Search Engine Optimization Jacksonville FL
Remember that cheerleader / football star you had a crush on in High School? She or he didn't know you existed, right? It's a feeling you can get when trying to get your business noticed online. When you search for your business using a keyword a local searcher might use and you can't be found until page 5, it makes you wonder- does Google even know you exist?
The way to a customer's heart is through Google search returns, plain and simple. Companies that see cash flow from their online presence have spent a lot of effort and money on dominating search returns through Search Engine Optimization.
It's a myth that launching an online-based marketing presence is a rocket ride to profits, an overnight miracle of competition-crushing market share. Like any other legitimate business development attempt, it takes a sustained effort to see results.
So what do the top three non-paid search returns in your industry got that you aint got? Read on for a sample of what United WebWorks routinely takes care of for companies that want to push through the crowd to the top of the search return ranks.
Killer Tip #1 Stake your Claim on Google Maps
It starts with Gmail account. With a bit more clicking, you can have yourself a "verified" Google+ page that inputs to Google Maps. This is VERY helpful for your appearance in the local results for your industry! Being verified with your location address gets you a nice fly-down "card" when a Google Maps searcher clicks on your location.
At UWW we use some webmaster tools to get you a place on the local search results and your own pin on the map. If you are a website-building company in northern Florida, a search for "Search Engine Optimization Jacksonville" will present a map with location information, phone number, web address and directions.
Killer Tip #2 Pay Attention to your Reputation
Get every testimonial you can possibly get! This not only gives you some great positive reviews you can use in lots of ways, but it helps you develop relationships with loyal customers. Encourage people to use Social Media like Yelp, Facebook and Twitter to toot your horn.
Even better, have them write a review straight to Google. The procedure for this may not be self-evident, so you might devise some simple help- a link, a reference card, a feature on your mobile app- anything to ease the process. Google recommends accessing reviews through Google Maps (another reason to do Killer Tip #1).
Tip #3 Think About Your Links
Backlinks are of utmost importance (we'll get to those later), but only if your own internal link structure is sound. A broken link not only prevents a visitor from getting what they want, it also shouts, "THIS WEBSITE ISN'T VERY GOOD!!" It's as if you walk into a clothing store and ask an associate for help. He says, "Sure." and then disappears back into the break room. Worse yet, entire sections of the store suddenly disappear.
Assign someone the task of checking every link you have posted on your site. Make sure they do what the anchor says they will do.
Tip #4 Learn to Speak Googlese
We're fluent in the language that makes Google's heart go pitter-patter. Things like making sure each main heading is <H1>, subheadings are <H2> and so forth. Google just melts when it sees those keywords in the right places the optimum number of times. Include too many keywords and She gets suspicious that you are trying too hard.
You can't just use any old phrase for a keyword. For starters, you can add your location to a phrase that you think searchers might use to find a business like yours, like this, "Search Engine Optimization Jacksonville"
Tip #5 Research What Works
Study the websites of competitors, or similar successful businesses that consistently land in the top ten results on a Google SERP (Search Engine Results Page). Have a look at main headings, subheadings, word count for each page, number of links, pictures- you see what we mean. United WebWorks has a lot of fancy tools that do a really thorough job of competitive analysis, but you can learn a lot with your keen observation skills. See our SEO page
DO NOT even THINK about lifting blocks of content from their site, Google knows when you've done this and will drop you like a hot potato if She senses you are insincere. It's no problem to get topic ideas or to completely re-write some content, but it has to be your own original stuff.
Tip #6 Become a Creator of Content
Original content is like a huge bouquet of roses to Google. Videos are great, and honestly worth the effort. A simple how-to using a product, a "commercial" done by your cute 5th grade niece, a tour of your office… Get creative! The more shareable it is, the better. Make sure the title and metadata match the keywords you are featuring.
Blogging is an awesome way to post regularly refreshed original content! Since you're the expert, you get to show the world what you know, and remember that shareability is directly correlated to usefulness. Write Definitive Guides, your opinion about industry news or issues that your customers pay attention to. Compare and contrast products or techniques. A 600-word blog like this one just might be worth more than you think!
Tip #7 Learn the art of Backlinking
A backlink is created when another website includes a clickable feature on one of their pages that takes the clicker to whatever page you want them to see. An example might be a travel website that lists a number of Anchors (words or phrases that when clicked take the user to the URL associated with them) for hotels or bike rentals, or ice cream shops at the foot of an article.
Have a supplier? Ask for a backlink. Have a lawyer who lists his clients on his website? See if you can make your entry a backlink.
The more backlinks you have out there, the more Google is convinced you are one of the cool kids.
There is a lot more to local search engine optimization Jacksonville than you might think! United WebWorks is a Savannah GA based Full-Service Online Marketing firm, but our footprint is growing! We have clients in New York, Los Angeles and of course Atlanta and Savannah. We'd like to help YOU dominate your local search returns too!