From meta tags to hashtags – honestly… who has time to make sense of search engine optimization, better known as SEO?
Our team at Iceberg Web Design works with small businesses right across the country that want to make sense of it all.
Thankfully, we have put together seven simple SEO tips for small businesses in this post.
No “geek speak” here – just simple, straightforward strategies you can use to improve your SEO.
They’re quick, they’re easy, and they will help more people find your content on Google, Bing and Yahoo.
Offer to Contribute a Guest Post
If you’re already publishing new blog posts each month, why not produce one extra post and offer it to a blogger in a similar niche? Offer the post at no charge, but ask the receiving blogger to add a link to your website. These are referred to as a “backlinks” and Google prefers websites with plenty of them.
Interview an Influencer
Whether it is an audio recording, a video recording, or a written questionnaire, ask an expert in your industry to answer five to seven questions. Post the results of the interview to your website or blog. He or she will appreciate the exposure, and may even link to your content.
Focus on a Keyword
Before writing a new blog post, use a keyword research tool to identify a relevant phrase that people actually search for online. Include this phrase in your blog post title, in the opening paragraph, in a subheading, and as the alt tag for your featured image. Just make sure you use a different keyword on every page and post! A complete Keyword Research Report will also help you choose the right words for your post.
Update Regularly
Whether it is updating the copy on your homepage, adding a new image, or publishing a new blog post, search engines love to see fresh content. Find excuses to add new material to your website – just keep it clean and clutter-free!
Improve Load Times
Google favors websites that load quickly. Fast load times are indicative of a positive user experience, which is what SEO is really all about. You can do this by shrinking or compressing images. If you use WordPress, you can also do this by caching content through a plugin.
Comment on Other Blogs
Make a list of a dozen or so blogs in your niche and make a point to comment on one of their posts every week or so. When leaving a comment on a blog, you will generally be permitted to enter your website URL. Although this is considered a “nofollow” link – meaning it is not recognized by search engines – it will get the attention of the blog owner. He or she may visit your blog and share your content, thus resulting in boosted social signals.
Decrease Bounce Rate
Bounce rate refers to the percentage of people that visit your website and then click ‘back’ in their browser – or close the window – without visiting a second page. Aside from your menu or sidebar, be sure to link to additional relevant content from your website on every post or page. This may include linking to your services, contact page, or testimonials.
Are These Simple SEO Tips for Small Businesses… Well, Not so Simple?
It is okay if the worlds of SEO and search engine marketing (SEM) are a little out of your element. After all, your job is to run your business.
Why not leave the more complicated stuff to the professionals?
At Iceberg Web Design, we pride ourselves in not only building really great websites… but also in helping small business owners to boost their search engine visibility.
Why don’t we have a chat to discuss your particular objectives?
Contact our web design company for a free consultation, or call 763-350-8762 to get started. We also have a contact form you can use.