Some truths about SEO and how to boost your website position

What exactly is SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

Before you venture in here are some key points to be aware of

• There is no one single approach that will solve all your SEO issues
• There are no quick fixes
• Be wary of anyone who says they can guarantee you constant work & website always to be top ranking
• There is loads you can actually do without tech knowledge

Tech SEO

These are some basics that your website should have to tick boxes with search engines and will generally be what your web developer does for you.

Your website should..

✓ Be fully responsive (fits in to all size screens)
✓ Have no duplicate content
✓ Have images labeled with Alt tags (text labels helpful for search engines)
✓ Have Sitemaps for search engine bots to classify your content
✓ Have a secure https connection
✓ Have title tags labeled correctly
✓ Have Google analytics installed

This stuff matters but it is not everything.

You can tick all the above tech SEO boxes and still your site is not listing highly and the answer is often to do with your content. (more if that later)

Ranking no 1 for your business name alone is not enough

Of course your website should list at the top of searches under your brand name. But people who search for your name already know who you are.  What matters is that you rank under search terms or answers to questions related to what you do, and  this and is really where good SEO matters.

SEO 10 point action plan

1. Identity & branding – know who you are
2. Competitors – you need to know who’s out there
3. Keywords – what are they and how to implement
4. Content – this is key to rating well online
5. Backlinks – how to get them and what to avoid
6. Stats – Google analytics & social media insights
7. Google Business Profile – get one and keep it up to date
8. Signup – newsletters, offers and pop ups
9. Social Media – some basics to consider
10. Reviews – you need them!

1. Know who you are and what is unique about your business

This is really key and something you should know before launching into promoting your site. It can be hard to define, but could be very simple like a particular location you work in or an approach that is different,  and it is Ok to you can tinker with your USP as you grow.

It can really help if you spot a gap in the market.

Is there a service you think isn’t fully covered or could be done better and you know how? That is a good starting point.

2. Competitors

Research other websites in your field of expertise and see what they do well and what you can match or improve on, but do not copy. Its really important that you know what else is out there and what sets you apart.

So you have defined who you are and now you want to tell search engines about this, whch leads to keywords…

3. Keywords what are they and how do they help?

So these matter but best not to over use, not only could it effect your text and make it hard to read, you can be penalised by search engines for doing this and so you will drop in rank. – this is called Keyword Stuffing.

There are also two types

Short tail key words

One or two words – these will have a high search volume but also face stiff competition.

Long-tail keywords

More specific multi word phrases which can target your customers directl, but with a lower search volume and less competition,  maybe more useful to a small business if you get them right.

4. Content is key – 6 tips

If your website content is good then that is half the battle done. There are no quick tricks to SEO but if you have unique content and its provides the best answers to questions people ask then that can be massive boost.

Make it personal

Don’t be afraid of writing in the first person and being informal/chatty. Think how you would tell people about what you do in person. People generally prefer this approach but it depends on your subject matter.

Provide original content and be wary of AI

Your content needs to be the answers to questions that ideally are unique or the best answers. Be wary of using AI for this as the text should be in your voice, although it can be useful for ideas and structure.

Love a subheading

Break up your text into sections and add subtitles, people tend to skim read online and need to be drawn in by catchy headlines.

Use lots of images to break up the text

You need these to punctuate the text and draw the eye in. Please make sure you use original photos or get the correct clearance for any online stock photos.

Keep an eye on trends

Look out for new products, films, events etc which can be linked to your business and promote both.

Spot a demand

If you think there is a gap online in content related to what you do or badly answered then try to fill it. Write a blog or add useful information to your site.

A hidden beach that got us top rated

Some time ago for Walking Post I wrote a light hearted blog about a visit to a tucked away beach that was hard to find, and this got picked up by Google,  and its overall our best performing page. This helped us to get noticed by Google and meant gor listed and has continued to list our content highly in search results.

The reason it got picked up was that no one had provided clear information to find this beach and so this was the best answer to questions like “Where is Fairlight Glen beach”.

5. Backlinks are beautiful

Highly rated websites linking back to yours are an excellent way of boosting your site online. The important thing here is QUALITY. This can happen organically over time with great content, but it’s a good idea to approach respected websites that are key to your field and ask them to link to you. It will really help of you have content relevant to their customers to give them an incentive to do this.

Jump on the latest trends

In 2023 the film Rye Lane came out featuring many South London locations. There was an existing Rye lane location map online but covered only a few places and I felt this could be done better. Speed was the essence while demand was high, so within a week I had researched and plotted a walk, taken photos and got it online.

Backlink breakthough

But my page wasn’t listed highly, and I needed search engines to take notice . I contacted a local respected news website. They did a short feature linked back to us and within a few days this page was top ranked. This gave us search engine trust so they started listing our other walks. 

6. Do your stats homework

Make use of all Insights on social media such as Instagram Facebook, You Tube, these can hep you find out what is of interest to customers, who your audience is and when they are online.

Website stats

Make sure your site is connected Google Analytics (if you don’t know where these are ask your web developer ) this provides invaluable information on site visits, page views and behavior.

Case Study – getting noticed

As a web designer I was in a very crowded marketplace, so I needed to narrow down where to target my SEO. I decided to initially concentrate on my local area (Streatham) I added this to titles and key words and content and once achieved I broadened my target to “South London” – with a population of 2.8 million it seemed a big enough market with me and I have stuck with that,  and also has the added advantage of letting me work with local businesses.

7. Put yourself on the map

Register your business with Google and add a location. Ideally you will need a physical address to do this. It is possible for online businesses not to have allocation or for it to be hidden but be VERY CAREFUL tinkering with these settings as Google can just block your account if they suspect foul play. (it happened to us!) See more

Location, Location, Location

If you have a physical location for your business this can really help you to target your audience, if so add your location to titles and content – but don’t over do it.

Register your business with Google business profile and fill in as many sections as you can.
See more here

8. Create a loyal following

For most businesses a signup list/newsletter is essential.These are your customers and you can contact them directly and provide special offers, discounts etc to creator brand loyalty. The main players out there are Mailchimp and Mailerlite. Not much between them but the latter can be cheaper.

Pop ups and offers

To encourage people to signup , popups (although annoying) do work and incentives such as discounts, loyalty cards, free downloads can all work.

Get some publicity

You are not alone in needing content. All news, socials need constant new leads. So if you have something you think aome of your content is of interest get in touch with them. Contacting through social media can often be the most direct fastest way to get through to organisations..

A scattergun approach may get you nowhere. Find an outlet that really fits your brand and target them specifically. It can pay off.

Target who you want and have fun

For my walking group we wanted to go on Clare Balding’s BBC Ramblings show to reach our target audience. We knew we needed an original approach to catch their eye. So we bought a mask of her face wore it on one of our walks, linked Ranblings to Instagram Post – thye saw it, responded, and we were on the show within 2 months. The show gave us much credibility and a massive boost in traffic (22,000 in one day).

9. Social media

It is usually expected to have some social media linked to your website and can be a great way for people to see a more immediate or more personal view of what you do and to funnel people to you website.

Some social tips

Don’t spread yourself too widely. Find out where your audience are looking and where you get the most engagement. Its better to concentrate on one to two socials and do them well rather than spreading yourself too thinly.

Be consistent and keep on brand

Don’t mix up your holiday photos with your business unless they are directly connected. People need to know who you are and what you do and why they should follow you.

10. Get reviews

Really important. People like personal recommendations. But it also matters where you see them. Anyone can write great reviews on their website/socials so it’s important that they are from a trusted source eg Google Business or Trustpilot.

Some SEO do’s and don’ts

Do use keywords

Short tail and Long tail can both work for you but don’t  over do it.

Don’t do keyword stuffing

This is an SEO tactic that involves excessively repeating keywords in website content to manipulate search engine rankings. This can be penalized by Search engines and can also make copy hard to read. Avoid!

Do check your analytics

These are very useful stats to know how you website is ranking online and what works and doesn’t.

Do define who you are

Knowing who you are and having a consistent message and approach is key.

Do be patient

SEO can take time to work and its  tempting to keep changing your content/approach if its not working but search engines need time to search and index your contents and  you have no way of knowing how long,- it can be a day or weeks.

Don’t get disheartened

If some pages, events , products don’t do too well , try not to get disheartened, negative feedback can help you improve your services. It can help you discover what people like and don’t like. If some events, products etc fail to attract interest work out why and learn from it, move forward.

Don’t follow the crowd

You see something is trending online – its very easy just to follow and add similar content, but these listings are ahead of you and if you just jump on the bandwagon it can be hard to stand out.

Do Check out your competitors

But don’t copy them. It’s good to check them out but aim to  be unique

Don’t copy your copy

Avoid using the same content on different pages of your website, it isn’t good for ranking (or people!)

Do try and get backlinks

Approach trusted websites that you think could link to you.

Don’t buy backlinks

These will be low grade and can be penalised by search engines.

Don’t add duplicate content or copy it from other sites

All pages should have original content , don’t have the same content on more than one page and do not lift content from other websites

A final thought

There is no one approach that will work.

There is no quick fix to get your business listing highly online, it’s a very broad area but there is a lot you can do to improve your search rankings and traffic. But if you follow some of these steps and keep at it then you should see results. Good luck.

Any questions please get in touch.