There are many fundamental parallels between successfully running a small business and properly executing search engine optimization. Dedication, discipline and a strong knowledge base are all required for both business and SEO success. While business owners undoubtedly have the chops when it comes to the first two, truly understanding how to make SEO work for you is a much more tangible, much more difficult skill to nail down. This article we'll cover four essential tasks that every small business owner should be consistently carrying out in order to drive quality traffic to their website that'll yield premium leads and outstanding conversion rates.

1) Plan Your Pages Well.

Generally speaking, search engine optimization doesn't create a demand for a product or service. Instead, it only works to promote an existing demand. Therefore, it's super important to disperse relevant, highly-searched keywords throughout your website. These words, which can typically be ascertained using Google Adword's free keyword tool, will help your website rank well on search engines.

2) Create Content People Want To Read.

People tune out information that doesn't interest them. Consumers become apt at ignoring messages from companies that serve no practical purpose other than to remind them of the company's existence. That's why  great content is so critical to getting through to people about the products or services you offer. It doesn't matter whether you choose to reach people via blog posts, webinars, articles or white papers, as long as the content you're delivering is informative, interesting, compelling and useful.

3) Create Content That's Reputable.

While it's paramount to create content that people want to read, it's just as important to make it look professional, polished and authentic (not to mention functional). Don't forget to add the following:

  • Attractive images
  • Title tags
  • Meta tags
  • Quality links
  • Authorship code
  • Videos

4) Track Your Progress.

Being able to track how many people you've touched is a powerful advantage to Internet marketing over traditional advertising. You could always improve your search engine optimization efforts and/or performance by measuring your efforts and truly understanding where improvements and adjustments can be made to your strategy. It's a critical part of the process.

For more information on producing high-quality content for optimal SEO results, contact Spectrum and schedule an appointment or, if you're an existing client, please reach out to your Search Marketing Engineer with any questions. Also, feel free to leave questions and comments below - we'll get right back to you!