SEO Basics: What it is & How to Make Your Website Appear in Search Results
Have you heard the word SEO and wondered if it’s relevant to your business? If you have a website, Google Business profile, or social media account, then the answer is YES!
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it’s the practice of using techniques to improve your ranking in searches, like Google or Yahoo. Social media platforms are gaining traction as search engines, which means SEO principles should be applied there as well to make sure your target audience can find you.
Why Is SEO Important?
SEO is important because without it, potential customers may not be able to find you! People use search engines to find solutions to problems. For example:
Your family wants to improve the quality of their food and needs a source for local, organic vegetables
Your friend who loves sushi is coming to town, and you need to find a restaurant nearby
Your business needs marketing support for their new craft beer business ;)
Making your business findable when potential customers take to the internet to solve a problem is how you expand your customer base and grow your business!
How To Improve SEO On Your Website
Many website platforms have SEO built in, but it never hurts to do your own research and customize your site to build connections with your target audience. Here are some strategies to boost SEO and improve your search engine rankings.
Do Keyword Research
Keywords are words that are relevant to your business, that your customers might use to find a business like yours.
To do keyword research:
Generate a list of words you think your customers might use to find your business.
Find a keyword tool and check for monthly search volume and keyword difficulty.
Monthly search volume tells you how many people search for that word every month.
Keyword difficulty is a measure of how competitive the keyword is. If a keyword is more difficult, you will have more competition ranking for that work, making it harder to show up at the top of search results.
Narrow down your keywords based on these two factors. You want keywords with a decent number of monthly searches with moderate to low difficulty.
Keep reading for links to some keyword tools to help you with your research!
Focus On Quality Content & Providing Value
Packing your website with keywords isn’t as effective as it used to be. Search engines are getting smarter, and are now prioritizing quality content over anything else. Quality content generally means information that is accurate, useful, and relevant.
Here are a few tips:
Make sure each page on your website has enough information to justify its existence. Consider combining related pages if the content is light.
All of your content should be relevant to your target audience.
Don’t include keywords that aren’t related to your business. It hurts your credibility if your website content contains something different than expected.
Customize SEO Titles & Descriptions
SEO titles and descriptions are the first thing potential customers see when you appear in search results. Search engines index the internet for keywords related to the search terms, so placing your most important and relevant keywords in SEO titles and descriptions increases the likelihood of appearing at the top of search results.
If someone searches for Lakeview Hill Farm, they immediately know that the farm provides certified organic produce and cut flowers, that they offer a plant sale, and have a farm market — all because of SEO!
Try this:
Include your location in title tags to help local searchers find your business.
Break up titles with a vertical bar “|” to maximize keywords in an organized manner.
Name of Farm | Growing Organic Produce in Kent County
Include keywords in your description, but write in a compelling way that shows potential customers how your business can solve their problems.
Best SEO Tools For Small Businesses
There are lots of SEO tools out there to support you in improving your search rankings.
FREE DOWNLOAD: 8 SEO Tips You Can Implement Today to Reach New Customers
Watch TLD’s webinar on SEO: SEO For Farms & Food Businesses: What It Is & Why Is It Important
This guide from Mailchimp covers 12 free keyword tools.
Semrush is a powerful tool for those who are interested in more advanced SEO analysis. They have an option for a free account!
Google Search Console is a free tool that informs you on what search terms are bringing people to your website and more!
Interested In Affordable SEO Services For Small Businesses?
Besides our free resources linked above, TLD offers customized SEO services for food and farm businesses, like a site audit and SEO strategy to improve your search rankings.