By Maxym Martineau
Everyone wants to show up on the first page of the search engines. Top of mind is important – and while it’s not reasonable to promise that your business will skyrocket to the first spot on the list, there are a few important steps you can take to improve your search engine ranking.
Find the right words
Search engines like websites that are dynamic, which means your content needs to be rich in keywords so your pages are more appealing. On-page SEO (search engine optimization) is vital to increasing your ranking. First, do your research and find keywords that are relative to your business – use phrases or words that people commonly search for when shopping in your industry. Then, build your content around those words so they fit naturally and seamlessly into the text of your website.
A good way to start is to spend a few minutes writing down words that relate to your business. Imagine any phrase or word a potential visitor might use when browsing a search engine. Once you’ve done that, stop by Google’s free Keyword Planner. This is an awesome tool that tracks whether or not people are actually searching for the words and phrases you’ve created. The tool itself is initially part of Google AdWords, but feel free to use it to boost your on-page SEO. (more…)
I used to think I was allergic to Twitter. Whenever a friend or colleague asked for my “handle” (and it happened A LOT), I’d break out in a cold sweat and run for the nearest exit. I couldn’t bring myself to admit that I wasn’t on Twitter. I was too busy to learn ANOTHER new technology. I had a job. I had a family. I had a life.
In my experience, the most successful small businesses are those that make the most out of their investment in technology.