As an SEO consultant and host of the Unscripted SEO podcast, I’ve helped countless businesses improve their online visibility and attract more customers through strategic search engine optimization (SEO) practices. In a recent interview with a Sparta based podcast, I shared some of my top tips for entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to get found online.
The reality is, the internet is a reflection of real life. If you’re an asphalt contractor or any other type of local service provider, and nobody knows who you are, you can’t just put up a website and expect the customers to come flooding in. It doesn’t work that way.
So what do you need to do? First, take a hard look at your website and make sure you’re actually communicating what it is you do. Don’t just focus on how great your customer service is or how fast your delivery is – spell out the actual services you provide. Use the same words and phrases that your potential customers would search for.
Create dedicated pages for each of your core offerings too. Don’t just have a generic “About Us” page. Break it out by service so search engines can better understand what you do.
Building out relevant content like blog posts, FAQs, and knowledge base articles is also crucial. This helps establish your expertise and gives search engines more to index and surface in results and is also great to help fuel your social media efforts.
Gaining Online Visibility For Your Business
Next, you need to get your business listed in online directories and claim your Google Business Profile. These “citations” help search engines understand who you are and where you’re located. Services like Bright Local can help automate this process.
Finally, you need to build links from other reputable websites back to your site. Guest posting, partnerships, sponsorships – these are all great ways to earn these valuable backlinks that signal your authority.
I know this all sounds like a lot, but don’t be scared. There are plenty of SEO professionals like myself out there to help, and tons of free educational resources available online. Reach out, join communities, and take advantage of the knowledge that’s out there.
With the right SEO strategy and execution, any business can improve their online visibility and start attracting more customers through search. It just takes a little work upfront.
