5 Easy Changes to Make Your Website SEO-Friendly

Search Engine Optimization. Quite possibly the most controversial field in marketing that exists. No one is 100% certain how Google’s algorithm determines the value of your website, but with the elements seemingly always changing, there are a few things you can make sure your business does to succeed. When it comes to driving more organic traffic and reaching more potential customers, everything counts.

Most businesses have at least 3 of these things but fail to stay up to date with them. It’s vital that in order to continue to increase your website’s organic reach across search engines and drive more relevant website traffic, each of these five easy variables are monitored and updated at least every couple of weeks.

1. Accurate Information

Accurate contact information across all platforms is essential for your business to be identified as a legitimate establishment. Especially if you are using Google My Business, making sure that all of your addresses, phone numbers, emails, and industry match is crucial to being recognized by Google’s algorithm.

Whenever you have information listed that does not match other profiles, it damages your “rating” with Google and allows other websites to be placed ahead of you in search results.

2. Backlinks

Most often the one factor that sets a Page 1 website apart from a Page 132. Backlinks refer to links to your website from an outside source. For example, your business might have a Facebook Page, Google Profile, Instagram, and LinkedIn. If you’re setting up your profiles correctly, that’s four “credible” places that are linking back to your website. This tells Google’s algorithm that your website is important enough to be linked to four external sources.

The more credible your backlinks, the more important your website will appear to Google’s algorithm. This means that social profile links aren’t seen as credible as media outlets or third-party listing sites. Appearing on “Top 10” lists, news articles, or even well-trafficked company websites will make your website appear important by association.

This also works in reverse, however. Paying for hundreds of backlinks will help you in the short run, but as soon as Google’s algorithm detects the lack of quality of those backlinks, your website will take 100 steps backwards. Say goodbye to Page 1 and hello to Page 257.

A few good quality backlinks are much better than 20 average ones. Find third-party websites, potential media outlets, or potential outreach opportunities within your market that are featured on Page 1 or Page 2 of Google that you can see about getting your website featured on.

The last thing to keep in mind with backlinks is that it takes quite a few before Google recognizes you as Page 1 worthy. Depending on your industry and your competitors, it might even take hundreds. Don’t let this deter you from trying, however. Even just getting your website linked to social profiles and other websites that traffic tons of visitors and engagement each day will prove beneficial in the long run.

3. Consistent, Quality Content

Content is a topic I will most likely never let up on. Content is the driving factor behind Google, social platforms, and, ultimately, potential customers knowing your brand even exists. A brand that fails to publish consistent, quality content on a regular basis is doomed to be left behind by the algorithms on social platforms and search engines.

While content isn’t the sole determinant, it is the one element of organic growth that cannot be forgotten. Without content, your website or profiles will be recognized as inactive and irrelevant.

Google no longer focuses on just content, however. The quality of the content - the relevance of it - can now be taken into account by Google’s algorithm. This means that you should be updating your website at least once a week, and publishing quality, informative content as often as you can. One quality content piece is better than 7 average pieces, so feel free to keep an inventory of content that you can schedule for use on later dates.

Examples of quality content can be PDF files linked to your site (menus, resources, etc.), blogs, podcasts, webinars, videos in general, newsletters, and social media posts. One thing to keep in mind is that the bulk of your content should be featured on your home page, whether it’s in a section that updates every time you post something new or you add internal links to other pages on your site. The homepage of your website is the Grand Central of information provided to Google, so link as much valuable information as you can.

When you begin to add a lot of content to your website, you may experience slower loading times. While Google takes your site speed into great consideration, you will want to monitor your site’s performance and make any necessary changes. You can check the quality of your site speed using Google’s PageSpeed Tool.

4. Keywords

Keywords can be a painstaking process to complete. Most marketers and keyword experts recommend getting professional help to make sure you do this correctly. No, I don’t mean the $350 a month SEO expert you found on Facebook. Look up SEO consultants in your local area and if they’re not ranked in the Top 5, chances are they aren’t doing something right.

Keywords refer to the words and phrases consumers type in the search bar when looking for something in particular. This is your chance to find out what your potential customers are searching for when trying to find your product, service, or industry, and target those words and phrases in your content and on your website.

There’s a few ways you can find keywords. You could use the Google Ad Keyword Planner to find similar phrases or words that are relevant to your brand. You could also check out similar company’s websites on Google and see what keywords and phrases they are targeting.

Along with keywords, there are also LSI Keywords. These are words and phrases that are related to your keywords and help Google’s algorithm understand exactly what your brand is and helps you get shown to the right people. These are not synonyms, but they are similar in context and meaning. These words and phrases help describe you without spamming the same keywords and phrases over and over throughout your whole website and content.

You can locate LSI Keywords using LSIGraph’s Free Tool.

These keywords should be targeted in your website content, social profiles, in your meta descriptions, headlines, image alt tags, and your links.

5. Social Profiles

Social profiles are great for helping you rank higher in search results. Not only do they provide a source for reaching potential customers on several different platforms, but they allow you to gain more backlinks, as well as link more external sources to your website. (Yes, you should be linking your social profiles to your website as well).

Keep in mind, social profiles are hosted on multi-billion dollar websites, meaning they are heavily trafficked, highly engaging, and recognized by algorithms as a very relevant source. They also make your brand easier to find. I know there are several potential clients of mine that did not even show up as the first, second, or third result when I looked up their brand name. In this instance, having social media profiles will help your company name appear, even when your website doesn’t.

This also highlights the importance of posting consistent, quality content on every platform, so that the algorithms recognize your profiles and pages as active and relevant sources of information. Along with this, the more engagement and traffic you have to these pages, the more relevant and credible your website and profiles appear.

Overall, implementing SEO elements into your website will be a constant, ongoing process, but will be highly beneficial to your brand reaching more customers organically in the long run. It may also take several weeks for you to begin seeing results, but don’t let this discourage you. Stay on track, post consistent, quality content, and don’t be afraid to invest some time into researching what your customers are searching for.

If you would like to receive an audit of your website, social media, or paid ads, we are currently offering a free marketing evaluation. Click here to sign up for yours today, and we will also include a week’s worth (5) of social media content for your business (Expires 01/15/2021).