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Welcome to Main St.
SEO BASICS
Search Engine Optimization Basics
A search engine is a business, just like you. Google has maintained dominance in the search engine/browser space for decades now because they’re very fussy about the websites they serve their customers. They want those sites to be relevant, well built, and credible before they say to the customer, “Here… of the 2,866,359 results to your query this site right here at number one will give you what you’re looking for.”
The rest of the world follows Google’s lead on what makes a top ranked website in hopes that Google will like them best. This is how search engine optimization was born.
The ever-changing world of Search Engine Optimization
Google is the King of Land Internet, and the rest of us are showing up at the ball in hopes he likes us. With millions of websites trying to get noticed by the King, there are some bad websites that end up, over time, being ranked high because they’re devious. This means Google changes its algorithms constantly so it can find new ways to outsmart bad players in the marketplace. There are, and will always be, changes in what tactics are most successful in improving how much search engines like you. However, the overall strategy search engines use can be bucketed into three categories: relevant, well-made, and credible.
Someone searches “Bakeries near me” and the search engine will look at all the information it can find with the key words “Bakeries” with a valid address close to the customer’s location.
- On each page do you have clear, engaging content with words relevant to “Bakery”?
- Is your contact information clearly identified and listed on the page?
A simple rule of thumb is to look objectively at your website and ask, is it clear to a computer algorithm that this website is a Bakery located downtown?
Google also looks for sites that are well-made. When they’re deciding if they want to offer up your site to their customers, they make sure they’re sending them to a well-made, secure, mobile friendly site.
- Load Times – do you have code or a website structure that makes a customer have to wait for your information to load?
- Mobile Friendly – is your site mobile friendly? These days, most searches are conducted on a mobile device.
- Websites should be functional, have a clear purpose, and be easy to navigate.
Can a customer or computer crawler go to your website, understand what it is, and how to schedule, order, or contact your business?
Credibility is incredibly important in the world of SEO. Google wants to deliver the authority on the topic, the best reviewed bakery, and the most accurate information possible to its search engine customers.
- Listings and Reputation – Google and other search engines look closely at your listings accuracy and online reputation to decide what your page ranking should be.
- Citations and backlinks – Google also likes to know if other people online like you. Citations and backlinks help improve your standing to search engines.
Can you prove to search engines that you’re a legitimate business and that people online like you?
Want an expert to review your SEO strategy with you? It’s free.
We can give you a quick review of some simple steps you can take immediately to improve your organic search results.
If you haven’t received your Snapshot report yet, start there. Otherwise, schedule a virtual review with an expert for free.