SEO

Thursday, Jul 19, 2018

SEO: Why You Shouldn’t Run Your Business Without It

It is no secret that technology has made the world smaller while expanding opportunities that were unheard of a generation ago. Technology has also created a global marketplace, a highly competitive global marketplace. So, while you are hanging your ‘Open for Business’ sign, you can count on the fact that dozens of other creative and talented entrepreneurs are doing likewise.

It is the competitiveness of the global marketplace which makes Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) a crucial part of small business in 2018. It is close to impossible for a small business or a start-up company to find lasting success without a good SEO strategy.

While SEO is one of the keys to success in a worldwide market, it is still a misunderstood term. Generally speaking, SEO is what puts your business and its website to the top of the results page of a search engine such as Google. By making your site front and centre on a results page, you are increasing the number of people who see, remember, and potentially connect with your business.

Many business owners do not know or understand the essential features of optimisation and are unfamiliar with the nuances of SEO. This lack of understanding is a significant detriment to successful businesses. Without experienced and proactive SEO experts to help create the traffic, you rely on luck for business.

You may still wonder why SEO is so critical to success in business, consider for a moment some of your own search engine experience. After you entered a search query, how many pages of related web content did you read? If you answered just one page, then you are a part of the 80% of people who do not scan beyond the first results page. In fact, the majority of people do not look all the way to the bottom of the first page of results from a search engine. Studies show that most potential business contacts will click on the top three to five sites of search engine findings. This is why SEO experts are a lifeline for many companies; if your website is on the bottom of another page, the odds of a customer finding you from a Google search are slim to none.

Some business owners attempt to boost their search engine rankings without help. However, the ever-changing demands of SEO take more time than most entrepreneurs can spare. There are several benefits to enlisting an SEO professional to guide your business to the top of the search engine page.

1. First page rankings. There are only 7-10 unpaid web pages that land on Google’s first page and these do not land there accidentally. Finding and maintaining the key phrases and building authority takes time and know-how. Many business owners do not have the necessary time or knowledge to get to the first page of a search engine nor to stay on the first page.
2. Superior long-term traffic. To stay on top in SEO takes work, to maintain a top-ranking SEO position in the long-term takes passionate commitment. Search engines are known to change the way sites get high rankings by adjusting their algorithms. Consequently, a dedicated professional who can quickly adapt when the algorithms change will keep your business at the top while others are struggling to keep pace.
3. Optimal visibility. Ultimately, the success of your business is strongly correlated to successful SEO. Increasing your visibility is critical if you want to stay ahead of your competition. Often potential customers will notice a catchy website or a description merely because the business was at or near the top of the results page. However, an internet search is rarely a one and done prospect. Typically, potential customers will conduct a search, look at a website or two and then refine their search criteria. The sites with the most clicks are those with a position at the top of the search engine page. This ranking can be the difference between a successful venture or a failed business.
4. The right site traffic. If you think about your most recent internet search, after entering your topic, you had a host of website options all, presumably with relevant content. That is an edge your company gains with SEO. Not only do you have views on your page, but you have the right views. People who are interested in what you can offer will see you. Using expert SEO effectively drives the people with the highest potential for purchases to your door.

It is nearly impossible to overstate the necessity of SEO. It is an unfortunate truth that you can create a beautifully designed web page that is brimming with information and easy to navigate, yet unless you are one of the companies at the top of the search list, your site will receive little to no new traffic. Save yourself and your company from being buried at the bottom of a search engine page, consult with an SEO expert today.

Friday, Feb 17, 2017

8 SEO Mistakes That Could Get Your Website Penalised or Banned

Some SEO tactics that you’ll come across seem like great ideas, but will harm your rankings in the long run. Be aware of the SEO mistakes that could get your website penalised or banned and ensure you only pay reputable SEO consultants to improve your rankings. I’ve recently launched my own digital agency, Digital Hitmen, and offer a range of SEO consulting services.

To prevent your website from being penalised or banned in the search engines, here are eight SEO mistakes you should avoid.

Please note: this article is intended for SEO beginners. For more advanced SEO tactics please contact me with any questions you have.

1. Submitting Your Website to Low Quality Directories

While researching search engine optimisation, you may have come across advice to submit your website to directories. In the earlier days of SEO, submitting links to tons of directories was a surefire tactic to improve rankings. Google has since decreased the importance of backlinks from directories and goes as far as to penalise sites that have too many low quality backlinks. You should only submit your website to high quality (and relevant) directories that don’t allow poor quality links and have real humans review the links for quality control.

2. Article Spinning

Article spinning is a technique in which a person makes small adjustments to the wording of an article and then publishes several versions on different websites. There is article spinning software that simplifies the process.

Around nine years ago, this was a popular SEO tactic but it no longer works on Google because they’ve caught up to the fact that this was just producing a lot of low quality (crappy) content on the web. Take the time to create good quality content.

3. Using the Same Anchor Text Too Much

Anchor text is the text used for a clickable link. For example, if you want to link to an article on the best football players in Australia, you’ll probably want to choose a phrase like “best football players” or “Australian football players” in another article. Linking to other articles you have written is important for good SEO. However, if you use the same anchor text over and over again, it sends a red flag to Google. It will look like you’re trying to game the system to rank for that term. To prevent this from happening, use different anchor text when creating multiple links to the same article. This might include generic terms such as “click here” or “view more information”. Aim for a mix of generic and related anchor text across several sites.

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

I Love Helping Small Businesses Grow

SEO for Small Businesses

I often get asked by friends, family and people that find my blog via Google to help them with their SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). In the past I’ve helped with the SEO for a number of small businesses including:

1. My own – Swish Plastic, Buji Tea and my various network marketing businesses such as Isagenix, Kyani and Nerium.
2. Perth Foot Centre – Specialist Podiatrist Perth (including specialist foot surgery and other procedures)
3. Window Tinting Perth Now – Perth’s premier window tinting company
   
4. Fast Melbourne Towing – Towing services in Melbourne and other parts of Victoria
5. Bibra Lake Soils – Selling soils, mulch, sand etc in Perth’s southern suburbs
6. Vivo Marketing – Melbourne based digital marketing agency
7. 123 Dental – Perth based dentist

The Impact SEO Has on Traffic and Revenue

In my opinion, SEO is the single most important marketing avenue for most small businesses. I’m astonished when I see businesses of all shapes and sizes not consider the impact that a low number of visitors from Google can have on their bottom line. With a few small tweaks their SEO rankings can easily be improved!

The businesses above, as well as ones that I have worked on previously, have seen a jump in traffic of anywhere from 30-200%. What’s even more important; this traffic is of higher quality and ultimately converts to more sales. SEO pays off – many times over.

If your business is on page 2 of Google, it won’t get nearly as much traffic as those businesses that are found on the upper half of page 1. Consider the following study from Advanced Web Ranking (published by Marketing Land) in 2014. Position #1 in Google gets 31% of all clicks. Position #2 gets approximately half that (14%). Position #3 just 9.85%.

ALL of page 2 gets just 3.99% of clicks and ALL of page 3 gets just 1.6%! If you’re not in position #5 on page 1 or higher, forget it!

Impact of Google Rankings on Click Through Rates