You won’t find it at the end of a rainbow, but a strong digital strategy is worth its weight in gold. Increasing website traffic involves search engine optimization (SEO), a practice that’s proven to be more valuable than a lucky charm – when executed correctly.
What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
And while consumers might not understand its ins and outs, SEO impacts them significantly, most likely every day. And most certainly every time they search for something online, like …
The services offered by a medical specialist.
The hours of the car dealership down the road.
The menu at their favorite brunch spot.
In fact, nearly 46% of all Google searches1 are performed by users seeking local information – and 92% choose results featured on the first page.2 That’s why it’s so critical that local businesses are easy to find, appearing at the top of the list when consumers come looking. And once they’ve clicked, the brand had better deliver the promised content – especially since 97% of people claim to learn more about a local business online than anywhere else.3
In simplest terms, SEO is the free, organic way of driving traffic to a website. When users type terms into their search bar, algorithms are used to scour webpages for those keywords. Results are then ranked by relevancy and authority.
- Relevancy: Asks “Does the webpage provide the content the user is seeking?” and assesses based on keyword usage.
- Authority: Asks “How popular is this webpage?” and assumes that the more popular, the more valuable the content.
The 4 Tips to Improve SEO
Frolicking through fields in search of the elusive four-leaf clover is one approach … but here at Motivated Marketing, we recommend these four techniques instead.
- Know your audience.
The folks you’re trying to reach must dictate the path you take to get to them. Even if you cram a specific keyword into every sentence, visitors to your site will leave frustrated if the content doesn’t deliver. You might’ve won the click, but you lost a potential customer because your content wasn’t catered to your demographic.
- Speak “Search Engine.”
To a search engine, your website content is nothing but text – no engaging pictures, no fun infographics, no dazzling color scheme. So to ensure that these elements translate and improve your ranking, SEO involves naming and tagging them with the proper keywords. But it isn’t enough to toss keywords into content like a flower girl with a handful of petals. Instead of this willy-nilly approach, make sure to feature the main keyword in these spots:4
- Title (as close to the start as possible)
- URL (short and simple is best!)
- 1st 100 words of text
- Meta-title and meta-description tags (used by search engines to display listings)
- Image file names (see #2 above)
- Keep content fresh.
Stale content will make website visitors turn up their noses, and wooing them back won’t be easy. Instead, make content creation a priority and keep your website up to date!
- Make it mobile friendly.
Did you know that 61% of mobile searchers are more likely to reach out to a local biz if their site is mobile friendly?5 It’s true! And frustrated users aren’t the only concern. Search engines use load time as another quality metric, sending slow-loading sites down the list.
Motivated Marketing Can Improve Your SEO
To learn more about M2’s search engine optimization techniques, get in touch today! You could use a search engine to find us, or you could just email info@motivatedmarketing.com or call 843.856.7322. Up to you. Either way, we’d love to talk about increasing your web traffic – no luck required!
Sources
- https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/12-local-seo-stats-every-business-owner-and-marketer-should-know-in-2019-i/549079/
- https://seoexpertbrad.com/local-seo-stats/
- https://seotribunal.com/blog/stats-to-understand-seo/#local-seo-facts
- https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/seo
- https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics