According to recent studies, over 90% of pages online receive no organic traffic from Google. This means the only traffic these sites see is from paid promotions or direct links.
The problem with having pages like this on your website is that you’ll never see progress without continually paying for your hits. So how can you fix this? By learning to promote with SEO.
Known as one of the most effective marketing solutions to earn your business virtually free promotion, SEO is the ultimate way to gain long-lasting traction online and grow your business.
Ready to embrace this marketing strategy and learn how to make SEO work for you? Follow along to discover where to start to promote your website with SEO techniques.
What Is SEO
SEO or search engine optimization is the practice of tailoring your website to satisfy a search engine’s algorithm. In essence, you’ll be designing and producing content for your site in a way that earns preference from sites like Google.
This technique works to improve your organic traffic by boosting your position on results pages. With this, you’ll begin earning valuable clicks from users without paid ads.
SEO is a low-cost way to promote your business with long-lasting results. While paid advertisements still have their place, the effects of SEO stick with you for much longer and ultimately help your business grow more sustainably.
Keyword Research
Google’s mission is to offer users the best answers to their questions. To do this, the engine uses crawlers to gather information from sites and sort them into the index.
For your site to rank for a search query, you’ll need to let Google know you’ve got the answers by utilizing keywords.
Essentially, the keywords you target will be the ones users are typing in to find you. If you can provide the best answer to those keywords, you’ll have a better chance of being found.
Of course, this means you’ll need to invest some time and energy into finding the right keywords for your business. Make use of keyword planners, use Google’s related search function, and check out your competition to see what’s working for them.
Once you’ve got the best keywords for your needs, start incorporating them in your headings, page titles, and even image descriptions.
Prioritize User Experience
As the algorithm becomes smarter, Google has placed a massive amount of weight on your user experience. This is because Google only wants to promote websites that reflect well on the engine.
To do this, you’ll want to simplify your design to be easy and problem-free for your users (and the engine) to navigate.
This will include optimizing elements like your mobile site, navigation menu, and even your site load time.
Create Killer Content
One of the most important elements in your SEO strategy is content creation.
To start with, all of your pages should be enriched with keywords and compelling copy. This will gain traction on the SERPs and capture your reader’s attention. Of course, your main pages won’t be enough to provide the amount of content needed to rank well and draw in traffic.
For best results, consider incorporating a blog and posting frequently. This will give you an opportunity to target a broader range of keywords to capture customers at different stages of the sales funnel.
Creating blog content is also a great way to incorporate other SEO techniques such as linking and video promotion which we will touch on later on.
Prioritize Links
Both internal and incoming external links are incredibly valuable for your website.
Internal links can be placed strategically through your site to do one of two important jobs. First, they help users navigate more seamlessly through your content. With well-placed links, you’ll be able able to steer traffic through your sales funnel and keep customers on your page for longer.
Additionally, internal links serve to increase the chances of your pages being found by google’s crawlers. The little Google bots that crawl your content to index find content by following links. By providing ample opportunities, there’s a better chance your content will make it into the index and have a chance to rank on the SERPs.
The anchor text that you choose for these links also gives Google hints as to what the content is about so be sure to tie them in with valuable keywords.
External links, called backlinks, are what build your authority in the eyes of Google by showing the engine you are a reliable source for that subject. The more reputable sites that link to you, the higher Google will rank you.
To gain these links, consider trying guest posting, ensuring your site is listed in all major directories, or even asking fellow business owners to trade links.
Leverage Popular Content
When producing content, consider what users are enjoying and what Google likes to feature. Right now, the most effective content to promote your business is video.
Video is a great tool to keep users engaged for longer. This is great for sales and also shows search engines that you can captivate an audience.
Beyond this, video is often featured at the top of search results to improve Google’s user experience as well. By producing a great video promo you’ll actually stand a chance at gaining a feature video spot and maximizing your site’s visibility.
Go Local
The internet is a big place and some keywords that are relevant to your business may not be realistic to rank for.
Instead of keeping your SEO technique broad and competing with the biggest fish in the internet sea, consider narrowing your focus to perform better in your local area.
This technique is called Local SEO and is ideal for businesses that rely on traffic within a certain geographical range to succeed.
To promote locally, tailor your keywords with locations, build localized backlinks, and ensure your local business listings are up to date and optimised.
Promote Your Business with SEO
Now that you know how to get started with SEO and promote your growing business, it’s time to set to work.
From diving into keyword research to tailoring your SEO approach, we’re confident you’ll see lasting results with this affordable and effective solution.
Want to learn more about SEO and how to promote your website? Check out our other articles to find everything you need to know to grow your business and more.
