t add all of your keywords to that page. Instead, you should have dedicated pages on the site for each phrase you want to rank for.
Choose pages that talk about the information related to the terms you chose. If you don’t have pages that address that information, take the time to write them.
4. Place The Keywords in Your Content
One of the most confusing things to people is where they need to add the keywords on your site. At one time, tags were a big thing in SEO and you could just add a list of words you wanted to rank for. However, this is a strategy that is no longer used in SEO. Instead, you will need to manually add these keywords to the page.
Here is a breakdown of where your main search term should appear on the page you are optimizing:
- Title – this refers to the title of the page or blog post.
- Headline – this refers to the headers in your content, which are the bolded phrases that you add to your pages to help readers skim your information.
- Image tag – when you click on the image and go to the media gallery, you can add the keyword to the alt tag section.
- Meta description – the meta is the short paragraph that displays on a search results page and tells you briefly what the page is about. This is a user’s first impression of your website and what they use to decide if your page will answer their question. Make sure you add the keyword you picked to this description.
- SEO title – the SEO title is the blue linked phrase that you see on a search results page. It appears above the meta description. This phrase should include your keyword. It should also be short enough that it is not cut off in the search results.
Your LSI, or related terms can be scattered in relevant places throughout the rest of the content. It’s important that you only add them where it makes sense. This could mean you have to write a new paragraph or section to get it in there naturally.
5. Google My Business
For local business, investing in Google My Business is key. We consider this to be your second website. This free listing allows you to add your pertinent business information, hours, location, services, and more. If you don’t own the listing or have one, you will need to claim it or create one.
Once you have ownership of your Google My Business listing, take the time to fully fill it out. Depending on your industry, you may be able to add specific information to the page. For example, some industries can add products and links to those products on the listing. Others are able to add their menu. Whatever options GMB gives you, fill it in.
6. Get Backlinks To Your Website
A backlink is like a vote for your site from other websites. Anytime you can get another website to link to yours, it is considered a backlink. This can take many forms. Here are a few of the top backlinking strategies you can use:
- Guest post on other sites
- Submit your business to directory listings
- Appear on podcasts
- Sponsor events
If you are working with another organization or business, ask them to link back to your site.
Contact us Today For Ongoing SEO
These are a few basics to SEO that the experts here at WPamplify use every month to help our customers. We handle the SEO on your site so you don’t have to spend time on it when you could be helping your own customers. Get in touch with us today if you have questions.
We’d be happy to provide you with a free SEO site audit. Just sign-up here and we’ll send you information to get started.
