How to Continue to Choose the Right Keywords

Your website has the power to be your best salesperson – but not if you are using the wrong keywords. Keywords are the crucial element in making sure that your website ranks high on search engine result pages, after all.

While everyone knows about SEO, not everyone is exactly sure how to choose the right keywords. If you are just now getting into the SEO game it can be especially daunting.

It helps to keep in mind that when it comes to choosing keywords, you goal is to figure out what keywords your potential customers are using to search for your products and services and then connect your website to those keywords. You also should keep in mind the following:

  1. It’s important to size up the competition. What are they blogging about? What do their landing pages look like? Are there particular keywords that appear repeatedly in their copy? If their website shows up on the first page of search results you will know the keywords they are using get noticed.
  2. Generic keywords don’t work. Keywords do not have to be just one word. In fact, it’s probably better if they aren’t. A little specificity goes a long way. For example, if you sell floor coverings, “tile” or “carpet” are going to be pretty competitive words and probably won’t do you a lot of good. Instead, focus on more descriptive phrases such as “porcelain floor tile” or “laminate wood flooring.”
  3. Testing is essential. You need to test how particular keywords work. You may be surprised to learn how a slight change in words or word order can make a significant difference. If you don’t test, however, you will never know which combinations work better than others.
  4. Region-specific keywords can make a big impact. When you add your city and state as keyword phrases, as well as the address of your business, this lets the search engines know you serve that market. This will help to drive local traffic to your site.

Coming up with an initial set of keywords can be a lot of work. And the fact is, you probably won’t get it right the first time. However, it does get easier over time since you will have a baseline for knowing what works and what doesn’t work. The key to success is to always pay close attention to how your website is ranking on search engine result pages. That way you can make the changes necessary to excel at SEO.

Now More than Ever Local Businesses Need to Concentrate on SEO

Many small businesses believe they do not need to be concerned with SEO but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, recent changes to SEO practices have shifted a great deal of focus to local SEO, making it more important than ever to small and local businesses.

Local businesses that aren’t maximizing their SEO results are likely to lose potential customers to their competitors who are easier to find online. It is essential, therefore, that businesses keep up with changes in SEO in order to achieve a higher local SEO ranking. After all, if you are a small, local business most of your sales leads will be local.

If you still believe SEO isn’t something you need to invest in, you might change your mind after considering the following:

  1. Local SEO improves your visibility because it gives you a better spot on a search engine result pages that show only local businesses.
  2. Local SEO attracts a very specific target audience. If are a painting company and someone types in house painters in your area, it is likely they really want someone to paint their house. This leads to much better conversion rates.
  3. Local SEO results in less competition. If your customers are looking for an interior designer, they likely want one in their area. In most cases, they don’t want to do business with someone four states away. If there are only a handful of interior designers in your area, your pool of competitors just got a whole lot smaller and your chance of landing a new customer a whole lot greater.
  4. Local SEO is an important element when it comes to mobile apps. Research shows that more than half of all internet searches take place on mobile phones. If you aren’t visible through SEO on mobile devices, people will not be able to find you. What’s more, Google reports that if an individual looks for a business on his or her phone, they are likely to visit that business the same

While small businesses may think that SEO is something they need not concern themselves with, this is absolutely false. In fact, SEO is critical to the success of all businesses, no matter how big or how small.

 

 

Your Business is Online. Now What?

If you own a business, getting that business up and running online can seem like a Herculean task. When it finally goes live, it may be tempting to sit back and bask in your accomplishment but that is the last thing you should do.

While it’s true that more than 90 percent of consumers go online to look for products and services, just because you are online doesn’t mean these consumers will find you. In fact, not actively promoting your brand online is the same as not being online at all.

According to The First 5 Things to Do After Getting Your Business Online, an article by the small business editor at Small Business Trends, there are some critical steps you need to take to keep your business moving forward after it goes online.

  1. Use your domain name to promote your brand
  2. Create lots and lots (did we mention a lot) of content
  3. Find customers through email, social media, and search engine optimization
  4. Create ecommerce capabilities and/or capture leads online
  5. Remain flexible and open to new ways of doing things

Don’t get discouraged if you can’t accomplish every item on this list immediately or perfectly. The important thing is that you have a plan and continue to work toward your online goals.

Keep track of what you learn and don’t be afraid to make adjustments along the way.  As your needs change, you may need a full-fledged ecommerce site or you may want to make your website mobile-friendly.

Of course, if you feel that you are in over your head when it comes to getting notice online, it might be time to enlist some help. At GoLeads, we have helped people just like you create content, actively connect with new customers, and capture leads. And that is just the beginning.

Finally, remember that just because your business is online, it doesn’t mean you can only use online methods to get it noticed. A combination of online and offline marketing tactics is usually the best strategy for getting your business noticed.

The Changing World Of SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Just when you think you have figured out how best to leverage search engine optimization (SEO) to effectively promote your business and website, Google changes things up. Last month, marketers began to notice changes in Google’s algorithms but no one expected anyone at Google to comment on these changes. And then, uncharacteristically, they did.

Google tells us that changes have been made to its primary algorithm which measures quality content. These changes are related to how often content is shared across social media channels, as well as the amount of time visitors spend on a website. The following article spells out these changes in more detail: http://searchenginewatch.com/sew/how-to/2409919/has-google-turned-up-social-signals-as-a-ranking-factor

Change can be frightening, especially when your business and livelihood are on the line. While there is no reason to panic, the changes Google has put in place are an important reminder of why it is crucial to have a solid SEO strategy in place. A strategy that is focused not only on sustaining your current SEO ranking but on increasing it, as well. Your SEO strategy also should ensure that you avoid penalties that lead to poor rankings. http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/246371?ctp=BizDev&src=Syndication&msc=FoxNews

We’ve known for quite some time that mobile websites are vital to a company’s success. With more and more people accessing the internet from their mobile devices, companies without mobile apps are seriously lagging behind the competition. And with new changes to the Google algorithm, a mobile friendly website is more important than ever. http://searchenginewatch.com/sew/how-to/2402354/mobile-optimization-and-the-google-algorithm-change-7-steps-to-stay-friendly

Running a successful business can take up a great deal of your time and energy. When you have the added pressure of keeping up with SEO changes, producing quality content, and constantly updating your social media sites, you may be wondering how you can possibly do it all. At GoLeads, we’re here to help. We can provide you with the guidance and support you need to make sure that your business takes advantage of the changes in SEO, including its emphasis on mobile apps and social media. All while leaving you free to concentrate on your core business.