So, you have a great looking website and it serves you well. But what can you do as a small business owner to get visitors to your site?
These 4 simple steps will help with your SEO:
1.Update Your Content
Keeping your content up to date sends a positive SEO signal to Google. You may find you get a temporary boost to your ranking after updating a web page.
But more importantly, keeping your content up to date will provide the best experience for your website visitors.
User experience is an important factor for being found in search. If your users are happy, then Google will be happy too!
When was the last time you updated your content?
Take the occasional moment to read the copy on your key web pages.
Is the content still relevant, what could be added or removed?
As you are reading, pretend to be a potential customer. Have the following questions at the front of your mind as you read:
- Is the copy written for that customer? If not, consider how you might tailor the copy to suit their needs.Rather than saying ‘we are great at this and that’ how about saying ‘You will receive expert advice from one of our award-winning advisors’Put the focus back on the customer rather than you or your business. How will they benefit from working with you?
- Does it answer any likely questions they may have?Again put yourself in their shoes, what are they looking for? What doubts need answering? How can you appease any potential concerns and build trust with that person?
- Does the copy clearly explain the service or product you are offering?Sometimes reading a piece of content a few weeks or months after you have written it can give you a fresh perspective. Make sure the copy is easy to read, understand and absorb.If you aren’t 100% sure if the copy is meeting its objectives, try asking a friend or colleague to proof your content for you and provide their feedback.
- Is there a clear CTA (Call to Action) such as a phone number or a link to an enquiry form? Make it easy for the customer to get in touch with you in case they have any questions or are interested in working with you.If they can’t find how to contact you straight away then they may well leave your site.
2. Repurpose Your Content
Help spread your wonderful content by providing it in different formats.
For example, that great blog post you wrote, might be even better if it was translated into infographic form. Some people find looking at images and diagrams easier to grasp key concepts rather than reading large amounts of text.
You can also share these infographics on social sites such as Pinterest, which may help you get more traffic to your site.
Hire a graphic designer to create an infographic for you – or do it yourself!
With so many great graphic design tools, such as Canva and Venngage, it’s possible to create infographics without having a graphic design background – amazing!
It took less than half an hour to create this infographic using Canva:
What about doing a podcast on a key topic that impacts your customers?
In today’s busy lifestyle some prefer to maximise their time by listening to podcasts in their cars or while they are doing their cleaning, rather than taking time out to look at a website
Video is another popular format, that can be uploaded on to video sites such as Vimeo or YouTube or to social media sites such as Facebook directly.
Video is a great format for building the relationship with your potential clients as they get to see who they would be working with. It’s your opportunity to show who you are and why you are unique.
3. Ask Your Customers For Testimonials
When a potential client lands on your website, it is reassuring when they see all the fabulous things your clients have said about you. So why not ask a few clients to write a few lines about their experience of working with you or your company.
Trust is key when choosing to work with someone, so your website must be professional and should demonstrate that you are an expert in your field.
Testimonials and other trust signals may help keep visitors on your website and reduces the chance that they will ‘bounce’, or click the back button, straight away – this is important for SEO.
Ask for reviews on Google My Business and any other sites you are on such as Facebook or Yelp! This will all help with your business credibility and will encourage click through to your website.
4. Sign up to Local Business Directory Listings
There are numerous business directory listing sites, some of the most well know are Yellow Pages and Yelp. Add your business and contact details to these websites, so that you can be found.
Search for local business directory listings and sign up for these as well, as many people prefer to support businesses in their area.
Keep a record of all the listings you have signed up to in case you need to update your details.
In summary, keeping your content up to date and available in different formats will help improve user experience and SEO. Use testimonials to show how great your business is and help potential customers find you by adding your business to online directories.
