If you own or manage a local small business, you know how important your online presence is to reaching your local community. From bakeries to car shops and everything in between, your website is the fastest and most effective way for consumers in your community to learn about you.
How do you get your website noticed, however? This is the most crucial step in making sure you’re gaining just as many clients as your competitors. Sometimes, the answer comes down to simply optimizing your website content so you appear in more Google searches.
We’ll break down what areas on your website you can improve your content, and how to maximize your content to cover the information consumers are searching for in your specific area.
Website Content Basics
Before we begin optimizing your content with keywords related to your business and online searches, it’s important to confirm your website has the basic information covered. If you visit your website and this information isn’t easily found or displayed, make some quick adjustments.
Remember, new clients know nothing about you and are often doing a quick search on their phones, so they need to find the basics right away and with only a click or two.
An Optimized Website Should Have:
- Your services and products listed on the homepage or easily found in the menu
- Your hours, address, and contact information in both the footer and on a contact page
- Different sized headers and bolded info so your content is easily skimmed and retained
- An even balance of both media and text
Determining Your Website’s Current Keyword Amount
Now that you’ve confirmed your website hits those four key points, let’s improve the information on your website. Below are two examples of a website landing page for a local bakery company. One website utilizes images, headers, and descriptive words to highlight their products. The second website utilizes images and fun words, but doesn’t really explain their products and services.
Noting the distinction between these two types of website designs is crucial. While someone visiting Beth’s website understands she runs a bakery with sweet treats, Google can’t tell because she doesn’t come out and say it.
Google shows websites as part of their search results that are proven to provide the services people are looking for. Google determines this based on the website’s reputation across the internet, and by scanning the content for relevant phrases that people used to search Google.
If you don’t spell out what you provide clearly and succinctly, Google won’t know what you provide and won’t show your website high in local search rankings.
Choosing Keywords to Add to Your Website
While you may think that the simple remedy to this issue is to list all your products for sale or services you offer, this isn’t a 100% fix. Instead, you want to know what phrases people are using to find products like yours in your area, and use those specific phrases.
To determine how people are looking for businesses like yours, go to Google and type in your main business model plus your location. For example, Beth would type “Bakery, Baltimore MD.” At the bottom of the Google search results, you can review related searches that people are using to find similar services. Utilize the ones that apply to you, and make each one a header on your website or a bolded sentence that will capture a user’s eye.
Tips for Adding Keywords to Your Website
1) Be Minimal
2) Write for People
3) Be Natural
4) Don’t Lie
5) Location, Location, Location
Remember to include your location in your Google search when selecting keywords, and use your location throughout your content on your website. Although your address tells people where you are and confirms it to Google, using your business type next to your city is great for boosting rankings, so sparingly incorporate your popular products next to your city name, like “The Best Baltimore Cupcakes.”
Conclusion
Keywords don’t have to be difficult or be something you need a professional digital marketing company for. A SEO marketer will have access to tools and software that better define and select keywords, while tracking your website’s process, but you can begin improving your SEO all on your own today with these tips.
Remember to embrace the best your company can offer and deliver positive messaging with alluring media. By spelling out your best assets clearly and naturally, you’ll see improvements and be joining the ranks of the successful companies in your area in no time.
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