Dec 12
12
Recently, my husband and I went for a drink at a bar that opened down the road. As we were discussing our mutual employment with the bartender, he called over Craig, the owner, and introduced us.
Craig had recently opened , a music venue and bar in an up and coming neighbourhood in Toronto. Like most entrepreneurs, Craig was stretched thin financially; between start-up costs, overhead and renovations, outsourcing was not feasible, but was complicated by the fact Craig recognised the importance of SEO. The situation is not unusual: there are more than 28 million small businesses in North America. It’s a tough situation to any small business, so Craig asked what for some advice about how to do some of his own SEO work.
On average, I get asked twice a week about how an independent entrepreneur can start doing their own SEO work. These are some of my more common recommendations.
Get an Analytics account
Analytics are the cornerstone of SEO. By quantifying certain elements of your website, it is a mine of information for small business owners – these metrics can tell you about your customers and how they are engaging with your site.
Google tools are effective and free, ideal for any business owner who’s on a budget. Once you get your account set up, insert the snippet of provided code into your website’s own code. This is essential for analytics tools to work – don’t skip that step, trust me.
Determine keywords that relate to your product or brand
What are the search behaviours of your target audience? By thinking of what words and phrases your potential audience will use, you can make your website easier to find. Think about things like plurals, keyword order, spelling, acronyms and synonyms and if they affect results. Keep in mind: Local matters! Your keywords should include geographic indicators – including the cities you offer services in is a great place to start.
For example, the targeted phrase “Toronto Massey Hall concerts†could also be searched for as:
Events Toronto Massey Hall
Concert Massey Hall Toronto
Toronto Massy Hall shows
Pay Attention to these: Titles, text, links and tags
Your keywords should be incorporated into these areas in a natural way – loading them with too many keywords can often lead to penalties in Google search results.
Do you use your Content Management System (CMS) efficiently?
Drupal and WordPress are popular choices and are a great way to manage a website, especially for those with limited experience with computers. Both offer plug-ins (or modules, in Drupal) to assist in many aspects of site management. They improve the overall quality of the site – it allows for customization to your business’ needs, which is a hugely undervalued aspect of your website.
Is Your Site User Friendly?
Why do people come to your site? Is it to read your blog? Learn more about a product? Book an appointment? Take it into account when putting your site together. Make their experience the easiest thing possible: Forcing customers to click through several pages before finding what they need should never happen. It can be as simple as having a link to the desired page in the navigation, or embedded in a sidebar. The San Diego based conversion optimization firm Site Tuners offers a free eye-tracking tool that can show you how first time visitors are most likely to see your website.
Social Media is Your Friend
Engaging in social media helps maintain consistency in marketing and communications, and is a successful method of promoting your business. You should have a corporate account in every social media platform: even if you don’t plan to use certain programs, owning the account will protect your brand. Engagement with Social Media is key; it should be done on a regular basis every week.
Manage the feedback – negative or positive
The internet has changed the way companies get customer feedback: there are several ways people provide feedback and reviews, and they will show up in the search results when people are looking for your site. Maintaining genuine connections with clients or customers is important in engaging in a positive dialogue with current customers while gaining the trust of the potential customers.
Several times a year, take an hour and do some research
The nature of SEO is evolution, it’s important to understand how search engines weigh the importance of certain elements of your website. It’s realistic to expect this to change, so adjust your SEO efforts accordingly.
When doing your research, remember that as the algorithms change often, older information may not be accurate in the current circumstances. It is best to start with the most recent information and work your way backwards chronologically.
Blogging helps in creating fresh content
Currently, fresh content is highly valued in the current algorithms – and blogging is one of the best ways to keep your site fresh. Consistently adding new content to your site, regardless of size, will improve your search engine results over time.
SEO results take time
Do not expect a significant change in a short period of time – real SEO results take months to see improvement. If you see a sharp decline, investigate the cause immediately. It is possible that you have been penalized by Google, or that the algorithms have changed. Do not listen to anyone who promises instant results.
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Jim Hedger
Jim Hedger is an organic SEO and digital marketing specialist. Jim has been involved in the online marketing industry since 1998 and a SEO since 1999. Best known as a broadcaster, interviewer, content writer and search industry commentator, Jim is a frequent conference speaker and organizer. He hosts the search focused radio show Webcology on WebmasterRadio.FM and is a WebmasterRadio.FM conference interviewer. Jim brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, passion and creative thinking to each project. Preferring a teamwork approach, Jim strives to inform and train his clients and their staff to run and maintain their own search and social media efforts.
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