A bit about SEO. SEO is Search Engine Optimization, which means following the best practice to rank higher on search engines like Google. There are several types of SEO, such as technical SEO, blogging, backlinks, and much, much more. When following the best practices, it matters to make sure that you are doing more than your competitors. We’ll dive in to some free ways to boost your SEO and rank higher!
1.Create a Google My Business listing
A Google My Business listing acts as many things so it is a great way to boost your SEO. It is often the first thing a potential client will see when they find you by Google Search. It also provides your potential client vital information such as your website, phone number, and address. You’ll want to make sure that this information is correct at all times, and that your listing is completely filled out. The reviews will encourage them to actually become a client, so be sure to get your happy clients to rate and review! Having a Google My Business listing also can place you above the organic search results. There is a ranking system within the Google My Business Listings where the more ratings with higher ratings will tend to show higher in the results. You can add pictures, posts, and reply to reviews!
2. Create listings on other business directories
Business directories are great ways to link back to your website (this boosts your SEO and overall online presence). Be it the local chamber of commerce profile, the Better Business Bureau, or the Yahoo Local for example. It is important to keep the listings as accurate as possible to ensure that no client gets missed. To boost your SEO, link back to your website on each of these profiles.
3. Create social medias across all platforms (even if you’re not putting effort into posting!)
It’s a good idea to create a profile on each major platform: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest (the fastest growing social media platform EVER!), Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. You can also create profiles on forum sites that are relevant to your industry as well as smaller social platforms. You don’t need to put effort into all of the platforms, I’d focus on the ones that best fit your needs. If you have products that are visually compelling, focus on Instagram or Pinterest, for example.
4. Blog Blog Blog
One of the best free things you can do to boost your SEO is to blog. This shows Google a few things: that you are knowledgable about your industry, that you are updating your content regularly, and that you have more pages on your site. These are just a couple of factors that Google takes into account when ranking you.
5. Optimize Your Content
Optimizing your content throughout your website and blog is a great way to boost your SEO. This allows you to target specific keywords and phrases that are relevant to your company. For example, a company who has a focus on hemp clothing should mention that is headings, alt tags, and throughout the content logically. Keep your content relevant by updating regularly!
6. Tech it Out
Using this technique to boost your SEO, might take an actual programmer. You should add alt tags to all images that you upload (WordPress has this nifty feature built in!). You should make sure that each link on your site has descriptive text, meaning don’t just have an arrow as the link, say ‘read more’ or ‘learn more’. Make sure that each page has a descriptive title (the thing that shows in the tab!), and a description.
7. Press Releases
Press releases are a great way to get backlinks and boost your SEO. The higher authority a site has the more SEO juice you get from being connected to it. They’re generally free distribution, and it can get you some publicity.
8. Backlinks
Backlinks is a way you can boost your SEO by linking back to your site by higher ranked sites. This is tricky because you want quality backlinks, which you need to research for.
