Search engine optimization (SEO) is a marketing strategy that helps websites rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). SEO is the process of improving your search ranking and organic search traffic by utilizing SEO best practices. This blog post will help you understand what SEO is, how it improves organic SEO traffic to your website, and why SEO matters for small businesses like yours.
What Is Search Engine Optimization?
Search Engine Optimization (or more commonly referred to as SEO) is all about positioning your website with the right content in the right places to tell search engines like Google exactly what your website is about, and why it should be displayed for keywords people are searching for.
When it comes to SEO, there are two main aspects you need to focus on for your local business’s website: on-page optimization and off-page optimization. On-page optimization refers to all the actions you can take on your own website to improve your SEO ranking. This includes optimizing your title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, image attributes, and overall content. In order to do effective on-page SEO, it should be based on keyword research. At Building the Dream Duluth, we start all of our SEO campaigns with the keyword research tool SEMrush.
Off-page optimization refers to all the activities you take outside of your website to improve SEO traffic, including link building, citations, and social media marketing. Instead of focusing on keywords potential customers are searching for, effective off-page SEO strategy is all about showing Google and other search engines that your website is an authoritative and credible source for information.
If you are wondering why you should take our word for it, we have been selected as one of the Top Minnesota SEO Agencies by DesignRush!
Why Does SEO Matter To Local Small Businesses Like Mine?
SEO is an excellent marketing strategy for small businesses because it costs less than paid advertising—and when done correctly, can help grow your business at a faster pace! In addition, SEO provides long-term value that will benefit your small business over time as opposed to short-lived ad campaigns or expensive Pay Per Click (PPC) ads. Local SEO for small businesses positions your website with evergreen rankings for local searches to bring you search traffic and leads consistently.
Effective SEO makes sure that your small business is found when potential customers in your local area make local based searches. By optimizing your website for local search, you can improve the visibility of your business to those who are searching for services and products that you offer.
How Does Search Engine Optimization Improve My Organic Search Traffic?
SEO is your website’s best chance at earning a higher rank in the search engine results pages (SERPs). When someone conducts a search, they are presented with a list of websites ranked from first to last based on how relevant their content is to the keyword(s) being searched.
The closer your website ranks to the top of this page, the more likely you are to be visited by potential customers. And while there is no guarantee that your website will show up at the top for any given search term, optimizing your site using SEO best practices gives you the best chance at achieving better rankings over time.
SEO also improves organic search traffic conversions because it targets long-tail keywords . These are specific phrases that people use when searching for something online, and typically have less competition with high search intent. When you target long-tail keywords with your optimization strategy, you’re providing potential customers with the information they are looking for on your website, which can result in more conversions.
Search Engine Optimization is a valuable marketing tool for small businesses because it’s less expensive than paid advertising and provides long-term value over time. Local SEO helps improve the visibility of your business to those who are searching for services and products that you offer. And finally, targeting long-tail keywords with SEO improves organic search traffic conversions by providing potential customers with the information they are looking for on your website. Implementing these three tips will help get your small business started on the right foot when it comes to optimizing your site for better SEO rankings and increased organic search traffic.
