Google Says Better to Hire SEO NOW…So Why Do So Many People Wait?
For a lot of people, SEO is an afterthought.
It’s strange, as even Google says that IF you have to hire an SEO, you should do so early rather than late, like when you’re just planning to launch a new site.
Now, why would Google say that?
Because SEO isn’t a topping that you can just pour on top of your site. It’s a base ingredient.
Yes, this applies to websites–but to your brand, too. Don’t wait until later or you will miss out on much on a lot of good business $$$.
Why is SEO important…important enough for Google to tell you that it IS indeed important?
Check out this diagram from Peter Morville. It gives a basic idea of what it feels like to be searching for something online.
Think in these terms, they are the very foundation of a good user experience. Evaluate your website and brand based on them.
- Useful: Your content should be useful and relevant.
- Usable: Your site should be easy to navigate.
- Desirable: Your design should appeal to your target audience.
- Findable: You should focus on content and make searching for information easy..
- Accessible: Your site should be mindful of people with disabilities.
- Credible: Your brand must show signs of authority and prompt trust.
Most of these attributes, like being useful, usable, findable, accessible and credible map directly to SEO. After all, search engines gauge the overall user experience and decide if your site is the best result to show.
If you haven’t already optimized your brand for the search engines, this is the best time to start, because you probably want to market to the MILLENNIALS.
The millennials are used to having information at their fingertips and making purchases IMMEDIATELY!
This is why it is so important that your business is able to be found online RIGHT NOW.
This is exactly what SEO does for you. It allows people who are looking for what you have to offer–right now–to find YOU as opposed to finding your competitor.
Most people today are purposefully searching online. They are not responding to spam-vertising. This is what we call, “in bound marketing” as compared to “interruption marketing” which would be like the old school type of advertising on the television or radio.
One of the most important parts of branding, and marketing in general, is that you have to put yourself in the shoes of your prospective client.
No business can appeal to all buyers. Who is your ideal target market? Why are they looking for the service or product that you offer?
And consider HOW they are looking for you. This is an essential part of SEO. You and your colleagues may have specific terms or jargon that you use repeatedly, but that doesn’t mean people who are outside your industry–people who are prospective clients and customers–know that slang.
“Keywords” is a term that we use in the internet marketing space. Some people believe that keywords are dead. Well….they are and they aren’t.
The WAY in which keywords were used in the past is indeed dead. But keywords, the basic concept of them is very much alive. In essence a keyword is simple a word that a person might type into the search bar to find something…if you offer that something and have used SEO properly then that prospective customer will find you. Because of SEO and keywords.
That is a short summary of how SEO is important to your business and your brand.
Read more on the topic from Neil Patel Here: via How to Use SEO to Build Your Brand
If you have a website or blog you have probably been hit up by “professionals” who are interested in “helping you” in a variety of ways. Sadly, many of these so-called pros are actually out to scam you. They may be after your money or they may be looking to infect your computer or your website with malware.
For many businesses, they want their website name to be the same as their business name. And for many this makes sense. Especially if you are a big, well-known brand. Someone looking for a hardware store in your area may just type in the name of one of the big box stores rather than using keywords. In those instances have your site name (your URL) match your business name is important.
Did I mention reviews?
When you are building your pages pay attention to both the content which is the information ON the page, and the tags and metadata—the information behind the scenes.
If you have more than one office or storefront then you will want to create a webpage for each physical address. Depending on your business you may choose to have separate websites, but that may not be necessary, or even desirable.
Posting photographs online of your the work you do is a great idea.
Go ahead and have some fun with some of your photos. Maybe you want to add shots from your company picnic or customer appreciation day–that’s cool. You can also include photos from things outside of work that you don’t mind making public. Do you love going hiking in the mountains? Does going fishing give you the peace of mind to be a better lawyer? Do you like restoring old cars? Are you an animal lover with a goofy dog or cat? Posting a picture that has nothing to do with work once in a while is just fine. People want to do work with those they know, like and trust. Don’t be afraid to let them know you–at work and away from the shop.