One of the questions we commonly get asked here at E-Man Ink is how we get visibility and customers calling us from Google search. Being that I am our in-house website designer and Search Engine Optimizer (SEO), I figured I would write an article to help shed some light on the reality of modern inbound marketing from search engines. In this blog post I am going to break down how to get your website to show up in the Google search results in the easiest way to understand possible.
Table of Contents
The Importance Of Showing Up In Search
The reality is that most modern customers find services and businesses via Google. When people ask Siri or their Google assistant via a voice search, the results are pulled from Google’s search engine. While some business owners opt for interruption based marketing methods like Facebook Ads or billboards, the reality is that you want to be where people are searching.
When most consumers are looking for a restaurant to go eat at, they aren’t looking on Facebook. 99% of the time they are typing in “Italian restaurant near me” or looking up reviews for the “best Italian restaurant in Buffalo.” The key to prosperous results with Search Engine Optimization (or SEO) is to have your business show up first when these types of searches are done.
I’m sure you can think of a time when you have done a search for a local place of business. This is just how modern consumers operate, especially with the increasing amount of time people spend glued to their smartphones.
Google Makes The Rules – We Have To Follow Them
If you want to rank your business then you have to understand that Google controls their search engine. We have to follow their guidelines for what they want in websites in order to rank. Google has a very complex algorithm that dictates which websites show up at the top of search. If you want to show up for customer searches, you need to have the technical elements in place Google looks for from what it considers to be “authoritative websites.”
A Word Of Warning On Blackhat SEO Techniques
Many people will talk about “black hat” SEO techniques. These are SEO strategies that try to “pull one over” on Google by exploiting bugs or cheap tactics.
The unfortunate truth is that while blackhat SEO tactics may yield some very temporary or short term results, Google will always catch on. Google is a billion dollar company and has a team of some of the smartest engineers in the world. You can’t outsmart the beast, and doing so is at your own risk.
Google does not take kindly to low quality content or violating their terms of service. In the worst cases, your website can be permanently blacklisted and can be prevented from ever ranking in the Google search results again. When you’ve spent thousands of dollars on a website design and you have countless marketing materials with your website on it, this can be a very costly mistake.
I have personally seen instances where companies have ultimately gone out of business as a result of abn unfortunate chain of events leading after them trying to outsmart Google.
The Practical Bits Of SEO You Need To Understand
While there are hundreds of factors, these are the most important practical things that you have to understand if you want to succeed with SEO for your business. Doing these things will put you in a better position and increase the results you will rank.
1. Create & Optimize Your Google My Business Listing
If you run a local business or company with an address, you need to have a Google My Business (GMB) listing. This is a free listing Google themselves hosts. There are many advantages to having a GMB listing, primarily that you show up in Google Maps. You can list your business name, phone number, website address, hours of operation, and even post photos of the interior and exterior of your location.
Potential customers want to see what your business looks like and get more information by stopping by. Google My Business listings also feature Google Reviews, where people can take a look at what real previous customers have to say about your business, and your products/services.
You want to fill out your Google My Business listing as much as possible with detailed information. The more complete your listing is, the better. Make sure you select proper categories for your business. Incorrect information can hurt your visibility and results with SEO.
2. Submit Your Business To Local Directories
One of the signals Google looks at to see which businesses are an “authority” is how many external//third party websites are pointing to your business website. If hundreds of directories have you listed, that shows Google that your business is real and referenced all across the web as well. In local SEO we call these directory submissions “citations.”
Citations are one of the most important things you can do after optimizing your Google My Business (GMB) profile for your local visibility. Most directories are free to post to, although some industry or niche-specific directories will sometimes charge a low, one-time fee for you to submit your business. Check out this list of the 150+ best directories to submit your business to for local SEO.
One of the common pushbacks I hear when I explain the importance of citations is that “people don’t use websites like YellowBot.” While this is very true, and I personally don’t know anyone who uses 99% of citation sites, Google really cares about seeing mentions of your business from as many other websites as possible. This validates that you are a real and reputable company to Google.
3. Gather Reviews
Reviews account for over 30% of your total local ranking as a factor, according to Moz. Consumers are getting smarter and do research before they buy. You want to make sure they see a good first impression of your business, especially on the internet.
Besides showing that you run your business ethically and treat customers good, Google really cares about reviews. Having a decent number of reviews shows Google that customers have a good experience working with you, and they favor showing businesses with good reputation at the top of their search engine.
Getting into the habit of asking customers to leave a review when you finish a service or they buy a product is key to growing your visibility and moving up the search results.
4. Have A Mobile Friendly Website
Did you know that over 50% of traffic online comes from mobile devices? Your website needs to look good and function well on smartphones and tablets. In the website design world we call this having a “responsive website”, or a site that automatically adjusts its size to match the screen size of the user’s device. This is a must for modern website performance and SEO.
If your website looks like it is out of the 90s, and people have to zoom in or scroll to make the site really large then you are not optimized for mobile. Any good website designer who is worth their weight will design your site to be mobile friendly.
5. Secure Your Website With HTTPS/SSL
If you want to succeed with your SEO efforts then you have to understand that Google cares about user experience. They want people using their search engine to land on reputable and safe websites. By securing your website you are being Google compliant and prioritizing user experience on your site.
If you aren’t familiar with what a SSL/HTTPS certificate is, it is basically that padlock you see when you visit most websites in the upper left. More users are being taught to look for the padlock, and there are some people that will leave your website if you do not have it.
While a SSL/HTTPS certificate can be complicated to set up, most web hosting providers include one for free with your hosting plan. Most good hosts can set it up for you if you call and speak with their support team.
The Problem For Most Business Owners
Unfortunately, most business owners do not have the time or technical expertise to properly do Search Engine Optimization (SEO.) SEO gets very in-depth and requires a lot of knowledge that only website designers know. Additionally, doing good SEO takes time and most people who own a business are already running around like a chicken with their head cut off 90%+ of the time.
The conclusion many reach is to hire a company to do their SEO for them. The problem with this approach is that most companies will hold you hostage by locking you into a yearly contract, and charging thousands of dollars a month for subpar service, while not being fully invested in your business or success.
Some SEO experts also struggle at explaining things in non-technical terms that are easy to understand for average people. This creates a divide and causes confusion and ultimately distrust between business owners and their SEO providers. After all, if you can’t understand what they are doing or the importance
The Solution – Finding The Right Fit
The secret to killing it with Search Engine Optimization is working with someone who is invested in your success, who will work with you with the goal to rank your business using proven techniques. It is important to note you should never hire someone who cold calls or emails you out of the blue trying to offer your SEO services.
The best SEO experts don’t have to cold call or email you to get business, because they themselves show up in the search results at the top. True pros put into practice what they teach and preach. For example, you will notice that E-Man Ink shows up towards the top of the search results for search phrases like “custom signs niagara falls” as those are terms we are optimizing for.
Conclusion
It is important to understand what matters when it comes to SEO. If you are like most business owners, you just don’t have the time or proper knowledge to implement a successful SEO strategy yourself. Hiring the right person can be tough, but here at E-Man Ink we now offer Search Engine Optimization as a service for a low monthly fee. Our SEO services are pay as you go, meaning no contract and no being held hostage. Feel free to give us a call to set up a free consultation at: (716) 297-5073.
Gabriel Miller
Gabriel is our website designer and search engine optimizer here at E-Man Ink. He takes great pride in his work and puts our clients first. He is passionate about technology and the internet of things (IOT).
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