Use These SEO Strategies & Put Your Business on the Map

• Dec 14, 2019
• Architects for the Web

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) rankings may seem like a frustrating and never-ending battle for that top spot. After all, everyone is actively pursuing that fist location on the return list for their specific keywords. This means the competition is fierce for grabbing the active shopper's attention, and business owners have to learn new ways to take the lead when it comes to search engine rankings. Never fear. Read on to learn common SEO challenges and simple things you can do to climb the rankings and reach your audience without spending any money!

What do you Mean by SEO Ranking? 
Before we cover the SEO ranking challenges, you may be wondering what we mean by SEO ranking. If you type the keywords "photographer near me" into Google, you will likely see a lengthy listing of photographers in your area and a few national photography studios. You should also see a map of nearby photographers. The order of the photography studios listed in both the website listings and the map has to do with Google's algorithm for scouring the Internet to find the best matches for what you are searching to find. 

Ranking Challenges
In keeping with the example of the photography studio, let's say you own one of the studios that is listed on page 3 of the SEO rankings and is number 12 on the map. Since the user is much more likely to click on one of the top five photography studios, many businesses will buy pay-per-click ads that rank above the free "organic" listings that Google's algorithm provides. The great news is you have some free options to try out before you have to reach into or expand your marketing budget.  

Free Effective Ranking Strategies
Although no one can fully predict which sites will be listed at the top of either of these helpful listings, there are some ways to ensure Google tags your website as something people will want to see. Google is looking for signs your business' website is current or updated recently, trusted, and popular. Some of the ways to let Google know your site is all of those things include listing your business with Google My Business, joining social media platforms and writing frequent posts that link back to your website, obtaining backlinks on popular and trusted sites like the one for your area's Chamber of Commerce or your industry's professional guild, and getting 5-star Google reviews from customers. Ture, the backlinks to the Chamber of Commerce come with a membership which costs money. However, if you were planning to join for other reasons, the backlinking and other marketing services the Chamber provides are included at no additional cost.

Adding Interest
Another easy way to increase your good standing with Google and get the search bots to notice your website is to post interesting and informative information related to your products and services in a blog. You do not have to be the best writer, and tools like Grammarly make correcting any typos and grammatical errors a breeze! Blog articles and videos that you share in posts on social media will show Google that you are updating your site frequently and more traffic is visiting and staying on your site. These are two indicators users will want to visit your site when keywords from your articles are listed. Plus, even if your website is not listed towards the top of the search return, you may get a top spot for your article's webpage.

Finding the ROI with SEO Balance
Of course, money is not the only cost involved in engaging these strategies. No one wants to spend too much of their valuable time investing in the SEO ranking game. That said, how do you know when you are getting a proper return on your time investment? Your free Google My Business service and Google Analytics reporting make it easy to analyze traffic to your site and decide if your marketing efforts are paying off. In addition to a myriad of other data, you can see how many clicks your website is getting from Google and how many new users are visiting. There is even a way to chat with your consumers using Google My Business. 

In conclusion, today's businesses can no longer afford to avoid implementing these easy SEO ranking strategies. After you add a blog, join Google My Business and social media platforms, acquire some prominent backlinks, and receive several 5-star reviews, you will be doing all you can to organically be linked to the top of the search return. Moreover, you can track your success using Google's free reporting tools. Best of all, if you need a greater ROI or if you would like to learn more about how to increase your SEO ranking, get in touch with us using our online form and find out just how affordable and effective outsourcing your marketing needs to an experienced SEO company can be!