Why Use SEO to Drive Traffic to Your Website?

By Haines|Published On: August 4, 2016|

Some business owners wonder why they should learn about SEO. You might as well ask if the internet is ever going to take off. SEO is already an ever-present force in our lives, and these days you can’t avoid it.

SEO – or Search Engine Optimization – is when the content of a website is optimized so it ranks higher on search engines.

Every website you deal with uses SEO. And why not? The right SEO can bring huge amounts of traffic to your website. It can establish you as a leader in your industry. And, since online marketing is always changing, everyone is trying find the next successful SEO technique.

But SEO might not be the first thing on your mind when you think of your online presence. You may have invested in a basic package to get your web-enabled business platforms up. You might already have a company website with a social media presence.

Taking those steps is enough to get your foot in the door.

But even if your business has been online for a while, you still need to optimize it. Your business needs traffic and interest in order for you to get a solid return on your investment.

So Let’s Go over the Basic SEO Techniques That Will Build Traffic, Interest, and a Good Reputation for Your Business

First Rule of Basic SEO: Google is Your Friend

Let’s take a step back for a moment and put ourselves in the customer’s shoes. How do we shop online? How do we find new goods and services?

If you’re like most people, you said Google. Google is the place where the majority of your customers will go first. So, your SEO should be designed to grab Google’s attention.

There are some customers that prefer Bing or Duck Duck Go, but those customers are outliers. Plus, Bing and Duck Duck Go both use Google-style techniques to find and list local businesses.

Read Google’s ‘Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide’. Learn about SEO keywords and how to use them. If you learn to work with the system, search engines will work for you.

Second Rule of Basic SEO: Keep it Local.

When you start working with your website’s keywords, it’s tempting to go big. With the internet, you could talk to anyone in the world. Why not sell your product or service to everyone?

But entering into the global marketplace means you’ll be competing with millions of other businesses. When you keep your SEO local, you’ll face less competition and make better sales.

One recent study from Google showed that about 50% of shoppers who researched a local company from their smartphone visited or contacted that business within 24 hours. Talk about immediate results!

Third Rule of Basic SEO: Give Them a Reason to Come Back

You’ve updated your SEO, and new customers are flocking to your website. Business is going great, but you want to make sure your new customers come back. How do you turn a one-time purchaser into a customer for life?

Most SEO experts recommend changing or updating your content – at minimum – once every two weeks.

A site that is updated regularly stays at the top of Google’s search results. Plus, current and up-to-date sites maintain a positive online reputation. It makes your business seem proactive and interested.

Producing content on a set schedule is even better, because it encourages customers to come back regularly. Try having a featured product of the week, a news blog that talks about your company’s events, or even a series of free tutorials for new products.

But make sure your customers have a reason to return.

How Else Can You Increase Website Traffic Using SEO?

Embrace the Importance of NAP:

Search engines are using consistent Name, Address, and Phone number information – NAP – as a determination of search value.

Businesses that have a consistent NAP across multiple platforms are more likely to be trustworthy and useful. Make sure that the sites which list your business have consistent information.

Be Social with Your Clientele

Search engines will rank your business higher if popular platforms have links back to your website.

Thankfully, the most popular platforms online right now are social media. Make sure your social media accounts are up-to-date every week. You don’t need to be a social media superstar, but you should produce quality content consistently.

Create Proper, SEO-Aware Website Design

There are various types of tagging methods within website markup code that can help format your data.

Tagging within the code can help search engines easily index and view your site. But this is a technique that really warrants an expert hand. Don’t attempt this technique unless you have a solid knack for web design.

These are just a few of the common ways to give your website a jolt of traffic.

But these aren’t the only ways to use SEO. The landscape of online marketing is always changing, so keep researching and discovering new SEO techniques.

The more your SEO knowledge grows and evolves, the more traffic your site will get.