OK, let’s talk about SEO: What is it and why is it important?
You really can’t discuss digital marketing without hearing the word “SEO” at least once. You’ll probably also hear how important SEO is to your digital marketing strategy. To understand its importance, though, you have to know what SEO really means. SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization, which is optimizing your website to rank higher in search engine results. SEO encompasses several rules and elements that make your website more visible. The more visible your website, the more traffic you’ll have, which results in more opportunities to grow your client base.
So why is it important for your website to show up higher on a search engine results page? A 2018 study found that 65% of internet users click on one of the top five listings on a search results page. Internet users trust their search engines, so having your website listed higher on their results page, in turn, increases the trust of your website. Plus, paying attention to your site’s SEO isn’t just beneficial for search engine rankings. It also improves website usability and user experience.
Now that you know what SEO is and why it is so important, let’s cover some of the elements you can use in your website to improve SEO.
Keywords
Keywords are the terms or phrases that people will use to search for what’s on your site. Not long ago, all you needed to increase your website’s SEO were the right keywords. Even though this is no longer the case, you should still keep keywords in mind when optimizing your website’s SEO. Today you have to do a good deal of research and be extremely selective with the keywords you choose to include in your content. Be on the lookout for words that are highly searched, but also low in competition. You don’t want to include keywords that a lot of other websites are using, even if they are highly searched, because this lowers your chances of ranking higher in search results. It is also a good idea to choose shorter words over longer words or phrases. Using keywords in your titles, subtitles, and URL can also help with SEO for your website.
Content
Content can be anything from blog posts, videos, testimonials, social media posts, infographics, and more. It’s how you reach and engage with your audience, so it has become a crucial part of SEO. The content you add to your website needs to be well thought out, interesting, engaging, and informative to build a relationship with people visiting your website.
Local SEO
As smartphone usage continues to increase, so does the importance of local SEO. Research done by Search engine land found that 57% of all internet searches originated on a smartphone or tablet. That means if someone was searching for a mortgage loan in your area, local SEO would ensure that your bank would be more likely to show up higher in the results. To optimize local SEO, choose local keywords that reflect things and places in your area, include location-specific pages on your website, and never forget to create business pages on Google My Business and Google Maps.
Although SEO can be complex, it’s still crucial to climbing the ranks of search engine results. It might seem a bit overwhelming at first. However, implementing these three elements one step at a time will make the process easier and make a difference in driving more traffic to your website.
