If you have a business website, you have almost definitely heard something about SEO. Whether it was a cold call from abroad asking for a monthly fee to “look after your SEO” or your website content management system (WordPress, Magento, Shopify, Wix etc.) telling you to do certain tasks to “improve your SEO”, the topic has definitely come up. But what exactly is SEO and why is it important for your website?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. What this refers to is a process of making your website attractive to Search Engines like Google. What we mean by making a site attractive is making it so that Google values your website enough to make it show at the top of the search results when someone searches for something you offer. For example, if you sell shoes for children, it would be idea for your website to show up on Google every time someone searches for things like “kids shoes”, “buy shoes for kids” “shoes for children”, “boys shoes”, “girls pumps shoes” etc.
Quite simply, the majority of people now use the internet to find things they want to buy. They may want to buy them online or they may be searching to find out what stores are in their local area. If your site is not optimised, it is likely that the only time your website will showup in search results is when a person searches for your company name. However, that isn’t how people generally search for products or services.
If your site is not optimised, you don’t show up in search results and therefore, people are unaware of your business and instead find your competitors who have had their website optimised. Google places websites in order of how attractive they are relative to what has been searched. There are many factors that go into this ranking system and it is important to ensure your site scores well on each of them in order to rank high in search results. The cold hard truth is that without SEO, your website will not be found – unless you spend a lot on other types of advertising such as social media, Google Ads or other means. However, when done well, SEO is by far the most cost-effective method over the medium to long term.
As mentioned, there are many elements or factors that Google considers. The main ones are the following:
This list just covers the three major factors; there are many more but these are a good place to start.
It is important to note that, like many services, there are agencies that do SEO well, and there are those that don’t. It isn’t always apparent which is which. Having some understanding of what SEO is and what the important elements are is a good start because then you can question the work being proposed by an agency. Here are some quick tips to help you identify the good and the bad. This is not a definitive list and instead should be viewed as potential “red flags” which should be queried.
As mentioned, it isn’t easy to tell the difference between good and bad SEO work but a little knowledge can go a long way. One of the key elements to track your SEO results is to track how your website ranks for certain words and phrases. These are referred to as “keywords”. In the above example about a children’s shoe shop, a couple of keywords could be “kids shoes”, “buy shoes for kids” “shoes for children”, “boys shoes”, “girls pumps shoes”.
Essentially, they are the phrases people search for which you want your website to show up in Google for. Most SEO practitioners will provide you with a list of keywords they want to try rank the site for. It is important to note these and go through them. If you think they are irrelevant to your site, ask them why they are included. Good “keyword research” is the foundation of good SEO work. Ranking the correct keywords is the key to seeing results.
It should be noted that ranking a new website for very commonly used keywords (such as “kids shoes”) is unlikely to happen quickly. Keywords like that tend to have a lot of competition and so it is better to focus on less competitive keywords in the beginning. Over time, as Google sees the progress of your site and the value it provides to people, it will begin ranking your site for more competitive keywords.
We know SEO. Our team have been involved in SEO and related fields for over 15 years. However, in that time we have constantly kept up to date with all of the developments in our field. Like all types of technology, the last 15 years in SEO has seen huge growth and changes in methods and what is required. Things that worked 5 years ago could now get your website banned from Google! (e.g., creating massive amounts of links to your site from irrelevant websites.)
We are experienced, knowledgeable and communicative SEO practitioners who know what we are doing and are happy to ensure you do too!
Communication is key when it comes to picking a web design agency, so make sure that they’re easy to reach by phone, email or online chat. Pay attention to how professional they are in these initial conversations as this can give an indication of the type of service you will receive throughout the project.
Hiring the right professional can be a game-changer for your small business. By leveraging their skills and expertise, you can maximise your social media presence, reach more customers, and grow your business.
Reach out to us today and get a complimentary business review and consultation.
