5 Easy Tips for Business Website SEO

Not everyone is an SEO expert. Luckily I have been in the web site industry for a while and have had job titles such as Senior SEO Strategist and SEO Content Manager. Over the years I have found what works and what doesn’t work for SEO. I want to share with you some easy tips that everyone can do right now to improve their website’s SEO.

Easy Business SEO Tips

1. Google My Business – does your website represent a local business?  If so this is a great place to start.  Even if your website is not very old or well established, having a Google Places page can often put your website on page one in search results.  Some important things to optimize your business’s Google Places page is to select “Categories” (aka Keyword groups) that represent your business.  If your places page has the correct Categories, you will see a jump in website visitors.

   Check out this video Google Webmaster Tools has put together.  I recommend watching it, especially if you are starting a new business. This video series will guide you through Google My Business and other easy SEO tips.

2. Website Directories – Although many SEO professionals says that links from website directory sites don’t have as much value as they once did, they still hold value.  Here is the best examples of website directory.

   DMOZ – This is one of the oldest and most established online website directories.  Getting your website listed here is not only a valuable inbound link, but DMOZ will also show in Google’s search result pages.

   Other Directories – Depending on your business, there can be several website directories that are exclusive to your industry.  How do you know which directories you should sign up for?  It is simple search in Google for keywords that represent your business, if you see any business directories in the search results, chances are those directories would be a great place to list your website.  Here is a good example, I am a web design company, a keyword search for “find web design companies” returns Sortfolio at the #1 position, this is a great directory for website design companies.

3. Online Reviews – Is your website listed in Yelp, Yellow Pages, etc?  If not sign up now.  Online reviews not only effect your search results rankings, they also are a deciding factor for a potential customer to use your business, or a business down the street.  You don’t just need these accounts, you also have to actively engage happy customers and have them leave reviews online.

4. Content Marketing – Many SEO professionals today say that “Content is King”.  This is true to a great extent, but other factors like links are still more valuable.  Anyway, content marketing is very important.  If you want to earn links, having great content that is easily shared is the engine to getting these links.

5. Social Media – Do you have Facebook and Twitter accounts?  Well you should.  This is a great place to share with your potential customers what your business is up too and put a human face on your business.

   Other great and overlooked social medias platforms are Stumble Upon, Reddit, and other link sharing platforms.  These are great places to promote the content on your website.  If you content is good, people will find it through these social medias, share the links, and your inbound links will grow and grow.

 

So there it is.  These simple tips can improve your website’s SEO without much effort from you.

Now that you have heard my advice, let me know what you think. Do you have any other easy tips that can help website owners advance in their SEO efforts.