What you can do and check yourself, and create DIY SEO
Your business should have a consistent name online & it really helps to update your google business listing regularly.
SEO or search engine optimisation can be improved organically by following these steps consistently. Additional reach can be acquired through working with an SEO expert and paying for targeting advertising through banner ads, Adwords campaigns , social media promotions and giveaways to gain reach. There are two parts largely to increasing your reach online. How your are seen and how you are identified.
01/ presence
Content
Search engines such as Google trawl your website on arrival for relevant content that backs up the seach terms. Your SEO is also improved by the amount of time a visitor spends on your site. So with relevant, interesting, well written content, your SEO score improves.
Search Engine indexing
This is done in the backend on all the websites I develop on Wix.com but if you don’t have a website with Wix.com you can manually do this yourself - just search for the google console.
Social Media presence
Facebook , Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, TIK TOK choose one or two that resonate with you to work on consistently.Know where your audience is, speak to them authentically. Get a face in front of your brand.
Multi-screen compatibility
Page speed score, responsive design, mobile website, If you website isn’t responsive it appears lower in searches. This is where I advise you don’t mess around your design in your website if you’ve had someone create it for you.
Local Business presence
Google maps, Google my business, Finda.co.nz, Neighbourly, Stars of Service etc Find as many as you can that you can list your business for free on. Ensure you use consistent naming. Your business needs to be listed, listing confirmed and have a NAP error rate of 0 ( NAP = name, address, phone) this means that the name, address and phone of your business needs to be EXACTLY the same in all directories and match the real life name.
Blogging
This probably fits into both presence and performance and is an important part of keeping content fresh on your website and including relevant keywords on your website to draw in traffic. For example if your title matched someones search term they will find your website through connecting with your topic ( eg. how to create your own website copy)
02/ performance
SMO Analysis ( social media optimisation)
FB likes, posts and check ins, use the shop function and booking function there too if you can. Make it easy for people to book with you. Twitter followers and tweet count. You can have your FB feed on your website too to keep fresh content on there. You can use apps such as Tailwind to schedule posts for Instagram and Facebook and save time. Use planning apps to organise your posts on Instagram.
Reputation Analysis
Mentions, reviews, and ratings - FB and Google ( don’t forget to ask people to give you Google reviews) you can send them a link. Trip Adviser if relevant is great for this too.
Content analysis
Local phone number, address on homepage, map and directions. Contact us and privacy policy all help credibility.
Having a footer with all this info tucked in right at the bottom of your website is great with a sitemap.
SEO Analysis
Domain redirection ( so no dropped pages) and all the backend stuff your website designer will have put in for you. Check with them.
BackLinks
You can find others in your industry where you could give each other a small spot on your website. For me I have linked my favourite and recommended photographers and copy writers as these industries complement my business. You can also use Buzzsumo or Google news to find trending topics and then target those topics by reaching out to blogs and influencers talking about those subjects. Firstly you can enter a broad phrase such as "graphic Design" and then you can find the relevant trending information around this topic and target your niche around this. The idea of backlinks is that you are connecting with your local community and basically being shown to be valid by other credible websites.
AI Analysis
Sites such as MarketMuse are leading the SEO industry with artificial intelligence, aiding your ability to see whether your articles are getting traction in your industry. you can adjust your copy in your pages or posts by looking at the higher ranking content providers.
Voice Search
Voice searches also make up more and more of searches online. Considering this be aware that keyword searches may be more like “where is the best Thai restaurant in town” rather than something more robotic like “best Thai restaurant.”
A the end of the day SEO is not a destination it's a work in progress. Set aside time each month to work on this just like you would any other area of your business marketing.
If you would like any further information on working with a branding and website designer with 10+ years experience working with start-ups please get in touch
Thanks
Zoe