Every second, 40,000 searches are being done on Google. People looking for shoes, a plumber, lunch options, vacations, or a new dentist. 9 out of 10 people will not go to the 2nd page of search results meaning if your business or service isn’t on page one, you have little chance of being found, getting a new customer, and their business. Some stats suggest if you’re not in the top 5, you have a minimal chance of being found.
So how do you get on the first page or in the top 5? You optimize your website for search. (Wait. You HAVE a website yes!?) Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the top 6 marketing initiatives your business can undertake, spend minimal dollars, and yield a high ROI. You can invest in the SEO services that work with keywords, indexing, SERP, meta descriptions, anchor text, and title tags. Huh!? What!? Just call us.
There are a few tasks you can undertake yourself to help your site improve in search. Here are 5:
Refresh Content
When is the last time you added new content to your website? Once your site went live 10 years ago, it was finished. No need to touch it. Google likes fresh copy so try to refresh your pages’ content from time to time. Another way to add fresh content? A blog. Set a goal for a 250-word post each month.
Have a Responsive, Mobile-Friendly Site
More search is done via mobile devices than from a desktop computer. Those searches are immediate too. They’re not looking for a store to visit in a few days, they’re looking now. If your site isn’t responsive (responds to the device the person is using, smart phone, tablet, desktop) Google will ding your site in the search results. If they do visit your site, they most likely will not have a good experience and go back to search results, probably finding a competitor. Read more about the importance of being mobile-friendly here.
Fix Dead Links
Google does not like dead links. They’re of no use. A visitor no longer is able to go to another webpage. It’s frustrating to the person. It’s frustrating to your search results as Google penalizes your site for dead links. Scour your website. Click on everything. If there are any dead links, fix them.
Claim Your Google My Business Listing
Should I Google your company, the first thing I will see on the top right-hand side of the search page is a feature sheet about your business – name, address, business hours, reviews and your proximity to my current location. To assure your business is featured:
- Google your own business
- Claim it as your own and verify it with Google
- Make sure the details about your business are accurate
- Add photos, respond to reviews and make sure your location is on the map
Establish Local Listings for Your Business Everywhere
In addition to Google, sign up for other local business listings. Make sure they have name, address and phone number. More specifically, make sure the information is accurate and consistent all across the board because this can affect your rankings. A few of the local listing sites to check out include:
- Bing and Yahoo
- Whitepages and local telephone directories
- Review Sites like Yelp or ReviewSpot
- Local business associations
- Chamber of Commerce
- Better Business Bureau
- TripAdvisor
Maintain Social Media
Social media plays a role in bringing you traffic and increasing your conversion rate. At times, when you type in a company name in any search engine, you may notice their Facebook or LinkedIn page ranking higher than their actual official company website.
This trend shows that more people visit a company’s social media pages to judge its service. Keep your social accounts fresh. If you need help, call us. We maintain pages for clients and help their search results.
Good luck. If you have questions or if we can help, feel free to call or email.