Why Today’s Businesses Need Search Engine Optimization

Why Today’s Businesses Need Search Engine Optimization

With millions of live websites today, it’s easy for your business’ site to get lost in the crowd. If you rely on your website to attract potential clients, it’s important to not only have an informative and easy-to-navigate site, but also to increase its visibility among a search engine’s natural, or unpaid, search results. Implementing a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy is one of the most cost-effective ways to increase traffic and visibility.

DePasquale Companies, which manufactures salon haircare products and owns a salon and spa in Morris Plains, NJ, has gained a lot of success through its SEO plan. According to Ruben Morales, the company’s information technology director, focusing on SEO has greatly helped boost business and compete. “When prospective clients search using applicable keywords, it’s imperative for us to be on the first page at the top of the list in order to gain their business,” says DePasquale. The Spa utilizes its social media pages to regularly share informative and new content, which often provides a link back to the spa’s website. Morales admits, though, that search engine optimization takes time, effort and knowledge on the subject and the business itself. “It’s definitely a rewarding task that must be worked on every day by knowledgeable people who are fluent in SEO,” he says.

Here are some tips you can use to use to improve your website’s search result rankings:

Discover the most-searched terms.

It’s important to know exactly what terms people search for most on the leading search engines -- Google, Yahoo and Bing -- as each search engine is different. This helps businesses focus on adding the terms that will get them the highest results. You can use a keyword tool, such as Google AdWords Keyword Planner, to check how often specific terms are searched.

Add keywords to each page.

Always insert proper headers, keywords, tags and text links to each website page, so that when potential clients visit a search engine and type in what they are looking for, your business will land at or near the top of the search result page. This can help increase business because Internet users are more likely to click on websites starting from the top of the results page.

Create easy-to-understand URLs.

Search engine-friendly URLs that clearly describe what the page is are more likely to be clicked on by Internet users. Including a search term in a URL can also help so long as it fits in naturally.

Keep content new and interesting.

Businesses can also increase traffic and visibility and improve their websites’ search rank by keeping their website’s content interesting and unique, as well as by adding new content regularly. Also, plan to incorporate some of your small business’ target keywords in the content and consider developing content topics with keywords in mind.

These tips are just some of the ways you can help your business’ website stand out. Indeed, landing at the top of a search engine’s page is sure to keep your business top-of-mind, a strategy that really clicks among current and potential clients.

Nicole Altavilla is a freelance writer with more than seven years of experience writing for B2B publications, including American Spa and American Salon. She resides in New Jersey with her husband and son.

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