Google has just reported its top searches for 2013, and the top three were Nelson Mandela, Paul Walker, and the iPhone 5s. Media sites keep discussing the reasons behind Google’s top queries, and with good reason. What people search for on Google not only tells us something about them, but it also clues us in to how important Google has become as a tool for locating everything from history books to product reviews.
Search engine optimization should be an essential part of your business’s online marketing. This is especially true if you are a local business; 60% of consumers will search for local businesses on their smartphone. Getting visibility for your business doesn’t mean purchasing a spot in the phonebook anymore. How can you make sure that people know about your site, and therefore your business? Here are three things you should keep in mind.
1. What do SEO Companies Do?
How exactly do SEO professionals get your website a higher rank? There are several ways to accomplish this, and most SEO companies will use a combination of methods in order to ensure that your website climbs higher, and stays there. Inbound link content marketing is one tactic. For this, they will create interesting content relevant to your website, and post it elsewhere online with links going back to your pages. This helps make your website look more “relevant” to Google.
2. How to Choose an SEO Company
Choosing an SEO company isn’t easy– there are thousands of choices available across the web. What you should look for, though, is a search engine company that operates out of the U.S., provides reliable metrics on progress, has overall favorable reviews online, and who doesn’t make false promises (an example: “We will get you to the no. 1 spot.” Whether or not this is possible depends on your competition and your budget, and still cannot be guaranteed). Remember too that SEO is a constantly changing field, and look for a company that plans for the future, rather than stubbornly sticking with techniques rooted in the past.
3. What is Local SEO?
Did you know that about 20% of Google searches are for local products or businesses? If you are a small business, it’s important to make sure that your SEO is targeted primarily for local searches, rather than national or global ones. If 90% of your sales are out of your storefront, then you don’t need to rank no.2 nationally for “great cheap tires.” You just need local people searching to find you. Local SEO makes use of geographical tags and other tools to make sure your website shows up where it matters.
Have you worked with an SEO company before? Let us know in the comments. Learn more.