Author:
George Hadambu
SEO is a method for increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine results. Put simply, this means that your website should be built with the user in mind and function as easily as possible. It should also be packed full of relevant and useful content. An important thing to know about SEO is that Google has certain criteria that websites should try and adhere to in order to be favoured. For your website to be considered Google-friendly, you should anticipate such criteria as:
1. Optimised web pages with popular keywords and phrases.
2. Correctly tagged images and videos.
3. Maintaining a healthy website by performing technical SEO health checks and, for example, redirecting out-of-date pages.
4. Contextual links that introduce readers to other relevant content.
When you type “How does SEO work” in a search engine, it scours billions of pieces of content across the internet. Through a process of ‘crawling’ and ‘indexing’, the search engine scans all available content on the internet, including web pages, PDFs, videos and more. Once it’s done, it collates its findings and orders – or ranks – them by how well it matches your query based on the data it finds. Within seconds, it has filtered through thousands of relevant factors and determined which content best answers your search query on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). Now you know the basics of SEO, here are five easy wins for your own website.
Keywords are the foundation of successful SEO. When a potential customer uses a search engine, it’s your job to pre-empt what they’re searching for. For most small businesses this will be a combination of what you or your business does and where you do it, for example: “Plumber in Hertfordshire” or “Hairdresser in South London”. There are other ways to find more keywords, including using keyword research tools like https://keywordtool.io/, but you can also search for your keywords yourself using your preferred search engine. When you search for your keywords, as you type, you will see suggestions in the search bar, which gives you an idea of similar searches. Additionally, there will also be a list of suggested keywords at the bottom of the page that also relates to what you’re searching for – make a note of these and tailor them to use too.
When we talk about optimising page content, at a most basic level we mean improving your page titles across your website. For example, in the back end of the website, use HTML, and do things like 'title' element for the page title. This will get your keywords into the title of the page in a natural way. SEO should always be done in a natural user-friendly way, which means no spamming. Remember that page titles are shown in search results so we must inform the search engines what the page is about and get a website user to click on our listing. For example, your page title may be “Emergency Plumber – available 24/7 | Marcus’s Plumbing Service”, using the keywords and HTML behind the scenes.
Now you’ve used your keyword research to tackle your page titles, you now need to look at naturally weaving these keywords into our copy. Keep in mind you normally have header tags (H1, H2, H3 etc), body content (the text on the page) and images which support your copy. These can all be optimised. You must create website copy that accurately describes and promotes your business. Your keywords are best inserted afterwards and only when the content naturally allows it to do so. Google is clever and will know when you’re trying to cheat. Stuffing your copy full of keywords runs the risk of your site penalised. Not to mention it usually reads as clumsy and generally isn’t too helpful.
Don’t forget about the other places your website will be seen around the internet. Social media and business directories will also have details for your business, and this information is also used by search engines to help build trust and an understanding of what you do. On your social media profiles be sure to add web links, a full business address or comprehensive description using some of those important keywords here.
This is the super easy tip, but sure to register your website with Google Search Console – https://search.google.com/search-console/. This tool analyses your site and provides feedback you can use to improve how your site appears in search results, and where there’s room for improvement. This is information directly from the search engine so be sure to take advantage of this free advice from Google itself.
You’ve invested time and money into your website, and you’ve dabbled in SEO. The homepage looks good and appears to be ranking okay for the right keywords. But you still have a nagging concern: Is the website generating enough leads?
It’s 9 am on a Tuesday. You’ve barely touched your morning coffee, and already your inbox has three new messages….
At times, a Google Business Profile (GBP) can feel like a website in its own right. It appears when someone searches your business, it displays your hours, phone number, directions, reviews and photos.
Between managing your fleet, sorting permits, handling logistics and juggling customer service, marketing can easily slip to the bottom of a skip hire company’s to-do list.
Changing agency wasn’t supposed to be this difficult. Really, it wasn’t. But your incumbents have decided to drag their feet because – well, just because, and it’s all turned into a bit of a nightmare.
They flood your inbox. They clutter your browser. They ring you up when you’ve finally – finally – found a moment of peace.
That’s right, we’re talking about companies offering ‘cheap’ digital marketing.
Get notified of the latest blog posts
Skip to content
