Concerned about how your website ranks in online searches?
Wondering if you are using the right SEO strategies to drive organic traffic?
Here are five key areas of your website to review in order to improve your rankings.
1. Do you know which keywords your ideal client is using to search for your products or services?
Doing keyword research is a great way to make sure your assumptions about your clients are accurate. It’s quite common for business owners to assume customers are searching for their products a certain way only to discover a different pattern. This information is the first step in making your website Search Engine Optimized (SEO).
The best way to see the exact keywords clients are using to search and find your website is to review your Google Search Console data.
2. Does your website have clear and descriptive URLs, page titles, meta descriptions, menu links, and actual website copy?
Not keyword stuffed, but does it match your actual content?
Google updates their algorithms regularly, with over 200 factors going into SEO rankings. The biggest factor right now is relevancy. Does your website answer the exact question your clients are typing into the search engine?
For example: Are you an electrician but fail to say you are an electrician on your website? Do you talk about being a company of quality and value and ready to meet the needs of your clients, but fail to use the word “electrical repair” or “electrical services?”
Each area of your website needs to be written with the right intent. Each page title, every meta description, and all content needs to be written and coded to optimize your keywords and actual product and services.
3. Do you have any broken links on your website?
A surefire way to get penalized by Google is to have a broken website. Google bots are constantly indexing and testing websites. Once your site has an issue, it’s important to get it fixed ASAP. Broken links, missing images, typos and more can contribute to a loss in rankings over time.
A broken link checker like the one from ahrefs.com is a fast way to test your site for broken links.
4. Do you have a blog? Are you using content marketing to drive traffic to your site?
A dryer repair shop that posts videos with how-to instructions to fix minor issues is going to win clients and become top-of-mind when those clients have major issues and need repair services. The key to posting this how-to information is to structure the page headline the exact same way someone would pose the question to Google. For example “How to troubleshoot a broken dryer belt?”
5. Do you use image alt text?
Search engines do not “see” images. For this reason, it is necessary to use alt text to provide descriptions of the images you use in your content. This can provide an extra SEO boost while also increasing the odds of your photos ranking in Google’s image results.
We recommend tools like screamingfrog.co.uk to search a website for missing alt text.
While these five tips give you an excellent starting point for reviewing your SEO, getting expert assistance is the best option for driving all-important traffic to your site. Schedule a consultation with us to review your site and assess your SEO together.