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Digital Marketing Article by Chris Olson
When it comes to the purpose of digital marketing, it's mostly about visibility. Is your business or brand being seen? Are your services or products findable? Unless you have absolutely no desire to increase your business's visibility, which is rare, the goal of your marketing strategy should always be to make yourself more seen.
At Olson Digital Marketing, an SEO Company in London, we prioritise great website design with effective Search Engine Optimisation. Whilst many web design agencies in London can make a pretty website, fewer know how to optimise the front and back ends to ensure search engines like Google and Bing are happy with the content and show it in their top organic search results.
To help you, here are some top tips when it comes to avoiding simple SEO mistakes:
Word Count: Google hates empty pages
Very often, a website will have a page that doesn't require much text. A classic example is the contact page - where businesses typically just put their address, telephone number, opening hours and a contact form. To Google, and other search engines, this looks like a page that has little worth (even though it's probably one of the most important!). By adding in more, relevant content (words), you can show Google that the page is even more valuable and tick the box for good SEO.
In the example above, if you had a light Contact page, why not consider adding this type of wordy content?
Details on how customers can reach your business, going into detail about parking options, local transport links, and the best way to avoid busy times.
Lengthy testimonials from your customers praising your services and/or products. When displayed neatly, these can really enhance any page of your website and add much-needed emotion to typically boring pages.
Any relevant policies you may have, such as privacy, complaints, or returns. If you aren't keen on showing all of this text, you can always hide some using a "read more" drop-down - just make sure the text is still readable by Google.
Index your website with Google Search Console
One of the most common reasons amateur web designers are unable to get their websites showing on Google is because they didn't know about a very simple step - telling Google! Google Search Console is a vital step in an SEO journey, as it's the direct connection you make between your website and the search engine.
Think of it like telling the library (Google) about your book (website) so they can put it on the shelves for people to see.
Meta Data: essential aspects for SEO
When you make a page for your website, there will be a few elements which are built into the backend that make it easier for Google and other search engines to know what the page is about. Two of the most important are the meta title tags, and the meta description. So often London web designers forget or don't care about these aspects, leaving their client's website to the wind.
If you properly optimise your meta data, your website has a far better chance of ranking on page 1 of Google.
Be consistent and connected with your business online
Your website will not be the only digital footprint of your business. There will plenty of other places it will come up for customers, including:
Directories such as Google Maps, Yell etc
Social Media Platforms
Local listings
3rd Party Websites
and more
One top tip, and this is more for Local SEO, is to ensure you keep your business details correct and consistent. If Google sees that your business has different opening hours on different directories, or your name is listed differently on social media, then it will start to distrust your business.
You should also connect your website to your relevant profiles, such as a Facebook business page, or Instagram profile, so that Google can see the connection and trust that you are a genuine business.
If you would like a personalised SEO plan for your business from our SEO experts at Olson Digital Marketing, visit our Contact page and get in touch.
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