After a year of hardship, businesses are looking for creative ways to stand out online. While there are a number of ways to increase traffic to your website, there’s really no substitute for having an effective SEO strategy. In 2021, these five tips can help you increase your presence in Google search results and get more visitors to your site.
Put GMB and Local Listings to Good Use
Google My Business and local listings directories are incredible tools for small businesses. GMB is a free platform that allows you to not only enter some basic information about your business but post frequent updates and share enticing images that can help your brand show up more prominently in SERPs. Local listings directories are also incredibly helpful, as they can increase your visibility and brand perception online. Just make sure to list your information consistently across these platforms to make Google happy.
Prioritize Mobile Users
Mobile web use is nothing new, but you might be surprised by just how many business owners don’t consider these visitors when designing their websites. Unfortunately, this can really put a damper on your traffic and overall rankings. Now that around half of all web traffic comes from mobile, both human users and Google search engine bots want to see websites that provide an impeccable user experience for smartphones and other devices. To that end, you should ensure that your website is responsive and provides fast loading speeds and overall accessibility. It’s also a good idea to optimize for voice search technology, which mobile visitors are more likely to use.
Add Location Pages
If you run a local business with multiple facilities or you’re in an area within close proximity to a few major hubs, you should think about adding location-based landing pages on your website. Rather than having just one general service page for all the locations you serve, you can optimize for searchers who are looking for nearby results. These individual location pages can make it more likely for your business to appear in SERPs when these queries come up. Of course, you’ll also want to use location keywords throughout your site.
Focus on Your Link-Building
Having a link-building strategy is an important part of SEO. Not only can obtaining backlinks to your site increase your traffic, but it can also boost your domain authority. This, in turn, can allow Google to see your site as more valuable — which means you could increase your chances of appearing prominently in search results. These inbound links should be relevant to your business and have a certain level of authority on their own. You can secure backlinks through guest blogging, industry round-up posts, interviews, partnerships, scholarship opportunities, and more.
Generate Online Reviews
Word-of-mouth is still important, but as we shift to a digital-centric communication style, online reviews have become essential. A business without reviews may not be seen as trustworthy by many consumers, as it’s actually worse to have zero reviews than a few negative ones! Ask some of your customers to leave a review of their experience with you on Google, Yelp, Facebook, or another review site that holds water in your industry. Make sure to respond to all reviews with compassion and empathy; this is a great way to show off your customer service skills and lead with your company values!
The reality is that there are numerous SEO strategies that could support the success of your business in 2021. But if you have to choose only five, these tips should be high on your list.
