One of the most important aspects of running a website is having prominence on the web. It’s about being seen and attracting people to do what it is that your website needs them to.
In order to run a successful website, you need to know how to get found on Google. You would think it was easy, but when you consider the millions of other people trying to be seen as well, you can start to imagine that the whole process is very competitive.
The first step in having a presence online is working on your search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is the process of adjusting your site to the liking of the search engine, thereby coming up higher on searches.
Here are 3 effective ways to improve your SEO.
How to Get Found on Google
There are multiple ways that a site can boost its search engine optimization, but here are a few that are tried and true, and certain to help your website boost traffic.
1. Link Building
Search engines operate on algorithms. These algorithms attempt to determine how relevant a website is to the search at hand. Things like keywords, links, and traffic are all criteria that engines use to determine which websites best fit the search terms.
The more relevant links that are embedded in your site, the more valuable your site will appear. Not all links are seen the same, though, and link building is the process of developing a site with high quality, relevant links.
One way of doing this is starting a blog. Start a blog on various topics in your niche, all with a few, relevant links embedded in the text. Alternatively, you can reach out to other websites in your niche and ask for a “guest post” or see if you can have a link to your site embedded in one of their articles.
Guest posting is essentially the act of writing an article or blog post to be posted on a friend’s website. This article may or may not be a direct advertisement for your site, but it should certainly have at least one link embedded to your site.
2. Accumulate Citations
Similar to links, citations are references to your site on other websites. You can liken this to having your number in the Yellow Pages; your name is out there and ready for people who are looking for it.
There are millions of directories and websites that list sources for relevant information. Start small by contacting these directories in your niche, then branch out and start to get into more general sites and forums. The more your name is out there, the more relevant you will seem to the search engine.
3. Create Coverage
Another great way to boost your credibility is the old-fashioned “cold call.” Reach out to local news organizations or businesses and see if they will do a review on your website. When you’re pitching your website, be sure to sell the business on how relevant and important your work is to the functioning of their organization.
Even if you don’t see a clear connection between your website and the organization you’re contacting, do your best to make one. It never hurts to reach out in attempt to get some press.
Research SEO and Talk to Your Peers
Other people within your niche, successful or not, are likely to have some good insight into optimizing a website. Talk with people you know, find out how to get found on Google, and put your knowledge to work!
If you have any questions on other ways to optimize your website, be sure to contact us and we’d be happy to help in any way possible.
