What’s SEO and how can it help my business?

Search engine optimisation (SEO) can sometimes feel like a bit of a black hole. We know it’s there but it’s not always simple to see and understand everything that is a part of it when it comes to digital marketing. So what is SEO and how can it help my business?

Keyword for searches and links to related websites was historically how SEO was born. In recent years, this has all transformed to what one could term ‘Search user optimization,’ as SEO is now premised upon creating content and websites that provide value for users. Below are some elements that are quite integral to contemporary search engine optimization:

7 Top Elements to SEO

1. Keyword planning
2. On page optimisation including page titles, speed, URLs structure and copy
3. Content Marketing – posting fresh up to date, relevant (keyword rich) content in the form of blogs, case studies, white papers, newsletters and company news. Also, images like infographics, memes and gifs make great high-traffic sources when relevant image descriptions are used.
4. Usability or User Experience
5. Competitor analysis
6. On site links
7. Offsite links (otherwise known as backlinks)

So how do I know if my SEO is healthy? 

If you haven’t checked over your website for a while, an SEO report might be just what you need – there are lots of tools out there that can give you a good insight into how well your website is performing. Some of these tools are SEO Profiler, Screaming Frog, Semrush, GT Metrix, SEO Site Check-up to name but a few.

The report will highlight areas of your website which could be improved and therefore perform better for your business, such as:

• Page Title
• Meta descriptions
• Headings
• Content Quality
• Fresh content
• Inter-linking
• Images
• Page speed
• Rich snippets/schema
• Social media
• URL Structure
• Conversions
• Analytics
• Whether your website is mobile friendly
• Meta Robots (like no follow, no index, no archive and no snippet)
• Breadcrumbs (browsing trail of a visitor)
• Redirect Commands

The report generally provides the opportunity for a company to use the findings as a ‘to do’ list for an SEO expert. There are normally some very quick and simple fixes to be done as an initial ‘blitz’ of improvements. Some maybe more detailed and will lead to more ongoing, routine efforts on a regular basis for example: social media presence, fresh content, backlink strategies and seeding plans to share your content.

So why should I invest in SEO for my business? 

SEO is a fantastic way of attracting quality, relevant visits to your website. Using clearly defined keywords helps the user find the most relevant information about your products or services. Google is very much in favour of great user experience and will mark down websites for lack of relevancy, fresh content and not being mobile friendly to name but a few.  And let’s face it, quality over quantity with regards enquiries can save everyone time, effort and money!

Having fresh, good quality content on your website which is relevant to what the user is searching for should help drive visitors to make an enquiry either via a contact form you have on your website or by picking up the phone.

Unlike PPC (pay-per-click), SEO can take longer to build from a results perspective on search engines however the end result usually has greater longevity and can be much more cost-effective when compared to investing in PPC.

Do you need a helping hand?

If you think your SEO could be working harder for your business, we’d love to hear from you. If you’d like a ‘no obligation’ meeting to talk you through the health of your current SEO, get in touch. We can give you a clear idea of how to improve your website performance and SEO strategy to help generate quality enquiries for your business.

How?

To arrange a time to meet up for a coffee and chat please contact me on 01992 582 824 or email me at sarah@cariadmarketing.com to arrange a time which suits you best.