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Search Engine Optimization

What’s The Best Way To Drive Traffic To My Website?

Search engine optimization is the art of getting your website to appear at the top of search engine results pages when a user searches Google or other search engines. You will often see search engine optimization abbreviated as SEO.

Suppose you can achieve a high ranking for keywords relevant to your product or services. In that case, your website will see an increase in organic traffic – visitors who are directed to your site without the use of paid advertisements. These visitors are extremely valuable because they are often ready to buy and are in the process of conducting research to identify a reliable vendor. In other words, they are potential sales prospects for your business.

How SEO Has Changed and Continues to Change

Our founder often says that years ago, he could build a website about cats and position it on the first page for users that were searching for dogs. This is a bit of an exaggeration, but it goes to show how SEO has changed over the years.

Previously, a high ranking could be achieved with tactics that did not necessarily promote a good user experience. In its primitive form, a search engine could be influenced by content hidden behind the scenes on the website. At one point, a majority of the search algorithm was based on the number of incoming links from other websites. By simply stuffing keywords into your content and getting links from any website, it was possible to achieve strong SEO results.

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Of course, search engines want to do their best to match users with websites and content that is useful and relevant to their searches. Google quickly gained popularity when it was launched because it simplified the process of searching the internet. It was often necessary to format your searches using plus signs and quotation marks to help guide the search engine to provide more relevant results in the old days.

Google has methodically worked to improve its search algorithm to keep up its status as the leading search engine. In any given year, there could be ten or more significant changes. Sometimes these changes are meant to improve user experience, but some might be made in response to current events. For example, in 2020, there was an unconfirmed COVID-19 pandemic update.

These days, most search engine professionals focus on core web vitals because Google has announced that they will incorporate them as a ranking signal. Along with great content that engages your users, mobile-friendly and safe browsing, the core web vitals relate to metrics like loading speed, which significantly impact the user experience.

Positioning Locally VS. Nationally

Depending on where you provide services and how keen the competition is for your services, it may be possible to rank well in the search engines just by building a website with great content and solid foundational SEO elements.

If you operate in a local service area, it’s definitely going to be easier to get your website positioned than it would be if you provide services nationwide. Often users will run a search query like “plumber near me” or “plumber Richmond, VA.” It’s pretty easy for the search engines to match relevant results because they know your physical location in most cases and can easily see that you are interested in local providers.

On the other hand, if you provide services nationwide, you can expect that it will take a lot more work to make inroads into all the potential cities and localities where other competitors may already have established a prominent presence in the search engines.

No matter where you provide services and what your marketing goals are, a great website is the foundation for your search engine optimization efforts. The design, functionality, and content all have to be on point so that it’s appealing to your potential customers and search engines. Once you have a website in place, keeping its content updated and adding new content regularly will continue to help your rankings.

In some cases, the content published on your website’s blog may even lead in major searches and drive a lot of traffic to your website. Here are some examples of client blog posts that have generated tremendous traffic over the years:

Blog Post Page Views Average Time on Page Industry
Removing Tree Sap From Your Windows 43k+ 16:24 Windshield Repair
What Is A Group Of Ants Called? 14k+ 07:49 Pest Control
5 Signs of Asbestos You Need to Know 16k+ 17:14 Scientific Laboratory
How Do You Get Asthma? 18k+ 08:06 Healthcare Provider

Are You Ready To Connect With Customers On A Whole New Level?

Get started with improving your SEO today!