The online realm provides excellent opportunities for reputation establishment and brand building. Having to outperform so many competitors, however, is far from an easy task.
Reaching the top of search engine results pages (SERP) is a key to increasing the website’s targeted audience, generating new leads and potentially gaining clients. Currently, 1.2 trillion Google searches take place on an annual basis. Advanced Web Ranking statistics show that 67 percent of people who use search engines will not go beyond the top five results. Optimizing SERP appearance is crucial and here’s how to do it.
A Focus on High Quality Content
Search engine algorithms have changed through the years to put more emphasis on high quality content. Niche websites that feature in-depth, industry-specific texts tend to perform much better than generic websites.
Content cannot be uploaded sporadically to get the best possible results. Rather, efforts have to be strategic and an editorial calendar will need to be developed in advance to ensure the regularity of website updates.
Experimenting with Formats is Also a Great Idea
Content doesn’t have to come in the form of text alone. In fact, video and multimedia lead to a much higher engagement level. According to Forbes research, video traffic will represent 80 percent of all internet usage by 2019. Currently, 55 percent of internet users watch video on a daily basis. Video content has a high potential of going viral, which will immediately maximize the website’s reach.
A Competitive Website should be Optimized for Mobile Viewing
As of January 2018, mobile internet traffic represents 52 percent of all web traffic, surpassing desktop/laptop use. Thus, websites that perform well have to be optimized for mobile viewing. Mobile optimization consists of multiple tactics. A responsive design that looks good, regardless of screen size is one of the prerequisites. The same applies to content that’s properly formatted and easy to explore on a smartphone or tablet.
Considering the needs of the mobile audience (like the growing prominence of voice search, for example) is one of the ways to maintain the competitiveness of a website and get the biggest possible traffic share.
Social Media Marketing and Other Inbound Campaigns
Being active on social media drives traffic to a website and it also has a positive impact on search engine optimization efforts.
Social media marketing creates an even playing field. The budget required to advertise via such channels is relatively small and the reach will be massive. In fact, there is no need to carry out sponsored campaigns. When high quality content is shared with the right crowd, the organic reach is going to be satisfactory enough.
Going Local Pays Off
Another strategy that will pay off as far as competitiveness goes is local optimization. According to Webs Union, local SEO for a website focuses on the area in which the business operates. Thus, it’s ideal for establishing a reputation within the local community and getting people to visit a brick-and-mortar store or an office.
Accuracy of the NAP information on the website (name, address, phone) is one of the simplest things to do for better local ranking. The same applies to utilizing Google Maps, Facebook Places, Google My Business, Foursquare and Yelp.
Getting reviews from actual customers on these local listings is a wonderful form of word of mouth advertising that will benefit the business and grow the popularity of its website. To get such reviews, a company will simply have to focus on providing its customers with stellar services they’d be inspired to recommend.
