Confidence that people searching the Internet can find you should be the top priority for business today. Here are a few steps you must take to make this happen.
Every small business owner needs a solid marketing plan. Traditionally, advertising was on radio, billboards, in newsletters and phone books. However, these days are long gone. Digital marketing is now the number one marketing strategy that companies should focus on in the era of mobile Internet searches.
Think about it, what do you do first when you need a new doctor, hairdresser or restaurant? You are looking for them in Yandex or Google. Thus, you probably should make sure that you give your business the opportunity to also appear there.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is not an easy process. It takes a lot of dedication and patience for your business to appear at the top of the search results for relevant phrases. But if everything is done correctly, the benefits can be huge.
Although it takes a lot of effort and probably the help of your web developers, there are a few things you can do on your own to give your business an excellent basis for searching in search results.
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1. Request information about your company on Google
Every business needs a Google My Business list. You should be shown on Google maps and in a small “map set” of companies with star ratings. These are the new Yellow Pages, and this is the first place where consumers find themselves when searching for a new service.
If you don’t know where to start, Google has a great support site that can point you in the right direction. Go there to start filing an application or creating a Google My Business list.
Google My Business allows you to enter information about your company that helps customers find you and learn more about you before making a purchase. Here is a list of things you must have on your list:
• Company name
• Address
• Phone number
• Web site
• Opening hours (including any special holiday hours)
• Description
• Photo
2. Receive and respond to reviews on Google
This is inextricably linked to your Google My Business listing. Reviews are very important for any small business, especially if you are new to the field or trying to get new advantages over your competitors. But how can you make customers leave reviews?
The best way to get customers to give you feedback, apart from the fees for a reputation management solution, is to simply invite them to do so. Happy customers do not often think about this, unlike dissatisfied customers who are happy to contribute to the public platform. So, if you have a satisfied customer, ask him to leave a good review. The worst that can happen is he will refuse.
The next step is to respond to reviews. When you set up the Google My Business list, you have access to an entry that allows you to respond to all the reviews you receive. It is important to respond to all reviews, both negative and positive. Thank you briefly for your positive feedback. Be sure to respond politely and professionally to negative reviews, even if you cannot believe what you just read.
You should also remember that it’s good to get bad reviews. It helps you look human.
3. Create more online directory listings
You have a Google My Business list, but there are other websites where you can create lists for free. These listings, commonly referred to as quotes in the SEO world, increase credibility in your business because Google sees information about your company that has been verified by several sources. The more of these lists you have, the better.
It is important to note that when creating these lists, make sure that at least the company name, address, and phone number (also called NAP) are the same for everyone. Any inconsistencies may cause you trouble. This means that if you have an “LLC” at the beginning of your Google company name, you need to make sure that it appears in all of your online listings.
Here are some of the great lists of online directories you should definitely fall into:
• Bing
• Yelp
• Foursquare
• CitySearch
• ExpressUpdate
• MapQuest
4. Configure the alerts on the page
Google is looking for several signals on the page to help users get the right information in the search results. Depending on the content management system (CMS) your website is built on, you may or may not need the help of a web developer. If you have a simplified CMS, you can log in to your website and find the box on each page for these items.
• Page Title
• Meta description
• Headings
• body content
• Image alternative text
• URL
In each of these areas, on any page of your site, you can add phrases to help Google see what this page is about.
For example, if you are a landscape designer and you have a page on “landscape design”, you can include this phrase in each of these areas to help your web page become a good basis for searching in search results. Just make sure all postings of your search phrases look natural.
5. Write a blog
Google loves to see fresh new content on your site. Find someone in your company who can devote himself to creating content on your site’s blog once or twice a month. Besides the good signals for Google, the benefits of writing a blog are providing valuable information to customers, creating shared content for your channels on social networks, and providing more opportunities for other websites to link to your content.
Here are some great ideas you can use to create content on your blog:
• Useful articles with tips related to your business
• How-to videos
• Infographics
• Community involvement of your company
• Upcoming Events
Even if all you do is five simple tips, you will be ahead of most of your competitors. But SEO does not stop there. A digital marketing specialist can help you achieve what you want.
Futureinapps company is engaged in SEO website promotion in Kazan and not only. We have successful international cases. Turn to the professionals!
