A website is often the first thing people look at when gauging if a company can provide what they need; but without implementing a strong SEO strategy how will they find your site in the first place?
Think about this…88.1 billion people used Google last month and the search engine processes 99,000 searches every second! (Live Stats and SimilarWeb, 2022) With statistics like that, we have to wonder why a clear SEO strategy isn't at the top of more businesses' priority lists.
What is SEO?
SEO, or search engine optimisation, is the process of optimising your website so that it appears higher on search engine results pages, such as Google. Through strategic optimisation, you can increase the likelihood of users finding your website organically through the use of keywords and phrases related to your business and industry.
If an Aberdeen-based company is looking for PR support, they would be likely to search:
'PR Aberdeen' or 'Energy industry PR Aberdeen'
ThinkPR (Scotland) Ltd ranks highly when searching these keywords, so a potential client would be inclined to click on ThinkPR and be directed straight to our website - success!
There was a time when keywords were the Bond of SEO strategies i.e., a lone but successful powerhouse, but did you know that there are eight additional factors to consider as a direct part of a modern-day search engine optimisation strategy? These are:
Security and accessibility
Is your site safe to use and easy to navigate?
Page speed
Does your site load quickly or is it bogged down with images and videos that haven't been optimised for the web?
Mobile-friendly
Is your website responsive? Does your website automatically resize to fit all devices? Are your fonts legible on a smaller screen?
The length of time your site has been active for
According to an Ahrefs study based on two million random keywords, only 22% of sites created within one year ranked within the top 10, whereas 60% were more than three years old.
Technical SEO
Do you use alt tags, heading hierarchy and meta descriptions? If not, you could be missing out on an opportunity to rise in the search engine ranks.
User experience
Did you know that Google uses artificial intelligence (AI) to rank websites? Focusing on click-through rate, bounce rate and dwell time it analyses how users interact with your site. If they stick around you'll move up the rankings, but if they leave quickly, your site could be flagged as irrelevant.
Links
Do you know your inbound and outbound links from internal ones? Links are a great way to demonstrate the authority and relevance of your content.
Real business information
This is your reminder to check your business listings are all up to date! From Google to Facebook, it's important to have consistent information across all platforms.
Building a successful SEO strategy
Conduct keyword research:
Start by identifying the keywords and phrases that are relevant to your business and assess their search volume and competition. It is more beneficial to hone in on long-tail keywords that are more specific and less competitive to avoid being drowned about by more dominant sites. For example, there is no point in us focusing on the word Think as one of our keywords; yes it's our name but it is also a highly competitive search term and unless someone knows about us already, it's unlikely they'll be searching for Think and expecting PR, marketing or design support to show up.
Optimise your website
Now that you have your keywords, don't neglect the backend of your website - update your meta tags, page titles and headers. Additionally, the importance of a mobile-friendly site can't be overstated - 67.81% of total web visits are currently mobile compared to 32.19% from desktops. (Oberly, May 2023)
Quality backlinks
This is where your PR strategy filters in. Backlinks from trusted websites such as highly-regarded publications, industry bodies and award listings signal that your website is trustworthy and authoritative.
Create high-quality content
Content is the bread and butter of SEO, without excellent content, users won't stick around for long. Focus on your niche and target your audience's interests and pain points, but avoid fluffing out content with keywords.
Ultimately, a strong SEO strategy can help you increase traffic and generate leads, but it isn't a quick fix - be patient and persistent and you'll be rewarded with the coveted Google top spot!
If you are still unsure about where to start with improving your SEO strategy reach out to the team to see how we can help you meet your PR objectives: info@thinkpr.co.uk