SEO Basics and How They Can Boost Your Online Sales

Media

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Aaron Johnson

In today’s marketplace, there is a growing need for an optimized online presence. Many companies are aware of the benefits of a strong website, but they still neglect to use techniques to get their business discovered by new clients or customers. Many have chosen to work with a search engine optimization company, which is an organization whose focus is driving clients’ sales utilizing SEO. Search engine optimization can also increase volume of sales by setting up a specialized ecommerce area and directing clients to this site with increased visibility.

But how do search engine optimization companies drive up their clients’ business so effectively?And, how can businesses looking to start selling their products online capitalize on their expertise? There are a variety of ways a search engine optimization company might assist their clients in increasing sales. The items below share effective methods for any organization looking to break into the online sales market.

Identify What Search Engines Are Looking for – And What They Aren’t

– Relevancy is one of the top things search engines look for when determining ranking on search results. This extends to many areas, including what type of information is on your website, how well your website functions, its user-friendliness, and how often your site is referenced online by other experts in your area. These are the foundation of a good SEO campaign. A site with poor content and choppy navigation will be left in the dark.

– Social media presence is another thing that helps websites consistently land near the top of search engines. A page with high like, share, plus one, or retweet counts is much more likely to have a higher search engine ranking because of its increased online visibility.

These factors get a page closer to relevancy, as they cause the page to be more highly circulated and establish it as an authority in the eyes of an online search. SEO companies work to get their clients the social media exposure needed to make them well shared and widely accessed.

– SEO basics, such as a fast website and use of H1 and H2 tags, were able to increase a company’s ability to be found on search engines; however, over time these techniques became so widely used that they no longer give companies the leg up they once did. Since almost everyone utilizes these methods, they have become basic requirements more than optimization techniques. They are still essential components to increase online visibility, as sites without them suffer, but they are no longer a golden ticket to the front of the search result line.

– Keywords, once hailed as the top players of SEO, fell greatly in their usability. Websites began producing low quality, keyword dense content in order to catapult themselves to the top of the search engine results page. Eventually, this prompted search engines to change their game. While the selective and professional use of keywords can still be helpful, loading your site with keywords will hurt your chances more than helping them in the long run.

Incorporate Multiple Channels of Media

– Videos and other media-rich content are great additions to any site looking to up its search engine ranking. Search engine optimization companies work with clients to produce this highly accessible and sharable content because of the increased reader and viewer access it provides. Getting your text page to a top ranking result can be difficult if it is strictly text, but incorporating a variety of content will make your site more searchable to a broader audience.

– Social media had an interesting run in the SEO world. In 2010, Google revealed it was going to be a significant factor in determining the worth of a site according to their search engine. Likes, shares, plus ones, and other types of social media recognition were said to have a direct impact on a website’s find-ability online.

Later, Google stated that these factors did not have a direct impact on Google searches in particular. While Google is the leading search engine it is far from the only one. While they may have waivered on this point, other search engines maintain the usefulness of social recognition online for those looking to optimize their rank.

Moreover, even if the sharing of content through social media is not directly linked to the search engine ranking, it is still a useful tool for online companies. First, the social media page itself acts as a website of its own. Social media pages turn up in online searches just like any other site, so their existence gives the company using them higher visibility.

Higher visibility means more references and links to the site, both of which establish the company as an authority according to online search engine ranking criteria. This means that maintaining a solid social presence across various platforms remains vital for SEO.

Optimizing your brand for searches across multiple channels is also incredibly useful. While loading your content with keywords will do little to help your SEO efforts, establishing a few solid keywords and inserting them in moderation across a variety of platforms will give your company a universality that will make it easier for it to be found and referenced. Placing your keywords and brand in your social media updates, marketing emails, and offline ads and publications is a great way to keep your company linked in and allow for search engines to recognize these links with ease.

– Backlinks are another great channel that allow websites and vendors to be optimized in search engine results. Backlinks, which are links from other websites back to your own, increase not only your site’s popularity but also its ability to be found. Search engines place high importance on the occurrence of backlinks because they are a great way to determine the way the public is receiving and reacting to the bulk of the site’s content. A backlink acts as a stamp of approval, which often denotes quality on the part of the website and the business.

Ensure the Consistent Use of Domain Names

When it comes to high rankings in search engines, consistency is vital. Providing duplicate content within a site, marketing, and social presence may seem small but it is a great way to give your business a cohesive presence online. Search engines look for terms and make connections between those, so if a user is looking for a particular term, service, or product, the recurring terminology that shows up on a website will boost the search engine’s ability to recognize their relevance to the search and therefore give priority to that site or business.

Expertly Index the Site

Search engine optimization companies often offer their clients the option of having their site professionally indexed. Indexing improves the site’s ability to be navigated. This means that users and customers can easily find content, topics, and products. One important tool for indexing a website is the use of Meta tags. Meta tags allow the site or business owner to decide which concepts, products, or words will be available in a particular area of the website. They also serve as guides for search engines, helping them to determine which word meaning is correct when there are multiple definitions or interpretations.

Give Search Engines the Ability to Relate Their Content to Search Inquiries

– Literal searches are a good way to help search engines understand exactly what you are offering and accurately promote it. For example, if one searches for “cone” they may be looking for one of many things. If you are a vendor of traffic cones, you will want to qualify the word “cone” as much as possible within your content. By keeping the language in your site as direct and precise as possible, you can avoid being lost in the shuffle of mistaken searches and be easily found by those looking to access your particular wares.

– Eliminating superfluous words is another way search engine optimization companies help their clients capitalize on their web presence. Search engines do not recognize terms like “and” or “for,” meaning that the overuse of these types of words within your website is useless in optimizing it for search engines. Keeping your wording as descriptive and concise as possible keeps your content from confusing the search engine and potentially increases your ranking in a search. Clarity in content is the best way to communicate to potential customers, so eliminating unnecessary text bolsters both your revenue and your search engine ranking.

Google, Bing, Yahoo, and any other major search engine are businesses like any other. They profit the most by giving their users high quality results; therefore, creating a quality website with reliable products that are likely to be highly regarded is the best way to ensure that your company is high in the search engine’s ranking. The more traffic your site has, the more likely it is that your online sales will increase and remain steady. Working with an SEO company is an investment that will quickly show a return and will continue to produce positive results for your business’s future.

Sources:

https://blog.kissmetrics.com/social-media-and-seo/

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/search-engine2.htm

Consistency Is King In SEO

 

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