For a lot of small to medium-sized businesses, there’s an impression that things like SEO are too complicated or expensive to use. This is far from the truth. If anything, SEO is vital to the success of any business, regardless of size.
Once you understand the basics, using SEO is relatively easy. Plus, with 58% of web traffic coming from Google search results, SEO is a tool that’s definitely worth utilizing.
What Is SEO?
SEO stands for “search engine optimization .” SEO is the process of optimizing your website to get organic traffic from search engine results. In other words, utilizing SEO means making changes to your website content and design in order to make your site more attractive to various search engines.
By doing this, you increase your chances of showing up on the top pages of search results. You shouldn’t have to settle for leaving your search results ranking up to chance.
SEO marketing is essential if you are choosing not to utilize PPC or “pay per click” ads for any of your marketing campaigns. When you place PPC ads, you are guaranteed to be shown as one of the top results on whichever search engine platform you choose.
Without utilizing PPC ads, you have to make sure that you have a strong marketing strategy that includes as many SEO techniques as you can. If you don’t utilize any SEO techniques, your landing page and website probably won’t show up in most searches, especially not on the first page of results.
That’s why it’s so important not only to understand how SEO works but also to choose the right eCommerce SEO agency for your business. With the help of the best SEO consulting services, you can increase the chances that more people will find your website.
How To Take Advantage Of SEO
SEO is an ongoing tool that, if used correctly, can significantly increase your chances of running a successful website. Below are a few helpful tips that you can follow to make sure that you are getting the most out of your SEO consulting services.
- Create A Good Domain Name
Even with your site live, not many people will find it unless you have a good domain name. That’s where SEO comes in.
If your domain name is already decided, you don’t have to worry about this step. But, this tip could help drive more traffic to your site if you don’t have the domain chosen yet.
Here are a few indicators of a good domain name:
-Displays the name of your business
-Includes no hyphens
-Is short and easy to remember
You don’t need to make sure you include any keywords at this step of the process; instead, you need to make sure your domain name is easy to remember and search for.
- Submit Your Website To Google
SEO will help you rank higher in Google’s search engine results, but if Google doesn’t know your website exists, it might never show up. Obviously, Google will eventually find you on their own, but it could take a while without a little push.
First, you need to find your sitemap. A sitemap is a file that lists all of the essential pages of your website. You can easily find it by typing one of these into your browser:
website.com/sitemap.xml
website.com/sitemap_index.xml
Once you find it, you can then submit it to Google. This will guarantee a faster discovery rate for users and occasional recommendations from Google on how to improve your website.
- Use A Quality Web Platform/Host
Most companies don’t create their website from the ground up using programming languages such as HTML or CSS unless they have a background in coding or enlist the help of someone who does. Instead, most companies utilize website platforms to create their website.
There are two types of website platforms that you can choose from.
The first type is hosted platforms. These platforms let you access everything without having to host or install anything yourself. You can select ready-made designs that you can then edit and manage without ever having to deal with code.
The second type is self-hosted platforms. This type of platform also lets you manage and edit your content without coding, but you have to host and install everything yourself.
While a self-hosted platform means more responsibility, it is what most SEO digital marketing agencies recommend. Self-hosted platforms are completely customizable and extensible, making them perfect for any SEO integrations you might have in the future, such as plugins.
If you ever intend to utilize SEO services to the fullest extent, a self-hosted website is the best option.
- Ensure A Positive Experience
Google likes to put websites on the first page of search results that provide users with a positive experience. They make this clear in their own SEO starter guide. Here are a few ways to increase the chances your users will have a positive experience:
Utilize HTTPS
If there’s something consumers hate more than anything, it’s when their data is stolen or at risk. That’s why you should always encrypt your site with SSL/TLS.
Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly
Since people search for things on their phones now more than ever, it’s important that you make sure your website isn’t impossible to use on a mobile device. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, it could cost you.
Choose An Eye-Catching Design
No one wants to look through a boring or outdated website. While this doesn’t mean that you need to entirely change how your website looks every year, it does mean that you need to pick a visually appealing design that reflects your company well.
Avoid Pop Up Ads
No one likes ads, but sometimes your site might need them. Most ads should be fine as long as they don’t interfere with the user experience. If, for some reason, you need to include ads on your website, make sure that they aren’t intrusive or annoying, like pop-ups.
Focus On Fast Load Times
Your page speed is one of the most important ranking factors on both mobile and desktop. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to have lightning-fast loading times, but it does mean that if your website loads slowly, it will likely turn users away.
- Install An SEO Plugin
It’s nearly impossible to implement even the most basic and affordable SEO services without an SEO plugin. There are plenty of quality plugins to choose from. You just need to figure out what SEO services and features you think will work best for your brand.
Once you have all of the basics down, the next step is to find a quality SEO digital marketing agency to kickstart your journey.
Shift Refresh is a US-based digital marketing agency that helps businesses smash their competition and emerge as a leader in their respective industries. We are ready to help your business not only grow but thrive. To learn more, call us at 1-888-467-3249 or visit our website https://www.shiftrefresh.com/
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