If there’s one term that’s most frequently bandied about when it comes to websites and digital marketing, it’s SEO – which stands for search engine optimisation. But what even is SEO? Why is it important? And how do you improve it?
Search engine optimisation refers to how well ranked your business is in search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing. If someone Googles a search term that relates to your business, say ‘window washing Tauranga’, does your window washing business show up first? Think about your own search habits – how often do you make it past the first page of results? I’d hazard a guess that you rarely do and other time-poor searchers are likely the same. This is why it’s important that your SEO, or ranking, is as good as possible.
There are many ways to ensure your business shows up in the first few results on search engines and, here at Platform, we use as many of these tools as possible. Some of them are really simple, others are more complicated.
On the simple end of the scale are things such as being on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other forms of social media. The more places your business can be found online, other than just your website, the higher you’ll rank. Using Google AdWords and other forms of digital advertising also boosts your SEO.
Search engine optimisation refers to how well ranked your business is in search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing. If someone Googles a search term that relates to your business, say ‘window washing Tauranga’, does your window washing business show up first? Think about your own search habits – how often do you make it past the first page of results? I’d hazard a guess that you rarely do and other time-poor searchers are likely the same. This is why it’s important that your SEO, or ranking, is as good as possible.
There are many ways to ensure your business shows up in the first few results on search engines and, here at Platform, we use as many of these tools as possible. Some of them are really simple, others are more complicated.
On the simple end of the scale are things such as being on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other forms of social media. The more places your business can be found online, other than just your website, the higher you’ll rank. Using Google AdWords and other forms of digital advertising also boosts your SEO.
Publishing relevant content on your website is also important. The more content you have that uses key words that people are likely to search when looking for a business like yours, the more easily you are found. Making sure you regularly publish new content is also important, which is why we regularly create blog posts or publish your e-newsletter content on your websites, also.
Linking to your website, both on social media and within your site, are also good ways to boost your SEO, as is having a website that is worthy of other businesses linking to. This is why we often recommend your business have alliances with other organisations – because having links to external websites, and having external websites link to yours, improve your ranking.
There are also a number of things we do on the back-end of your website that help with ranking. Earlier this year we told you we were switching all of your websites to HTTPS – making them more secure. But one of the other reasons behind our recommendation, other than security and customer peace of mind, was that HTTPS websites rank better in search engines. We also use meta-tags on each of the pages of your website (which help search engines work out what your site is about) and we include alt text on the images we upload.
While all these things help your SEO, it’s a field that is constantly changing. This means is that what helps your SEO one week may not be as effective the following. We pride ourselves on staying up to date with changes so we can make sure your site is well-ranked on your behalf. Because as so many of our clients tell us, it’s easier (and smarter) to hire the experts!
Linking to your website, both on social media and within your site, are also good ways to boost your SEO, as is having a website that is worthy of other businesses linking to. This is why we often recommend your business have alliances with other organisations – because having links to external websites, and having external websites link to yours, improve your ranking.
There are also a number of things we do on the back-end of your website that help with ranking. Earlier this year we told you we were switching all of your websites to HTTPS – making them more secure. But one of the other reasons behind our recommendation, other than security and customer peace of mind, was that HTTPS websites rank better in search engines. We also use meta-tags on each of the pages of your website (which help search engines work out what your site is about) and we include alt text on the images we upload.
While all these things help your SEO, it’s a field that is constantly changing. This means is that what helps your SEO one week may not be as effective the following. We pride ourselves on staying up to date with changes so we can make sure your site is well-ranked on your behalf. Because as so many of our clients tell us, it’s easier (and smarter) to hire the experts!
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