Topic: Search Engine Optimisation

Date: 17/10/2024

 

Every business owner across the land wants it, but some can’t obtain it- that’s to have their business ranked on the first page of Google.
But how do you get there?

How do you get your business right in front of shoppers when they have their credit cards and are ready to purchase?

Well, sit back, make a brew, and we will tell you how to get your business on page one. Spoiler alert: Before we go any further, it’s not simple; it involves enormous effort, so for those looking to cut a corner or two, this is not the one for you.

Let’s have a run thought about what we will be discussing:

 

What exactly is SEO?

What are the main core areas that often need improvement to get a business on page one of Google?

How the search engines work?

• How does Google work? Which businesses should be on page 1, and which companies should be on page 10 of Google?
• What is an SEO strategy?
• Why do you need copious amounts of coffee, an SEO strategy, and a lot of patience?
• Why there’s SEO consultants, and then there’s SEO consultants

 

What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

So, first things first: What is search engine optimisation, and why does my business need it?

Good SEO is not cheap, nor is good SEO talent. Have a bash on Indeed.co.uk and try to have a gander down the list for SEO managers: 50k, 60k, 70k plus. If they truly live and breathe SEO, well, they are like what electricity is to a light bulb—pretty essential.
But what is this SEO? Do the consultants wear magic hats and have the ability to pick a rabbit out of a hat?

No to the rabbit out of a hat pulling, but what SEO consultants who know their stuff are good at is drawing more organic visitors to your website. Now, they shouldn’t overly concentrate on one keyword (a phrase or description people use to find your business). They should potentially focus on hundreds.

 

A well could be described as:

Wellington boot
Yellow welly’s
Hunter makes designer welly
So things can be described in multiple different ways, and a good SEO consultant will have the knack of getting your business to magically appear on the first page of Google for these terms. It takes time and a tremendous amount of coffee, but it can be done—oh yes, it can be done.

 

So, what are the essential components to improve a business’s SEO?

SEO keeps changing, so you have to be on top of your game

Does SEO change that much?

Despite what some SEO companies say about ever-evolving, is it really?

We don’t think so. We have been at it for ten years, and it’s solid now.

The principles are still the same: quality pays dividends.

Yet, SEO can be split into main categories, pillars if you like:

 

 

Technical SEO

Just as a car needs fuel to move forward, your website needs fuel. It needs to let Googlebot do its job of crawling and indexing.
Don’t get too bogged down in the complexity of this:

Googlebot is a bit like a building inspector on a construction project.
Googlebot, therefore, rocks up, looks for changes and improvements, and if the changes are positive, you move up Google; if they are so good, the works, well, a bit rubbish, down that pecking order you go.

It’s a bit like a building inspector signing off work. If it’s not up to standard, there’s a rather firm “come back here, you haven’t finished this off” type of reply.

So, technical SEO is mostly about whether Googlebot can crawl and index the work or whether there are a ton of 404 page not found errors holding the bot up from doing its work.

Then there’s page speed; make your website as fast as possible, and everything is good.

Then, there’s a matter of

whether your website works on smartphones.

 

The next pillar of SEO is on-page SEO optimisation:

 

It doesn’t really matter what CMS you have, whether it’s WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal. It’s a bit like a painter choosing a good brush—not so much the brush as what you can do with it. Can you paint a masterpiece that everyone says, “Yes, that looks nice?”

Or will it look like a stick man, a bit of a mess, and you try to fob it off as modern art?

We deviate, we deviate. But back to the point: It doesn’t matter which CMS you choose; it’s how good the finished design is.

 

Is it useful?
Does it offer a good user experience?
Does it help the shopper buy what they want, or is it making life a bit difficult for them to go elsewhere?
Good design is essential; make it super simple to use, and you’ll be on the right path.
Then there’s the matter of making it useful

 

Google Helpful Content Update and Google E-EAT

Have you ever had someone say to you, “Don’t worry; you won’t get it; it’s complicated.”

Well, that’s a bit rude, isn’t it? Even the most complicated subjects, such as quantum physics, can be explained simply by someone who cares enough to take the time to explain them coherently.

Well, that’s the same with your business content marketing

Do you care enough to help your shoppers, guide them, and offer the best possible advice possible?

If so, you will move up Google’s ranks, my friend.

If you don’t care and you’re working for an SEO agency that says, “Write 500 words loosely related to why you should buy a jacuzzi this summer,” well, it shows that the advice is rubbish.

So, putting your back into it, quality advice equals you moving up Google.

 

Google and off-page SEO

Links, links and more links

You can’t get enough good-quality links.

Yet, not all links are created equal; building links is a bit like playing snakes and ladders:

 

Build good-quality links, and you’ll move up; build rubbish links, and you’ll move down like snakes and ladders.

Forget the stupid offers you see online. Buy 10,000 links for a few dollars. This will be a surefire way of incurring a link penalty. A link penalty will mean you get a Google algorithmic penalty imposed on your website, and in the blink of an eye, you disappear from Google. Even the very best SEO agencies, like us, will struggle to get you back anytime soon if you have had rubbish links built.

 

Keyword research

A spade is a spade, and people describe it as a spade- well, do they?

Is it not a shovel, a builder’s spade, a gardening spade, or a spade for the beach?

Everything needs context and description, and the more high-volume descriptions you can get your business on page one of Google, the more money you will make.

Good SEO agencies spend hours, days, and sometimes weeks studying which SEO keywords to optimise a website for.

We really like Moz Pro. It’s good, really good, so if you’re going to have a bash at doing SEO yourself, do get Moz Pro to guide you like a shining beacon of light as you travel across the SEO ocean.

 

Let’s get to the heart of the matter- how Google works to rank businesses.

 

 

Spam

It is not the type that comes in a can; it is made of ham.

Spam gets weeded out first. That’s rubbish, low-quality SEO work, and it has nothing to do with ham that comes in a handy-shaped can.

Spam is when Bob goes down the pub and says where. I can do SEO; I am very good at it.

Bob may not know what he’s doing or how to do it, and after too many Stella Artois, he starts working on your website and making a complete hash of the SEO.

So, no to Bob—say no, Bob. It’s alright; you stay there. You look comfortable. I have someone else working on it.
Spam, avoid spammy links, duplicate content marketing, cloaking, keyword stuffing, writing thin content, over-optimising anchor text—the list goes on and on.

So Google first weeds out the rubbish, the spam. It uses Google Panda, Google Penguin, and many more algorithm updates to weed out, well, the rubbish SEO.

So they will never make it, like those people who run in funny dinosaur outfits during a marathon and then decide halfway through to take half off because they are overheating.

Give the shopper quality

Cheap beer gives people a headache; quality beer allows for a good time.
Rubbish content marketing doesn’t provide the answer to a shopper’s question; they go away with an unhappy, disappointed look on their faces.

 

Google RankBrain measures happiness, well not it measures:

– Dwell time: a fancy way of saying how long someone is shopping on your website
– How many pages were viewed? If you are browsing a lot of different products, then you are more interested in someone who already left 7 minutes ago and is now buying off a direct competitor

 

So how interested is the shopper?

If they are engaged, Google RankBrain will know this. You’re keeping shoppers happy, and you’re moving up Google’s ranks. It takes time, but you will get there.

Annoy customers by drawing them in with promises in the meta title of super cheap electric bikes. If they are not, they are blooming expensive, and you’re going to get a high bounce rate.
Give the customer what they want, and what do they want?

 

Google EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness)

In today’s world, when it comes to improving your SEO, it pays to be a show-off.

Don’t be big-headed about it, mind, or no one will like you.

So, what do we mean by showing off?

Well, in your company, there will be people who really know their stuff. They may not be very tech savvy and may still have a brick phone rather than a smart phone, and why not? We are all different, and it’s what floats your boat.

But Trevor, who has the brick phone, well, he may really know his stuff about what you sell. Let’s say you sell ship anchors worldwide; you’re one of the best in the business.

 

 

Trevor has been with you for 30 years and likes his brick phone and a cinnamon latte.

Great. Well, the digital marketing agency needs to work with Trevor. Trevor has an infinite knowledge of anchors that people who want to buy a giant anchor need to know.

Take Trevor with you to the web designers. By improving the website, Trevor can improve your Google E-EAT score by showing you have real expertise and authentic experience.

Take Trevor with you to the SEO agency.

Sit Trevor down with his favourite spiced latte, making him feel at home. Then, use Trevor’s knowledge to help you write exciting content marketing. Put Trevor on YouTube (once he’s finished his spiced cinnamon latte, don’t rush him), and get him talking about why your ship anchors are the best.

Answer FAQ about ship anchors—such as which anchors stop my luxury yacht from moving while we sleep.

Then, you may get links that improve your Google E-EAT: authoritativeness and trustworthiness.
Thanks, Trevor.

 

Make the content useful, sprinkle it with on-page SEO

Trevor, an expert on ship anchors, we haven’t finished yet; we need you.

What are the common questions people ask about your products/ services?
Then, write content marketing to help them, making the work super useful. Ask Trevor for help on this (if you’re writing about ship anchors).

 

Form an SEO strategy because life is short

SEO is a long road.

It never comes to a stop.

Life is short; you do need to make the most of it.

So, your employer or client may want you to work 24/7 to improve rankings, but you are not a robot.
Once you get to the top of Google, a direct competitor will reverse the work you did, make it better, and then take your space, and this cycle happens day in, day out every year.

So, it would be best if you had a strategy, a life balance

So, write an SEO strategy and pace yourself. The road is long, but our time is limited.

So, what will you write about?

 

Where are you going to build links from?

When are you picking up Trevor to talk about ship anchors?

 

Why you need an SEO specialist and how to become one

You can read SEO guides like this until you turn blue.

 

You get tired, throw your SEO book at the wall, and say, “I have had enough of this SEO rubbish.”

But really, the only way of learning is to test. Domain names cost £10.00, and hosting can be had for around £4.00 a month, so why not set up a website and try and work with it? Don’t use it for commercial purposes; just try and improve rankings. Whether it’s about the best places to go on holiday in France or DIY tips for your own kitchen, try that first.

Then, you will learn SEO basics, and you can apply that to your business.

 

But use white hat methods.

If you have spare quid, hire an SEO specialist, hire the best you can afford.

Create a picture: man sat in an office, with SEO expert written on his hat

 

Please go on, give us a bell.

We’ve been working on improving businesses’ SEO for donkey years. We are a trusted set of hands; give us a bell.