Prior to entering the world of social media marketing, I didn’t often consider the ins and outs of search engines and why SEO matters to brands. Now, I think about the importance of SEO almost daily. I keep telling myself that I should tally how many times I use Google each day. Even my children use the word as a verb, asking me to “Google” answers to questions I can’t or to look up information we’re curious about. I appreciate the way the quick and accurate results. If you feel the same when you’re using Google — or other search engines — you understand why SEO matters so much to online marketing.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, a fancy term that encompasses the ways search engines decide to rank the results of a user search. SEO takes organic traffic, which is unpaid, and paid search results into consideration when ranking results in a search. With increased, or optimized, search engine results, businesses and brands see increased site traffic.
Why SEO matters to businesses and brands
Online searches can yield thousands — or hundreds of thousands — results. Most people click on the first couple and never even think about clicking past the first page. At Take Flight, we talk a lot about engagement, but brands know you can’t engage with potential clients and customers unless they can find you. Social media is one facet of directing traffic to your site, but increasing your SEO means people find you through searches, not necessarily because they follow you on social media or are browsing hashtags for similar sites.
Roughly 90% of websites don’t see any organic traffic, which means the right SEO is so important! Organic traffic sustains business for companies and brands. Marketing can only go so far, because once your marketing push dwindles, so do the results. If brands want to keep reaching new eyes, increasing new traffic to your site makes a major difference. You don’t want to be part of that 10% of businesses buried somewhere on page 36 of an online search result.
How to improve your brand’s SEO
Create relevant, evergreen content —Evergreen content remains one of the most important factors in site ranking. Evergreen means just what it implies — it stays useful no matter how much time passes. These pieces on your site generally pertain to the things about which you have the most expertise. If your business focuses on photography, your evergreen content might contain articles about what times of day allow for the best natural light or how to best photograph active subjects.
Keep in mind, not all content needs to be evergreen! Current and trending information, like gift guides or in-person appearances offer value, too. Evergreen content, though, helps anchor your site as reputable in online searches. We also encourage you to keep an eye on your content. If something changes in your industry, or if your business shifts in some way, adjust your content accordingly. True evergreen content should read as current and true as the day you first published it, even if you have to make slight tweaks along the way.
Check your site’s mobile responsiveness — Mobile friendly sites rank higher in SEO. Search engines know how much traffic flows through mobile devices, and your site will be dinged if it can’t respond. Pay attention to loading times and meta descriptions, and make sure you aren’t blocking JavaScript, images, or CSS on your site.
Make sure your images are SEO friendly — Beautiful images help keep attention on your site, and they can increase traffic if properly formatted. We recommend looking for a few specific things when formatting your images. Make sure you’re using a responsive file size. If your images are too low-resolution they look sloppy, but if your file size is so large the images won’t load, visitors can get impatient and leave your site. Name your file something relevant and searchable, like “playground equipment” instead of “Jane on swings.” Use captions and alt tags to increase keywords for even better searchability.
Use video to your advantage — Businesses hear about the importance of video marketing all the time, but that’s because it’s truly one of the best ways to optimize your content. Long form and evergreen content matters, but not all of your site visitors will have the attention span for that content, unless they’re already interested in what you’re offering. A one-minute video can grab attention in a way a blog post doesn’t. In order to improve your SEO with existing video content, make sure the title and description are relevant and search-friendly. If you’re not already using video, begin now!
Focus on user experience — Algorithms for SEO change, but one consistent factor remains the amount of time visitors stay on your site. Referred to as bounce rate, your search ranking improves with a lower bounce rate and declines when people click away from your site quickly. User experience varies according to industry and personal preference, but we recommend certain constants. Content should be easy to read. Use concise language and short blocks of text, including differentiating sections with different text for headlines and section breaks. Use infographics for relevant information and including aesthetically pleasing images. Like we mentioned already, video helps, because it keeps people on your site.
Build relationships and encourage backlinks — Backlinks, or inbound links, are links to your site from other sites. You may get them from sources like informational interviews about your business, reviews, or from related businesses recommended your services. Unpaid backlinks from reputable sites help your SEO climb, because they work as a vote of confidence in your site.
Use keywords — Keywords matter. Even if you’ve never heard the term, your site already uses them! Keywords are parts of an online search that bring visitors to you. They might encompass locations (New York City apartments) or specific services (best photo storage options), but they’re integral to your SEO. Using keywords involves understanding which ones work for your business and which ones your competitors are using. If you’re interested in learning more about specific keyword techniques, this article from Hubspot offers a comprehensive look at keyword research.
One of the trickiest parts about improving your brand’s SEO is the constantly changing nature of search engine algorithms. Just when you feel like you have a handle on a sustainable SEO strategy, the rules change — and that’s ok. The important part of an SEO strategy is recognizing you need one and accepting the adaptability needed to make it successful.
What SEO tips and tricks do you use?