Why businesses should know what Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is, and how to be SEO friendly?
When people search online, they are looking for products or services they need or want and look for businesses who sell the specific products or provide the specific services they are looking for.
What is SEO?
Search Engines display the results that best match a search query. Good practice of SEO allows your business to rank in the first page of a search result if your business meets a user’s search query.
Not only does the search result display website links, it includes local business listings, videos, maps, advertisements and so on.
So, if you want to reach more customers or be found by customers who are looking for your products or services, SEO is a must.
How to get SEO friendly?
How does your business rank in the search results? Does your business show up in the first page? For example, if people are looking for a counsellor in their local area, and they search for ‘pre-marriage counselling epping nsw’ what does the search results bring up?
Search Results
The first part of the search results shows a list of businesses (see below) who are paid advertisers, easily recognised with the symbol ‘Ad’ displayed next to their business link address. This is an example of SEM (Search Engine Marketing) or otherwise known as paid SEO.
The next lot of search results displays ‘organic search engined optimised’ businesses whose keywords match the search query. Newroads Counselling and 3R Counselling Pre Marriage Education pops up in Google Maps because these two businesses best match the search criteria of ‘pre-marriage’ and’ counselling’ in the location of Epping NSW.
As a result, I now know of a number of counselling businesses located in the local area I can continue to get to know more about by clicking on their website or getting directions to their business premise. My search results have brought up businesses who best match search query based on keywords and location.
After maps, it shows businesses with the same keyword matches used in the search query. For example, see below the bolded keywords like ‘pre-marriage’, ‘ epping’, ‘counselling’, ‘counsellors’ which Google has identified as matches to the search query.
So, how did these businesses all rank in the first page of Google search results?
Firstly, through the use of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), which helps business appear in search results. Without SEO, search engines like Google cannot find you when they crawl through masses of web content. It is hard to find you like a needle in a haystack if your business cannot be ‘pinged’.
Blogging and publishing relevant information about your business, your services or your products is a good way of ranking well in search engine results. When blogging making good use of SEO strategies like keywords and meta descriptions are very effective.
Related Article: Why have a business blog?
It is a must for businesses to not only be ‘searchable’ online but to be visible online when people are looking for you. SEO is an essential part of any business’ digital marketing strategy especially if you want to appear in search results at that moment in time when customers are seeking for your help.
Related Article: What are your online business goals?
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