by ClintonAre you looking to generate more leads with your website but don’t know where to begin? It is always good to get some advice from an SEO specialist because your results will drastically differ depending on your industry, type of website, competition, and pre-existing work. However, if you have found yourself with some extra time due to COVID-19 why not start experimenting yourself? Below I have outlined 5 tips for your trade business to get you started on improving your search engine rankings.
1. KEYWORDS
Have you heard of “keywords” but are not sure what they are? Keywords are simply the phrases that people type into a search engine like google to find your products and/or services. If you are not sure what your keywords are you can always ask other employees, friends or family what they might type into Google in order to find someone like you. Alternatively, there are plenty of neat tools online such as Google’s keyword planner. (https://ads.google.com/home/). Once you have discovered your keywords you can find a way to include these words throughout your website so google knows to serve up your website when people are looking for this information.
EXAMPLE: If you are a pool builder, one of your keyword phrases might be something like “Concrete Pool Builder Melbourne”.
2. USER EXPERIENCE
Is your website easy to use? Go through each page and ask yourself if you find it easy to maneuver. If someone finds it difficult to find the information they are searching for, they might go elsewhere. It is also really important to make sure your website is mobile/ tablet friendly. You can simply check the pages on mobile to make sure everything looks correct. If not, it is best to contact your web developer to see if they can change the mobile functionality for you.
EXAMPLE: Are your menus clear and concise with segmented pages? If you are an electrician do you separate commercial information from domestic and industrial? Someone looking for a new pendant light installation will be searching for different information to a company looking for multi-site LED upgrades. Be sure to direct your users to the correct place quickly.
3. BLOG WRITING
Google likes it when you keep the content on your website fresh, which is why a lot of companies that rank highly in searches have blogs on their websites. However, please keep in mind that Google is clever, so make sure you don’t repeat yourself by copying the same information across multiple blog pages. Google will select only one page to rank and disregard the others, meaning vital information may be neglected. You should also make sure the content is helpful… Don’t just create a page with a bunch of keywords spammed throughout. Really think about your customer and what sort of information they might be looking for. Do you often get the same questions over and over again? If so, plan to write about these topics each week or two consistently. You can use this simple google tool to help you find trending topics.
EXAMPLE: If you are a landscaper, perhaps you want to provide information on the best plants for winter, or different types of pavers. Get creative! Not much of a writer? Speak to me today(link to contact us) about how I can help.
4. LINKS
Ensure you have different links on your pages. This may be a combination of internal links and external links. An internal link is a hyperlink on one of your website pages that links to another one of your website pages. This is commonly found when writing blogs, where you may link to your product range page or contact us page. Try to avoid linking to your home page as it will not be as relevant as other content-rich pages. Internal links are great for page rankings as it improves readability and user experience.
External links are those linking to or from your website from another company’s website. External links help to improve your rankings if their site ranks higher than yours. Google sees the connection and then believes your site must be more important.
EXAMPLE: If you are a plumber you may link to accreditation sites such as TEFMA, Master Plumbers, or Energy Safe, and suppliers such as Reece. You can also ask your suppliers to link to your site if it is reasonable.
5. GOOGLE BUSINESS
If you don’t already have one, register for a Google Business account (also known as GMB). You can do this here for free. This allows local customers easy access to your business name, website, operation hours and reviews. Simply having an account with all of the fields completed will help with your SEO.
EXAMPLE: If you are an electrician that offers emergency services, you can create a google business account to show locals that you are available at all hours of the day. It is easy for them to find at odd hours when they need your service quickly.
If you decide to experiment with your own SEO be sure to track your rankings as you go so you can see if there is improvement. You can do this by simply searching your keywords on google and counting where your business sits. The changes won’t happen overnight so make sure you check it every month or so. If you are still not seeing any improvements after a few months it may be time to call in a specialist.
DIY SEO isn’t for everyone, as there are some hurdles that may need to be considered and dealt with professionally. If you would like a free website report to see whether you should start your own SEO activities please contact me today.