If you’re a small business owner or nonprofit, you’ve probably heard the term SEO a lot… but what exactly is it? SEO stands for search engine optimization, and it’s the process of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic through search engines. In other words, SEO is all about helping people find you online when they’re looking for your product or service.
Search engine optimization can be a huge asset for your business, but it does require a few basic steps to improve your results.
Set your website up the right way
There are some basic technical things that matter for SEO when it comes to your website. Things like your sitemap, website speed, structure, content, and how mobile-friendly your site is all factor into SEO.
Know what your audience is searching for
If you connect with your audience on a regular basis, then you likely have a good idea of what they are searching for. Do some research to identify the keywords your audience will be using when looking for a product or service like yours and add those words to your website content when it makes sense.
Share useful content
Search engines prioritize content that answers the questions people are asking online. You want your content to be original and useful. If it helps to look at similar businesses and see what they’re doing online, then do a little research, but leave it at just that – research. Think about the questions you get as a business, and what you can do that others can’t, and share content that covers those topics.
Be human in how you communicate
This may sound silly, but we’ve seen some pretty awful SEO writing that has so many keywords you can barely read the content. Write like the human you are! You don’t want your content to sound like it was written by a robot, because that takes away from the personality of your site and can damage your SEO results.
Don’t try to game the system
A good rule of thumb: just say no to keyword stuffing, hidden text, and companies who guarantee any sort of page results. Shortcuts and hacks will always come back to haunt you. Don’t take away the audience’s opportunity to get to know you. Be authentic and consistent with your content for the best results.