Think about the things you can do in 30 seconds? The list is long, yet if you Googled something and had to wait 30 seconds for results...you would look elsewhere! That goes for your website too, it needs to load FAST. As a quick example, if your TV took half a minute to turn on - you might start looking at a new TV.
Thirty seconds is a long time. Do you think you can find your own business online in that amount of time? If at this instant you are not sure - then you're in the right place because most people don't go past page two of a Search Engine Results Page (SERP) when they're looking for something. So...exactly what do you need to think about for your online presence and why? What question are your potential clients going to ask to find your product or service?
Wondering what all this means?
From a high-level, think of it as three main components:
Website: All Company details - considering keywords and keyword phrases, aligning them with the important things people will search for regarding your business in terms THEY use, not specialty terms only your company uses
Google: Business Profile, Search & Analytics
Fresh Content: Valuable content for blogs, social media pointing to website, regular posting (set a schedule), newsletter
Especially for new businesses, the thing I can't stress enough is that launching many digital marketing components simultaneously so that when your business goes live, people can find you faster...VISIBILITY!!!
Now, each of these components has many layers within, such as linking your website to your Google Business Profile (and labeling all the components) for the day-1 launch of your website. That, and understanding that it takes time to grow your presence. Expect it to take weeks or months for the search engines to index your website and begin to really see traffic. The more content you add to your website, the more Google will think you're providing valuable information to your subscribers and clients.
Terms to Know Regarding Your Online Presence
At this point things start to get a little bit technical and you will probably have lots of questions about how to do all this stuff. Ultimately, for many aspects of this work you will want to bring someone in to help you so that you can focus on your passion...YOUR BUSINESS.
So, what is SEO? From a high-level, the main components of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) outlined below, in this article and will be covered more in-depth in the coming blogs.
Keyword Research and Optimization: Researching and selecting the right keywords for a website's content and optimizing the content around those keywords to improve its relevance and ranking in search engine results.
On-page Optimization: Optimizing the website's content and structure, including meta tags, headings, content, and images, to improve its relevance, user experience, and crawlability by search engines.
Technical SEO: Ensuring that the website's technical aspects, including site speed, mobile-friendliness, crawlability, and site architecture, are optimized to improve user experience and search engine ranking.
Link Building: Building high-quality links from other websites to improve the website's authority and credibility in the eyes of search engines.
Content Creation: Creating high-quality, original, and relevant content to attract and engage website visitors and improve search engine rankings.
Social Media Marketing: Using social media platforms to increase brand awareness, engagement, and traffic to the website, which can indirectly improve search engine rankings.
Analytics and Reporting: Monitoring website performance and search engine rankings using analytics tools and reporting to track progress and adjust SEO strategies accordingly.
The time it takes to see the impact of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) varies depending on several factors, such as the website's age, size, competitiveness of the industry or niche, the current state of SEO on the website, and the SEO strategies implemented. However, there are some general timelines to keep in mind and we'll get into those in next month's blog, as well as was is NOT SEO.
Key Takeaways
There's a lot to unpack when it comes to solid online presence but when you add up all the little tasks it takes to get it done, have the patience and be consistent - you'll see BIG results.
Coming back to our primary components, let's start with Google. When you search for your business, what do you see?
Location?
Website?
Clickable phone number?
Reviews?
Open/Closed times?
Link to connect or make an appointment?
What do people see when they arrive at your website?
How far do they have to scroll to take an action (i.e. call, set appointment, etc.)?
What do they see 'above the fold'?
Is your social media available?
Why would they stay on your website? Is it providing value to their needs? Does it have the following?
User-Friendly Design: A good website should have a design that is easy to navigate and visually appealing to the user. The website should be designed with the user in mind, and should be easy to use on a variety of devices.
High-Quality Content: The content on a website should be well-written, engaging, and informative. It should be relevant to the target audience and provide value to the user.
Fast Load Times: Users expect websites to load quickly, so it's important to optimize your website's performance to ensure fast load times. This includes optimizing images, minimizing HTTP requests, and using a content delivery network (CDN).
Mobile Responsiveness: With more and more users browsing the web on their mobile devices, it's essential that a website is mobile responsive. This means that the website should be optimized for smaller screens and touch-based navigation.
Clear Calls to Action: A good website should have clear calls to action (CTAs) that guide users to take specific actions, such as filling out a form or making a purchase. CTAs should be prominently displayed and easy to find.
Security & Privacy: Users need to feel confident that their personal information is secure when browsing a website. A good website should have a valid SSL certificate, be PCI compliant (if accepting payments), and have proper security measures and a privacy policy in place to protect user data.
Search Engine Optimization: A good website should be optimized for search engines to ensure that it ranks well in search results. This includes optimizing meta tags, using keywords, and creating high-quality content.
How do you get started?
There are many ways to jump into this and it doesn't all have to happen at one time. The goal is to go-live with as many components as possible simultaneously. In order to make that happen, there are things (branding, content, etc.) you need to have prepared beforehand. Just like graduating from college or buying a home, it requires understanding your vision. None of those tasks are done quickly, it takes time to review the market, define your goals and find the right option for you. Maybe you will start from scratch with a new site or revisit your current website to see if it's got all of the things setup so people can find you? Or maybe look at the analytics?
Define your goals & timing:
What do you want to achieve?
Who do you want to reach?
What is your unique value proposition?
Answering these questions will help you get started in creating a clear strategy and direction for building your online presence. The right team will be happy to answer any of your questions, so don't be afraid to ask or get help when you need it.
We're excited to work with you and grateful for the opportunity. Throughout our work together, we'll continually check-in to make sure we're aligned with your vision. With our marketing services and business strategies, we'll review project plans, emails and texts, to videos and zoom calls, to communicate the progress of the project in a way that works best for you. Our ultimate goal is to get to know you, your business and your overall vision for its long-term growth to provide the best, most efficient and effective solutions. Take the first step...contact us today!