September 20, 2024
How do you get your website to show up in google?
We get asked this question a lot! These days, making this happen (although still tricky) is a lot more accessible to everyone. Gone is the rhetoric of this only being achieved by tech whizz-kids and those who can make it happen hold some kind of magical power. In this blog post, we'll guide you through the essential practices that every business owner should know to boost their online presence.
In today's digital age, having a great website is vital, but is no longer enough to really get your money's worth. If you want your website to be found by potential customers, it's crucial to optimise it for search engines (like Google, Bing and Yahoo). In short, search engine optimisation (SEO) is a powerful tool that ensures your website ranks higher on these platforms, helping you attract more visitors and ultimately grow your business.
1. Keyword Research: The Foundation of SEO
Before diving into technical SEO tactics, it all starts with keyword research. Keywords are the terms your audience types into search engines to find information. By identifying the right keywords relevant to your business, you can create content that aligns with what people are searching for. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to discover high-volume keywords, balancing both broad and long-tail (specific) search terms.
For instance, if you're a local bakery, keywords like “best bakery in [your city]” or “gluten-free cakes near me” might be highly relevant. Once you have your keywords, incorporate them naturally throughout your website's content, headings, and meta descriptions. It's important to consider your website visitors when incorporating keywords on your website, try to make them flow naturally into your information flow and prioritise using them across headings.
2. On-Page SEO: Structuring Your Content for Search Engines
Search engines look more favourably at well-structured, easy-to-read content. To optimise your pages, ensure that your content is organised with clear headings (H1, H2, H3), which help both readers and search engines navigate your website. As mentioned above, include your target keywords in these headings, but don’t overdo it—keyword stuffing can hurt your rankings.
Don’t forget about internal linking: Linking to other relevant pages on your website helps both users and search engines find more of your content, improving overall engagement and helping with site navigation.
3. Meta Descriptions and Title Tags: Make Them Count
Meta descriptions and title tags are short pieces of text that show up on search engine results pages (SERPs). They may be small, but they play a significant role in attracting clicks. A compelling title tag (under 60 characters) and a well-crafted meta description (around 155 characters) can improve your click-through rate (CTR).
Ensure that both contain your target keywords, but make sure they also sound natural and enticing to users. Sticking with our bakery example, a good meta description might be, “Discover the best gluten-free cakes in [your city] at [business name] – quality ingredients, freshly baked daily.”
