Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is the practice of optimizing online content to make your company easier to find on the web. It’s an essential part of getting online leads.
Think of your website as a building, and SEO like a system of wires, working its way into every nook and cranny of that building. If you don’t lay wires from the main line to the building, the electricity has no way of reaching all the light fixtures, utilities, and appliances inside. In much the same way, if you don’t lay down a strong line of keywords and phrases, your prospects will never make it to your website to check out all your great content.
4 Quick Steps to Turn On the Lights of Your Website
1. Research Keywords and Phrases Using Google Analytics
Google has a special tool called Google Analytics that lets you find specific words and phrases people are using to research your industry online.
Many of these, if you work primarily with local business, will include area-specific words. For example: if you are an electrical contractor based in Dayton, Ohio, you might find phrases such as “Dayton electrical contractors” or “best electrical contractors near Kettering, Ohio”.
2. Incorporate Your Findings into Your Content
Now that you know what words your prospects are using to search for electrical contractors, you know what words to include in your content.
What part of our content needs to be optimized for the search? ALL of it.
Just as electricity needs to reach every room in a building, you want your prospects to be able to find every piece and page of your web content. Your landing pages, About Us, Contact Us, Services, Testimonials, Blog Articles—even your pictures and videos--need to be optimized in order to rank highly in the search engine.
3. Get Your Content Up and Running
Yes, you need to publish content to your website, but that isn’t the only place. Social media platforms provide you with outlets to publish content, extending your reach and ultimately increasing the visibility of your website.
To learn more about the different options for going social, try reading: Social Media for Construction: Which Platforms Work Best?
4. Perform Routine Maintenance
Okay, we’ve got some great, optimized content out on the web. Now we’re all done!
Sorry, but wrong. A huge part of a successful SEO Strategy is producing a constant stream of useful, engaging content. It’s one of the ways search engines recognize you as a legitimate business worth recommending to their users. If you haven’t updated your website content in over a year, your search engine ranking is going to suffer.
Do you need to put out content daily, weekly, or monthly?
It depends on the type of content and on your audience. Even among electrical contractors, there is no set formula for how often to publish articles or post to social media. However, there are SEO experts out there who can help you figure out a strategy specifically tailored for your company and clients.
Contact Marketing Essentials today to lay out your blueprint for a successful digital marketing strategy. Call 419.629.0080 to talk to one of our Digital Strategists today.
