Den Noble
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably familiar with search engine optimization (SEO). As an entrepreneur, you should be. After all, this is, quite possibly, everything you’ll need to boost your brand’s marketability. But, while the promise of Page 1 rankings on Google may be attractive, no one can tell for sure whether SEO will do its magic on your enterprise.
As an SEO writer and blogger, however, I’ll share some insights that may just make SEO work for you. No guarantees, but definitely worth a try. Ready, set, SEO.
Get Started, then Get Help
SEO isn’t magic, and it takes a while to see actual results. See, it’s not just about getting the likes and views and calls; it’s sustaining them for the long haul, and this means a lot of work on Google Analytics, keyword research, etc. You will need the help of professionals to get the strategy going, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get started yourself.
Set the momentum; post regular updates and photos; sites and platforms that have content set the tone for professionals, if and when you decide to partner with a marketing company. You may also want to list down the specifics: what your marketing goals are, restrictions and requests regarding content, and which services or products you really want to put the spotlight on.
This will help your marketing partner determine different aspects of your would-be SEO strategy, such as keywords, blog topics and audience. Get started with setting your standards, then ask for assistance in reaching them.
Say Where You Are, and Let Customers Find You
Location is always a good targeted keyword. Whether you’re handling a website, an FB, multiple social media accounts, or everything mentioned, indicating where you are in your content is a great way to get hits. Why? People don’t just type in business names and then hit search, lest they get results that are nowhere near them. Make their lives easier by citing your location, and bring them to you while you’re at it. As you expand, you’ll want to do the same for your other locations.
Create Content, and Boost Them
As a blogger, I’ve written pieces for entrepreneurs. One of them is a young restaurant owner who puts my write-ups in pretty much all the Facebook groups he’s in, and I’m not complaining. It’s a smart marketing move; though you may come off as a bit pa-bibo, you do become more visible, and new businesses need visibility. Of course, in order to be seen, you need something to show off, and that’s where content comes in. Update, update, and update, and make sure your write-ups and captions don’t read like spam, spun articles, or bot-generated paragraphs.
Proper grammar and a decent vocabulary are musts, so read up before typing away. Make sure to match word choices with your niche, and feel free to use related terms in your meta tags and hashtags, too. For example, if you own a restaurant, you may want to use terms like foodies, food choices, meals, dishes, cuisine, etc. You get the drift.
Keep the adjectives at bay, and describe your audience as much as you describe your business. (E.g., healthy Korean food for diet-conscious health buffs). This is a good way of showing that you’re relevant to them and sounding snappy at the same time. You may use several meta tags, as they’re usually the searchable terms. But, limit your hashtags to around 2 or 3, to make your posts appear more concise and shareable in social media.
Spread the Word, and Keep It True
This is self-explanatory. Hit the share button, message the links to your friends, comment, tag people. Entice them with the good stuff, but don’t over-promise. You’d rather encourage them to ask. Over-promising can turn out sour; bad reviews will send your reputation and website down the drain and way below the search rankings. After some time, that bad review may even outrank your site, and that’s a huge nightmare. So spread the word, by all means. But keep it true.
SEO isn’t magic; it’s a long process that generates and sustains interest, traffic, and conversion. To entrepreneurs reading this, these are the few important things you should consider to make it work for you. Ready, set, SEO!
