Your website is your most powerful promotional tool. Acting as a 24/7 sales and marketing team, your site will often be the first place that potential customers learn about your business and discover your products and services – but in order for this to happen, people need to be able to find you online first. 
This is where search engine optimisation (SEO) comes into play. When your website is properly optimised for search engines such as Google and Bing, your business is far more likely to appear higher up on the list of results that are displayed when people search online for businesses like yours. 
 
If you want to learn more about what SEO is, and better understand the terminology used in this post, check out our search engine optimisation glossary to find out the key terms that you need to know
 
SEO may seem like a daunting task, especially if you are a small business owner with limited technical knowledge, but with our simple website optimisation tips you’ll be able to boost your presence in local search results in no time: 
1. Update your website regularly – Keeping your website up to date and your content relevant will show both Google and potential customers that you are a reliable and active business. Regularly adding new content to your website will also encourage search engines to rank you higher in search results, as they will see you as more valuable than your inactive competitors. 
 
 
 
 
"Routinely adding fresh, quality content to your site is key to boosting traffic" 
2. Start a blog – Blogging on your website makes it quick and easy to routinely add fresh, quality content to your site, which is key to boosting traffic. Starting a blog will also help to demonstrate your industry expertise and communicate key info to customers, adding value to your website, increasing your credibility, and giving visitors a reason to return again and again. 
 
3. Research your keywords – Find out which words and phrases customers are most likely to use to find businesses like yours, and add these throughout the content of your website to increase your visibility for specific searches. Focus on longer, more niche search terms with less competition to really improve your chances of ranking highly, and don’t stuff too many keywords in – keep it natural. 
 
4. Create unique page titles and descriptions – Optimising each page of your website is essential if you want to get found online. Give every page on your website a title that tells both potential customers and search engines what it’s about. This will appear in search results along with the page’s meta description, which should outline the content of the page and encourage people to visit. 
 
5. Engage with customers on social media – Sharing updates on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram is a great way to reach more customers and increase traffic to your website. The more you interact with your audience and grow your social following, the more credibility your business will have in search results, leading to a higher position. 
 
 
"Sharing updates on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram is a great way to reach more customers and increase traffic to your website" 
6. Set up a Google My Business account – Target searches in your local area by getting your business in front of more potential customers with a Google My Business listing. This will improve your appearance and ranking in search results shown to people looking for local companies, and get your company appearing on Google Maps, all of which will increase your chances of people visiting your site. 
 
7. Collect positive reviews – Encouraging your customers to rate your business on platforms such as Google, Yelp, and Facebook will help to establish your business as a highly rated and trustworthy company. This will give you more authority with search engines, and will make your business more visible in local search results, as you’ll appear higher up on the page with the more positive reviews you receive. 
 
 
 
 
"Encouraging your customers to rate your business on platforms such as Google, Yelp, and Facebook will help to establish your business as a highly rated and trustworthy company" 
8. Avoid duplicate content – Search engines such as Google will penalise you if you have the same, or very similar, content on multiple pages of your website, or if you directly copy content from somebody else’s site. To give your business its best chance of ranking well online, create original content for every page that will help search engines differentiate you from the competition. 
 
9. Build backlinks – Get your website listed in local directories and on the sites of any trade associations your business is part of, or local events or charities that your company is sponsoring. The more credible websites that link to your site, the more valuable your site will be seen as by search engines. This will help to boost your presence in search results and drive more traffic to your site. 
 
10. Generate internal links - Make sure every page of your website is linked to by at least one other page on your site so that it’s easier for search engines and customers to navigate. Linking to other pages throughout your website will help Google better understand what your content is about, and how it all relates, which makes it possible for it to rank your site more accurately in search results. 
So there you have it, 10 simple steps to optimise your website for search engines and increase your website traffic. 
 
The key takeaway? Most effective search engine optimisation involves creating a better user experience – make your website easy and engaging for customers, and Google will reward you for it. 
 
By following these SEO tips, you’ll be able to improve your website for customers, grow your company’s presence in local search listings, and take your small business to new heights online. 
 
Want to know more about improving your company’s performance online? Contact us today to find out how our professional and affordable web design services could help. 
 
 
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