Want to find more dream clients? It’s time to improve website SEO!
We all want free traffic heading to our websites – but trying to work out what on earth you are supposed to be doing to get that traffic there can be overwhelming! After all – there are thousands upon thousands of websites out there with SEO tips. But ain’t nobody got time to sort through all that! So let’s break it down! Here are 10 ways you can improve website SEO on your website that you can get started on right now (without needing to speak computer).
Produce core content for your business
I know – you are busy! But I cannot stress enough how valuable having core content is for your SEO as well as for your marketing strategy. And no – your core content is NOT Instagram reels. Your core content will generally be a podcast, blog, or even a longer video. As a service-based business or a product-based business, your core content is a great place to share relevant information and build that like/trust relationship with your audience. I actually cover how to repurpose your content across all of the platforms over here so be sure to check that one out.
Your core content is the perfect place to utilise the keywords your people are searching too. Just be sure to write naturally and don’t just stick keywords in random places. Think of me as that character in pretty much any movie saying to be cool and act natural.
Write for Humans
Yes, Google does use little bots to crawl, check and rank your website. And yes, SEO does have a lot to do with computers. BUT that doesn’t mean you need to write like you are talking to a computer. The technology is very smart and it is actively looking to separate out the REAL content from the junky, spammy, fake websites. Search engines are looking to see that you are a real human being with a website built for other human beings!
Write like you are having a conversation with your audience! Make sure that the formatting, grammar, and sentence structure are easy to read and appealing. Your keywords should fit in naturally within your headings and text without needing to be poked in places that frankly just feel awkward.
Use a keyword tool to get your data
A large part of optimising your website revolves around keywords! When your ideal client is Googling for information you want to be holding the sign that tells Google that you are HERE! Keywords are essential for SEO – but you want to be optimising for the RIGHT ones!
Using a tool like Keywords Everywhere is a great option to help you find and analyse keyword data! Download the free tool, add the extension to your browser and start sussing out what keywords your competitors are optimising for.
Set up Your Google Business Tools!
Google has set up an incredible range of tools to help you grow your business! There are actually over 40 tools – but for now make sure you set up Google Analytics, Google Search Console and Google My Business.
Google Analytics and Search Console are brilliant for viewing, understanding, and using your data! Use Analytics to understand the behaviour of visitors to your site so you can improve your traffic and conversion statistics. Search console is going to help you manage and fix site loading issues and security.
Google My Business is what you are going to use to set up that polished Google Business profile with reviews, details, opening hours, location details, and more. It is easy to manage and once set up only needs occasional updates. Set it up and let Google and your customers help grow your profile organically! These free tools are fairly easy to set up, but you can reach out to me if you need some guidance.
Start building your website authority with your links
Did you know that your internal links can help your SEO? For example, if you are writing a new blog or page you can (naturally and appropriately) link back to an established, well-ranking page within your own website! This strategy helps improve website SEO on your site AND it will also encourage your audience to explore your site and get to know what you have to offer.
Another link strategy to look at is your backlinks! This is when another website links to your website which tells search engines that your content is popular, valuable, and trustworthy! But not all backlinks are created equal! To improve your domain authority look to contribute to trustworthy sources. You can do this with guest blogs and podcasts, forum submissions, and leaving relevant reviews too.
Make your website easy to use and navigate
Question time – have you ever gone to a website genuinely interested in shopping with that business or reading a page only to find that the website was super clunky, hard to navigate, and so you close the page out of frustration? That my friend is what happens when your site is a mess!
Keep your main menu as clear and concise as possible. You want to really be directing attention to where people should be heading once they are on your page. I do recommend clearly listing your services/shop, core content/resources, contact page, and about section. Try to stick to single words and capital letters if you can. You might also like to add a gallery or testimonial page to showcase your previous work.
Using dropdown submenus can be really helpful to keep the main menu from looking too cluttered. If you have multiple categories within an umbrella to share you can add them into the submenu under the parent category. Example – Under resources might be freebies, blogs, podcasts, or paid templates. But try to keep these submenus to just one level.
Don’t forget to make use of your footer menu too. This is a good place to link your terms and conditions, privacy terms, contact forms, FAQs, and social media links. Stick your address and map here as well if you have a local market because that will help you get found locally on Google. This is also a good place to paste an Acknowledgement to Country too.
Optimize your website for mobile
Did you know that more than 60% of website users are looking from a mobile device? In fact, there is a good chance that you are even reading this blog on your phone. Your website should be accessible and functional to all of your users, not just those on desktop.
The biggest problems tend to be in page formatting with certain elements ‘falling off’ the side of a page or buttons being inaccessible. Always be sure to check your website pages from your phone (or toggle into your browser developer tools and use the mobile view). You can also use Google’s mobile-friendly test tool.
Add local keywords to your local pages, footer or contact page
Make sure that Google and your clients can find you! Do some research on your local keywords and make use of these in your footer and contact page. Why not mention the business and community places where you show up? Local keywords are great for improving website SEO and showing up in location-based searches, but it also helps show your client that you are a real-life human being.
You can also go ahead and use these local keywords on your local pages. Add some optimised photos, information about your facilities like parking and any other relevant, local information that will make your page more likely to turn up in searches when your audience is looking for your services near to them.
Build good Google reviews
Reviews and social proof are fantastic for your own sales conversion AND for your SEO. A bank of good Google Reviews tells search engines that your website is reputable. So make a habit of asking your clients for reviews to improve website SEO. To make this process easier for your clients have an email template ready to go that gives your clients some guidance on what they could mention in the review, and include direct links to your Google reviews and Facebook reviews.
Optimise your images
You know how they say a picture is worth a thousand words? Well, when search engines are looking at your content they are checking your images to get context about what is on your webpage! If your image is called ‘image001’ it doesn’t really help them or you. So to get the best of that Google goodness be sure to name your images with keywords in the file name AND make use of the ALT text description too. Plus, making a habit of naming your images with keyword-relevant file names is going to make it a million times easier to sort, store and find your images too!
This list is by no means exhaustive. There are hundreds of hours that can be spent working to improve website SEO, but this list is a good starting point that can be tackled fairly easily! If you are allergic to tech and need a hand OR you are ready to really ramp things up a notch with expert advice then I would LOVE to speak with you about how I can help you improve your SEO. I offer audits, strategy, implementation and coaching. It is like a smorgasbord where we pick the options that best fit your budget as well as how much information and support you need. Ready? Let’s make a time to chat!
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means I will make a commission at no extra cost to you should you click through and purchase the paid version of these tools. This helps to fuel all the super awesome content I bring you on this blog, keeping you on top of your Pinterest and SEO game!
