Do you find that your company falls into a niche market? If so, how do you advertise your products or services? You might be quick to say you’re aware of all industry partners, and that you’ve personally reached out to make your offerings known. However, this may not be the most efficient way of promoting yourself. What about those potential companies looking to find a business such as yours? Luckily for you, search engine optimization (SEO) can target even the smallest industry – you just have to know how to set yourself up for success. Consider these tidbits when looking to bolster your online presence.
SEO relies on the strength of your online presence, and if you’re currently lacking one, it might be time to fire up some social media accounts, a blog, or some YouTube videos. Believe it or not, you likely have some competition within the industry, and they can be eating into your company’s goals with their own content. Here’s how to get started.
Check out the competition
Are your competitors online, and if so, what have they done to make themselves noticed? Perhaps they have a strong social media presence, but their website hasn’t been updated in awhile. Finding out their strengths and weaknesses online will help you position your brand, and know what you’re up against.
See what others are searching for via search engine results pages (SERPs)
Put yourself in the seat of the searcher, and see what comes up when you enter some basic industry jargon or commands. If you’re selling something on your website, will it appear if you type in, “buy X online?” If you can’t find your company, or it’s on the third or fourth SERP, you’ll want to invest in some ways to appear at a higher ranking.
Don’t forget to EAT
Who’s hungry for some SEO success? Sure, you can throw content up on your website in hopes that it will appear in user searches. But does that content serve a purpose? Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines suggest that your content exudes your company’s Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. If you’re deemed to be a legitimate vendor via these principles, you’ll find yourself ranking higher.
Employ some keywords
What sorts of words do you envision prospective clients using when trying to find a business such as yours? A Google results page shows users a page heading and a meta-description in every search result. It doesn’t stop there – Google is mining the content on your website to ensure that it fully understands what you’ve posted, and if it matches up to the search inquiry.
Design your URLs accordingly
Here is yet another way Google will determine if your site serves as a relevant match for a search. Consider these examples, and see if you can determine which ones would work better than others:
- www.website.com/books/modern-art
- www.website.com/070720.html
- www.website.com/vintage-clothing/tshirts
- www.website.com/courses/undergrad/grad/scholarships
Make sure your content is clean and mobile friendly
Great, a search engine user has ended up on your website! Are they able to find what they’re looking for, or will they have to go digging around under undefined tabs? It might seem obvious to you where everything is, but if it’s too much work for the end user, they might give up altogether and hit the “Back” button to see what else Google has suggested. Don’t let this happen to you – ensure that your website has a tidy layout and can be viewed on a variety of mobile devices.
SEO is easier than you might think
In short, optimizing your company for SEO success can be easier than you think. With a clear layout and simple, to-the-point headings, users and search engines alike will be able to determine if your offerings are relevant. Look at the title of this article: That should be pretty clear for searchers, shouldn’t it?
You might think that you serve a small portion of society, but remember that you’re working with the World Wide Web. With a bit of work to improve your website, content efforts, and your SEO techniques, you’ll find yourself with new clients and a greater online search rankings.
