Getting more traffic to your website is a vital part of growing your business. And you know that in order to be found online, you need to rank first on Google. Simply building a new website won’t always ensure that you’ll be found in a Google search. So how exactly do you ensure you’re ranking high and getting more visitors to your website?
That is where SEO comes in to play. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and when your website is properly optimized, you rank higher on Google and get more traffic on your website. There are a few different factors that play into SEO, but for the most part, SEO is mostly about the words on your site. If each page on your website has specific words that your customers are searching for, the more likely you are to rank on Google. Your website’s user experience, social media pages, and technical aspects of SEO also influence your rankings.
What Impacts SEO?
As previously mentioned, the main way to impact your SEO is to have the appropriate words on your website. Here are a few other things that Google takes into account when crawling your website:
- Keywords through website content
- HTML Tags
- New, relevant, and educational content
- Social media posts
- User experience.
Google’s main goal is to provide users with educational information. So, when your website content is educational, you write blog posts about your industry and share information on social media, Google will recognize your business as an expert in your industry, and list your website in search results.
How do I get started with SEO?
Optimizing your website can be a large undertaking and may require professional website and SEO services. There are several vital steps to consider when optimizing your website, and each one is equally as important as the next. Let’s review a few ways you can be sure your website is optimized.
What Problem Do You Solve?
Before you even look at your website, consider who your target market is. How old are they, how much money do they make, where do they live, what are their hobbies are all things to consider. Consider next what problem you solve for your customers and clients, and generate a list of common questions your clients ask you.
For example, if you are a family lawyer, your clients’ problems might be:
- I need a divorce.
- I want custody of my children.
Create a Keyword List
Once you’ve focused on what problems you solve for your clients, generate a list of words and phrases they might search that would lead them to you.
- How do I get a divorce in my state?
- How much child support will I owe my spouse?
- Divorce lawyer in my city
- Best divorce lawyer near me
- Is it possible to have an amicable divorce?
- How do I talk to my kids about divorce?
Website Audit
Once you have the list, you’re ready to audit your website. Consider each service you offer your clients and answer a few questions:
- What pages are necessary on your website?
- Do you need a new page for each service? Or one paragraph for each service?
Once you’ve decided the best way to organize your website, map your keywords to each of your pages. Then, write content for each page answering some of those questions. Make sure to use the keywords naturally throughout each page. It is also important to make sure keywords are used in the appropriate HTML tags such as heading tags and the meta description.
Blog Articles
Next, start writing blog articles. Use your keyword list to generate blog topic ideas. Topics like this might work:
- How Can I Ensure I have Custody of My Kids in [State]
- 7 Tips for Discussing Divorce with Your Kids
From there, write regular blog posts on these topics. About 1,000 words is the ideal length for blogs. Make sure you naturally use the keywords throughout the blog post. It is important to post regularly, at least twice per month, but ideally once a week is best.
Social Media
Post engaging, interesting and educational information on social media platforms regularly. At a minimum three times per week. Share your blog posts, ask questions, and engage with your followers. If they comment or ask a question, be sure to respond quickly and thoughtfully. Share information that leads back to your website, as well as educational information from other trusted resources.
Consider Hiring Professional SEO Services
Creating and maintaining an SEO campaign will help drive traffic to your website and grow your business but keeping up with a campaign and regularly posting educational content can be time-consuming when you’re trying to run a business. Schedule a call with ROI to learn more about how we grow your business together.