Today?s consumers are the internet generation and it?s a brave ? or foolhardy ? boss who decides that their business can do without a website, thank you very much. Even the most technophobic business owner of the smallest home-run jam-making company with a staff of one, knows that for their business to survive, they have to go online.
A website allows complete strangers to find out about a particular business, it showcases the goods, tells the consumers where the company is located, and usually allows them to buy products over the internet.
But having a website is not always enough. It is not enough if no one ever sees it. When people are trying to find something online, they go to their favorite search engine ? and a lot of people use the same one ? type the product or service they?re looking for into the required field, then click on one of the first few hits they get. Searchers very rarely click to see page two?s offerings, let along page ten or page twelve or page fifty. This can be a problem for small businesses that are struggling to get the word out about their companies. Online visibility is crucial. It is not enough anymore just to have a website; today?s small businesses need a web presence too.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is a marketing technique that allows businesses to ensure the complicated algorithms used by the search engines don?t pass over their company. SEO is a form of marketing that aims to make the internet the business?s friend rather than its enemy.
How does SEO work?
SEO works by understanding how the search engines work ? and then using that information to provide an advantage. For example, editing the website?s content and using relevant keywords, to help the search engines spot that a particular business may be useful, will increase its placement in the search results. Adjusting the computer language HTML and other codes may also help increase a site?s relevance. Website promotion could also help a business?s online visibility as inbound links are sometimes used to help search engines determine the viability of a site. These types of techniques are sometimes called ?white hat SEO.? ?Black hat SEO? is frowned upon by search engine guidelines and employs practices such as keyword stuffing or link farms to push a particular website up in the rankings. However, most search engines have found ways to discount websites that employ such methods.
Why is SEO important for small businesses?
It is hard enough for small businesses to compete with the big boys. SEO helps even the playing field so that potential customers or clients are as likely to see the website for a small or local business as they are one operated by the slick PR firms of a major corporation.
Having a strong web presence that makes it easy for customers to find small businesses they may never have heard of is vital for the success of the company. A business owner who wants their company to grow is likely to recognize that utilizing SEO practices will play an important role in taking their business to the next step.
How can poor SEO affect business marketing?
If SEO is poorly understood and implemented it won?t have a positive effect on any business. SEO has to be used correctly in order to be effective. Good SEO isn?t about directing traffic to a business ? it?s about directing relevant, useful traffic to a business. That?s a big difference.
In addition, using poor SEO in the first place ? which utilizes some of the shadier ?black hat? methods ? may work in the short term, but in the long term it is likely to damage a business?s reputation. If the search engines detect these practices, they may remove a website from their index.
Most small businesses know that trust is absolutely critical if they are to establish their reputation and encourage repeat customers or loyal clients. Employing tricks or smoke and mirror effects to draw traffic is likely to turn off real people who might otherwise have been happy to find the business in question.
Steps for implementing a successful SEO campaign for small businesses
Many big businesses employ SEO specialists to help them navigate the tricky path to the ultimate goal: high rankings by the major internet search engines. But for some small businesses, that simply is not practical, nor is it cost efficient ? and so the owners must learn how to become their own SEO specialist. Small business owners wear many hats; president of the company, chief financial officer, customer service rep, and secretary. Now they need to learn how to be the SEO adviser too. But it can be done:
Step One
A small business owner should take the time to learn how search engines work and how SEO can help their company. While most business people would agree that the internet plays a huge part in their company?s visibility, not many of them know how search engines work and how they can optimize their own company?s online presence.
Step Two
The business?s website designer should work with your SEO consultant to put the methods into practice. Using file naming conventions, specific title tags, and meta descriptions will help shape the website and pages so that it will be easily recognised by the search engines.
Step Three
Search engines find websites by traveling through various links, so it is important to cross-link pages throughout the website in question, as well as external websites.
Step Four
People search for keywords, so it is necessary to have relevant keywords peppering the text of the website?s content. But the keywords ? and their proximity and density ? should be used naturally, in a way that can be read by real people as well the search machines.
Step Five
Business owners should now carefully monitor their websites so that they understand what aspects are working and what aspects are ineffective. Good SEO is a process not a one-off event.
Call Omega Partners Sydney SEO Specialists on (02) 8211 0429 to discuss how we can help implement an effective SEO strategy for your business and website.
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