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SEO Tips For Your Startup Business

John Parnell — Wed, 13 Jan 2021 12:18:05 +0000

As a company just beginning to start out in business, you need to target your potential clients online, as over 97% of consumers go online to find a business. One of the most efficient ways to do this is by using search engines, such as Google and Bing. Unless the potential customer has already heard of you or been recommended, they wouldn’t be searching your brand name. This is why Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has to be at the forefront of your marketing strategy and an important consideration when planning your business. A startup that implements a strong SEO strategy during developing a business plan is more likely to achieve success through setting the foundations of the business with necessary SEO components.

So how can a startup achieve SEO success from the start? This blog will address how to consider SEO while developing your business plan, and share with you our top SEO tips for your startup.

The most fundamental SEO tips for Startups

Starting a business is not an easy process and it becomes even harder when rapid expansion in on the cards. If you’re just starting up, you need to be there in as many of your potential customer’s touchpoints and digital platforms to advertise your products or the services you are offering, especially social media platforms and search engines. For any startup or small business, a solid SEO strategy is essential to driving growth and brand awareness, therefore these startup SEO tips will help to take your small business to the next level:

Know your target audience
Fix technical issues and optimise your page
Register and optimise with Google My Business
Manage the local business listings and citations
Add schema markup
Register with Google and Bing webmaster tools
Register with Google Analytics

Know your audience to master your SEO efforts

The very first step to developing search engine optimized web content for your business is to know your target audience.

Keywords. Conversion. User experience. Search engine optimization.

What do all of these words and phrases have in common?

They all relate to how you will attract, engage, and convert your target audience.

The crux of any good digital marketing campaign is to identify the specific characteristics of your ideal customers, including geographic, demographic, and psychographic variables. This is very important because you will know who you are selling to and your target market. When you know who your target audience is or will be, it becomes easy to market your products or services, create content and search for the keywords to use among other things. Therefore, you need to research your target audience to make the right choices. The more you know about your audience, the more powerful your digital marketing efforts will become.

Fix technical issues and optimise your page

One of the most common issues that come up when a business fails to incorporate SEO into its startup plan is the emergence of technical SEO issues later on down the road. If you do not know much about SEO or you have very limited knowledge about the subject of SEO, it would be advisable to hire an expert SEO agency, such as Generate Leads Online to do a professional job.

Your website should not have any technical issues like duplicate content, broken links and slow page speed. If these issues are not fixed, they will affect your rankings and traffic to your page, making it hard to benefit from SEO strategies. While Google and other search engines have made big strides in their ability to evaluate sites, technical SEO issues can still create problems that make it more difficult for your site to be properly indexed and to rank well within search results.

In order to combat this issue, it’s important to have the technical aspects of SEO addressed as you begin developing your site and other web properties, in order to avoid costly complications that could be difficult to fix down the road.

Nevertheless, here is a list of several common technical issues that often arise and become more difficult to address the longer they are avoided:

No automated or cohesive process for removing or updating pages without creating links to missing pages, losing authority from external sites that linked to those pages, or redirecting users to irrelevant pages unrelated to the original.
The inclusion of URL query strings for campaign tracking, user filters and sorting operations, customization, and so on, that generate pages with largely identical content but located at different URLs. These should be avoided or addressed using the canonical tag.
Duplicate title tags.
Insufficient original content or excessive duplicate supplementary content on pages.
Links to “infinite spaces” where a virtually infinite number of pages are dynamically created that would be irrelevant in search results.
Poorly implemented or missing .htaccess, robots.txt, and XML sitemap.
Poorly set up analytics that fails to track user actions or loses information about their referral source.
Make sure that your startup game plan addresses the necessity of clean technical SEO during the development process as well as a part of regular site maintenance.

Once the technical issues are fixed, you need to optimize the page by creating quality content by conducting thorough research. Some of the things you need to optimize when creating content are:

Titles.
Meta descriptions.
Alt text and images.
Body content.

Register with and optimise Google My Business

Google Local SEO is a tactic that you need to consider when developing a marketing strategy for your business. It boosts the local search traffic and protects you from online fraud as well.

Google is used when you need to know anything from the best barbecue joint to best salon services in the area. With the help of Google Places all the relevant information like addresses, contact number, website link, reviews and available to the targeted audience in an instant.

It is essential for businesses to get the attention of the customers in the area it operates. With Google Local only the local searches are focused. Searches are limited to the business in a certain locality that makes it a great possibility to been seen by potential consumers.

Small businesses can take great advantage of Google Local SEO without spending any money on print ads or television. With the help of Google Places, you can market and promote your products and services in the target locality in a cost-effective manner.

Manage the local business listings and citations (NAP)

When optimizing your business, you need to understand that consistency and accuracy is very important to avoid confusing people. As a result, your business’s name, address and phone number (NAP) should be accurate to improve your local presence. If you don’t know your accurate NAP, you can look for a service that will distribute your NAP information so that you can update the info on your page.

NAP is critical for businesses wishing to rank well in the local organic search results because search engines like Google take the data into account when determining which companies to show for geo-targeted searches.

For starters, make sure that your NAP is correct – both on your website as well as on other sites throughout the web. Local SEO experts believe that Google and the other search engines cross-reference your NAP information across a variety of websites as a validation that you are a legitimate business. The more “local citations” you can build up with consistent NAP information, the better. In terms of local citations, it’s probably worth listing your business on any reputable directory – especially local directories and/or industry-specific directories.

Add Schema markup

Schema markup is one of the most under-utilised SEO techniques out there. This is surprising because it is one of the most valuable and powerful tools available to search engine marketers in 2021.

Schema markup is code you put onto your website to add context to its content for non-human readers (i.e. Google). It gives Google information in a consistent way that is easier for it to process, which in turn allows Google to serve this content to its users in search results.

Schema markup usually sends search engine signals about the components of a page, including:

Phone number.
Address.
Business number.
Ratings.
Business hours.

Register with Google and Bing webmaster tools

Google’s Webmaster Tools are essential for any strong SEO effort. To understand their full potential, it’s helpful to think about what Google Webmaster Tools’ role is for webmasters: it helps you see your website as Google sees it. The toolset gives you insights into what pages have been indexed on your site, what links are pointing to it, your most popular keywords, and much more.

If you have a website already, you need to register with search engines such as Google and Bing and submit your sitemap. This is very important because you will find out what the search engines understand and know about your search engine content.

Register with Google Analytics

Even though the webmaster tools can offer you a wide range of information from about search engines, Google Analytics offers a lot of information about users’ views. Knowing your users’ views is important because you will know their experience on your website and understand how you can offer them a better experience by improving your content or services. Google analytics should help you find out the following:

The most popular landing pages
The most popular exit pages
The pages that are commonly visited
Major traffic sources on your page

The post SEO Tips For Your Startup Business appeared first on GLO - Generate Leads Online.

How to Generate Leads Online for Free

John Parnell — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 10:29:44 +0000

In order for any business to grow, and be successful, you need a solid stream of potential new business. But how do we get that? Leads. These are the lifeblood of any business. But where do they come from? You need a strategy! Every business has a target market, so your lead generation strategy has to reflect that. I’ve drawn up a list below, detailing the different methods you might consider implementing for your own unique strategy, and the beauty is, they will all help you generate leads online for free.

Generate Leads with Google My Business

It is completely free, and its purpose is to help you reach & engage with your local target market, using google search and maps, giving you greater visibility.

When people search via google, or on Maps for your business specifically, or businesses similar to yours, your business profile will appear.

With a free app on your phone, Google My Business is easy to create and manage your business profile.

Google My Business also has a huge impact on local SEO, as the business information will be accurate and consistent. Like all tools, this requires some time to be invested to really gain the benefits. But the key things are:

Insights. Google offers analytical data about how a business was found, where it was shown, and what information the end-user is seeing.
Google Post. it has the option to show “featured content” to users that already found the business. This includes:
Events like live music at a bar or restaurant
Product Updates like new merchandise
Special OffersGeneral Announcements like opening hours
Reviews. The public can leave reviews, positive or negative, and Google My Business allows you to manage and monitor these with an intuitive dashboard.
Visibility. Keeping things consistent throughout Google will improve all marketing efforts as many local listings use Google’s data to feed their listings.

Google is going to keep optimizing and finding ways to monetize Google My Business. By taking advantage of Google’s latest features early, you stand to gain more local business and outshine your competitors.

Improve Your Local SEO

To build a good online presence you need to make sure that you have accurate details added to all relevant business directories. This has a direct impact on your ranking, reputation, and consequently, revenue. Typically, the following will be required:

Company name
Phone number
Address
Website
Photos

Be Accurate & Consistent

To help search engines, such as Google or Bing to verify that your website exists, you must make sure that your listings and citations are accurate, this will help validate your business. Be consistent. Add exactly the same business information to every listing – including your own website! If you add different information to every listing, this will impact your local search rankings, and frankly, it’s unprofessional.

Where Should I Add My Business Listings?

Always choose sites that have a higher domain authority – meaning that they are more trusted by search engines. Places like Google my Business and Bing Places are where you should spend your time.

What Information Do I Need to List?

Start with the basics.

Name – who are you?
Address – Where can you be found?
Phone Number – How can we contact you?
Opening Hours – When are you operational?
Services – Give a good consistent description of what it is you do!
Images – Add your website logo for consistent branding. Use images to stand out.
Claim Your Listing – Some citation websites require you to claim and verify your business listing. This can usually be done via email, phone or post verification.

Where are the Best Citation Sources?

A bit of Google research will help you come up with a list, but the obvious choices to get you started are as follows:

Google My Business – www.google.com/business
Apple Maps – https://mapsconnect.apple.com
Bing Places – www.bingplaces.com
Thomson Local – www.thomsonlocal.com
Yell – https://www.yell.com/free-listing/
Yelp – https://biz.yelp.co.uk
192.com – www.192.com
118118 – www.118118.com
UK Small Business Directory – www.uksmallbusinessdirectory.co.uk

Ones you may be less familiar with, but are still relevant:

Cyclex – www.cylex-uk.co.uk
Scoot – www.scoot.co.uk
Foursquare – www.foursquare.com
Free Index – www.freeindex.co.uk
Hot Frog – www.hotfrog.co.uk
Locanto – www.locanto.co.uk
Brown Book – www.brownbook.net
Trade Pages – www.tradepages.co.uk
Netmums – www.netmums.com

Free Moz Tools. Try the best free tools for link building and analysis, keyword research, webpage performance, local listing audits, and more! https://moz.com/free-seo-tools

By increasing your presence along with a range of free to register sites and listings, you create more opportunities to generate leads online for free because a greater audience is likely to see you.

Try These FREE SEO Tools on your Website

Blogging

You can use blogging to help your business develop a strong web presence. This is becoming increasingly important to help businesses engage and communicate with their customers, and build brand awareness.

According to a recent inbound marketing report, nearly 80% of companies that use blogging as a part of their marketing strategy reported acquiring customers through their blogging efforts. Additionally, 82% of businesses admit that blogging is critical to their business.

The Benefits of blogging are:

Driving traffic to your website. Typically, you would post a summary paragraph and a link to your blog through your social media. This allows your target audience to see that you have written something relevant, without bombarding them with words. They are then encouraged to click the link, which takes them directly to your website.
Boost your SEO on the cheap. Blogging is straightforward and inexpensive, and the major search engines love the relevant content. Make sure you are inserting keywords that your prospective customers will use to search for your products and services.
Make a connection. Everyone can relate to a story. Blogging helps you connect with your audience on another level and builds trust and rapport, by creating credible and authentic content. This establishes your business as an expert or industry leader in that field, which will lead to more enquiries and higher conversion rates.
Get Personal. Blogging is the voice of your business, and this creates Brand Awareness in a more personal way.
Share the love. If the content is good, relevant and interesting, people will share it. This creates the potential of viral traffic, with so many different sharing platforms available – this is free marketing at its best!

Check out our latest digital marketing blog posts here

Social Media

Social networks help create awareness and connect you with potential customers. You need to start by identifying which platforms are right for your business. If your business is Gardening and Landscaping, platforms like Instagram and Pinterest are perfect for showcasing your work, for example. If you share content in the form of a link, you will then drive traffic to your website.

Read our article on How to Generate Leads Online with Social Media

Online Referrals

This is the most valuable and important form of advertising you can get. Prospective customers love a recommendation, and existing customers love a bit of service and care.

You should be reaching out to your existing customers at least every three months to touch base with them, make sure they’re happy with the service, and see if there is anything else you can do for them. This, in the first instance, can easily generate you more business.

In the second instance, if they’re happy, tell them that you’d love to work with more businesses like theirs. Ask them if they will help you do that.

The simplest ways they can do that for you are:

It works well if you offer to do the same for them in return. If a client was particularly happy with something specific that you did for them, you could even ask them if you could use that as a case study for your website.

EMAIL MARKETING

With the introduction of websites such as MailChimp, email marketing is now open to everyone, and it is one of the best methods of direct marketing available. MailChimp is free for businesses with less than 2,000 contacts and is simple to use!

Email Marketing can help you:

Build relationships. This is a simple, cost-effective way to keep in touch with your customers and let them know that they are not forgotten. Send out newsletters, product launches, latest offers or links to your blog!

Brand Awareness. Develop your brand by creating awareness. Email marketing gives you a presence and a voice, direct to your subscribers.

Be known as an expert. Not only can you use email marketing to drive traffic to your website, but you can also use it to deliver unique content that your audience will enjoy reading. With credible and authentic content, you will build a reputation as being an expert in your field, and build a solid reputation for your business.

Time and Budget. These are constraints for all businesses. Email marketing campaigns are quick to put together and are cost-effective. You can connect with a large number of inboxes, all at the push of a button!

E-Mail Signature

We all have these, so why not use it to your advantage!

This will give your offers, promotions and content advertising space. Every time someone within your business sends out an email, that is a direct engagement, with minimal effort – best of all, its free!

You could…

Put your business social media profiles on there, “Like Us on Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn”
Always put a call to action on any advertising – “Call us now for a free quotation”
Put your special offers, “For today only, 10% off when you quote EMAILOFFER”

Whatever you decide to add, make sure you notify everyone within the business, so your entire team can add it to their signature.

Whatever your business, there is a cost-effective lead generation strategy for everyone! Contact us if you need any further support.

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