SEO…what does that mean? Technically it stands for search engine optimization, but it really means all the things we can do to get found on the internet 🙂

I talk to a lot of small business owners who 1. don’t understand it, 2. need it and 3. have no idea how to do it.

I’m not going to lie- it’s complicated. And, there are A LOT of different aspects that go into it, but there are a few things that you can do to help your SEO.

Is Your Content Relevant?

This is the first and most important point. Search engines have come a long way and are more intuitive now than ever before. They are looking not just for results, but the searcher’s intent. So they’re not just scanning to look for keywords anymore, they’re looking for alot more than that.

They are checking to see if your content is relevant to what people are searching for and that might mean more than just the keywords that someone types into the Google search bar.  

Take a minute and think about it- is the content on your website relevant to what your ideal customer is looking for? Does it help answer a question or solve a problem for them? If so, great! If not, how can you tailor your content to be relevant to them? How can you resonate with your ideal customer(s)? Do you have content that speaks to your ideal customer? This could be on your homepage, your services or your blog.

Is Your Site Secure?

Did you know that Google’s algorithm now penalizes sites that are not secure? To be secure, a site has to have https:// as opposed to http://.

You can do this with an SSL certificate from your hosting company. The cost can vary between different platforms, but they are relatively inexpensive- typically they are less than $20/year (some platforms even include them in their monthly hosting price)- and they are usually pretty easy to install. Most companies will offer support to install them so just check with your hosting company for pricing and support!

If your site is not secure, I would suggest doing this as soon as you can because Google doesn’t like unsecure sites and 84% of people say they will abandon a purchase if they’re dealing with an unsecure site.

Let’s Talk About Speed

“I feel the need—the need for speed!” – Maverick circa 1986.

No truer words were ever spoken when it comes to your website. Search engines and people alike hate slow websites. Seriously. It’s annoying for the consumer and Google just penalizes for it (again), so your chances of getting found (and growing your business) get smaller and smaller.

If your website takes longer than 2 seconds to load, your bounce rate spikes 50%.

That is lightning speed!

Not sure what your load time is? Here is a quick and free tool from Google to check:

https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/

It should pop up a report card type score after you hit analyze:

 

This tool will look at both your mobile and desktop sites and give you a score. If it’s on the lower end, you might want to think about talking to the developer that made your site to see if they can work on the issues that are slowing it down.

Bonus Tip = Consistency

Search engines love consistent content because they’re always crawling to see what can serve searchers better, so if you’re putting out new content on the regular (this goes for social as well!), they will keep coming back to your site and rank you higher.

Not to mention, it shows that your business is up-to-date and providing useful information! You can use your content on social media, in your email marketing and as a way to attract customers through search.

There Is More…

Like I said above, there are many aspects to SEO, but these can give you a jump start! If you’d like more help and want to dive deeper, I’ve got it in my DIY Digital Marketing for Small Business Owners + Entrepreneurs! There is an entire module on SEO (and other fun stuff to grow your business 🙂 ) that discusses the best ways to tackle all the aspects that will improve your SEO.

Or hop on our webinar this Thursday, March 19, 2020 at 1 PM PST to learn a little more!