You already know that as a small business owner, having an online presence is critical. A whopping 90% of consumers peruse a company’s website before deciding whether or not to do business with them, which means that 90% of your target audience is already looking for you online. How can you make sure that your website reaches as many viewers as possible while giving them a  positive experience while visiting?

Use SEO To Help You

With SEO being the hottest buzzword in the online and e-commerce business these days, are you reaping the benefits of using it on your website?

What Is SEO?

SEO, or search engine optimization, is the use of taking search engine results and swaying them in your favor using cleverly-placed keywords that link back to your website. For example, let’s say that you run a bakery. What keywords might you use on Google while you’re trying to find it? Perhaps “local cupcakes” or “custom pastries near me.” By using keywords like these on your website multiple times, you can help to rank it on the top results of Google or other search engines. 

How Can I Use It?

While professional SEO services exist that can certainly help you out, it’s not so hard to use SEO on your own. Beginners need no special software or even downloadable widgets to help them utilize SEO; all they need to do is start strategically placing keywords on their website.

Where To Place Keywords

If you are completely clueless wondering where you can hide search terms, look to the content that already exists on your website. Your blog is the perfect place to slip in sneaky keywords, but don’t let the clients know which are the keywords you’re using. The content should feel so natural while you’re reading it that nobody should have any idea what you’re doing.

Space It Out

Remember, even though it can be tempting to stuff keywords into your website like a Thanksgiving turkey, remember that sometimes more is less. You don’t want something on your website’s welcome page to come off sounding forced or robotic. Let’s go back to the bakery example again. If your keyword is “local pastries,” here’s a very bad example SEO using keyword stuffing:

“For the best local pastries, look no further for local pastries than our bakery! We serve the freshest local pastries you could ever ask for.”

This doesn’t sound very natural, does it? It sounds exactly like a billboard, not at all welcoming or friendly — or even human for that matter. 

SEO is a great tool when you use it correctly. Teach yourself the basics of keyword utilization to help you get the best results when people search online for you.

Make It Easy To Navigate

We’ve all visited “that” website: It’s so clunky and hard to navigate through that you dread going to it and avoid visiting at all costs. Don’t let your company’s website be one of those! Keep your customers engaged by making your website smooth-flowing and easy to use.

Keep Your Menu Front and Center

Did you know that it’s best practice and the industry standard to keep your navigation menu front and centre on your website? Users are so accustomed to looking for a menu in the spot that deciding to be creative and move it around might not be the best move. Sure, it’s fun to be different and make your website unique from everyone else’s, but this might just be confusing, different, and frustrating to people.

Have a Search Function

Being able to search exactly for what you need is much more convenient than scrolling through endless products of what you may or may not be looking for. Allow your users to search your website to quickly find what they need, especially if you have an extensive catalogue of products or a hefty blog section.

Update Frequently

If you don’t update your website often, users might see old information and think that you aren’t in business anymore. Ensure the public that you are, in fact, still around and keep new information circulating. You don’t want your website to look outdated or behind the times.

Losing website views can be as easy as being a little too creative with your website’s layout or not updating often enough. Keep users coming back again and again by keeping yours clear, and easy-to-navigate.

Have Exceptional Content

Anyone can download a template, slap on a title and use some pretty stock art and call it a website, but what sets yours apart from everybody else’s is the time and detail that you put into your content. Make your blog section a place that viewers find useful and interesting.

Infographics and Data

Everyone loves a good fun fact, and everyone also loves a pretty picture. Combine the two and you’ve got yourself an infographic. Relay information to your users through pictures and text combined using data about your business, the industry or something else that is relevant to your company.

Interviews and Behind-the-Scenes

Remember on Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood how we could see into factories and how things are made? Even today that curiosity lingers inside of us, wanting to see what happens behind closed doors of companies. Let your clients see what goes on at yours by interviewing staff and clients and snapping pictures of behind-the-scenes action. 

Listicles and Top Ten Lists

Who isn’t guilty of finding themselves falling down a Buzzfeed list rabbit hole? This style of a blog post is instantly intriguing to readers, especially when the subject matter is something that relates to their interests or hobbies. Reel in your readers by tapping into this fun blogging trend.

Your website is the first point of contact that your clients will have with you, so it’s important to do all the right things to keep them interested and engaged. Make use of tools available to you to ensure that your site gets as many hits as possible, but also that you’re delivering a great experience to your viewers.