Andy Barnes
If you’re headed someplace new, what do you do? You pull out your phone and type the name of the destination in Google or Apple Maps or Waze, right? Gone are the days of mentally figuring out how to get somewhere. Our wayfinding is now largely unconscious, because we’re simply following directions. In fact, lots of times the physical address of a location isn’t even used—just the name is plugged in. And guess what? This kind of mindless exercise is how many people find your website, too.
You see, usually people don’t know the address of a website, or a url. It may even be that they don’t know exactly what they’re looking for. And they don’t need to. They simply go to Google and type something in the search bar. Once the list appears, they scan it, click on a link, and voila! They are on that website. No url needed by the user.
So what helps steer Google in your direction? Search engine optimization, or SEO. Successfully employing SEO makes your website appear higher in search results, increasing your website’s visibility and traffic. Search engine optimization is a blend of technical know-how and content choices. And it’s definitely a business strategy that you want to take advantage of. So let’s take this metaphor a little further and see three ways you can excel at SEO.
Get There Fast by Choosing Relevant Keywords
More than likely you have the “fastest route possible” option selected on your GPS, as opposed to something like shortest route or most economical. That’s because time is typically what matters to us most. And when it comes to people visiting your website, how quickly they find you is definitely a key factor. You don’t want to lose them as they browse your competitors’ websites. So what should you do? Research and identify keywords and phrases that you can take ownership of with the goal of coming out on top on those specific search rankings.
There’s strategy involved in this. You have to be selective. It’s not good to be too general, because then established brands will beat you every time. For example, if you’re opening a food truck in your hometown, using general keywords such as “sub,” “sandwich” and “fresh,” will have you beaten out by Subway every time. On the other hand, if you’re too specific, no one will be searching those words in the first place. In that same scenario, that would be like using “Andy Barnes’ Deli on Wheels” as your keyphrase. It’s on point, but useless.
So think about your brand. What are your key attributes? How do people know you? Can you use those perceptions in your keywords and phrases? Or are they highly competitive? Our SEO experts can do the research and help you determine the viability of your choices and do some tweaking to make them more effective.
Use What’s Unique and Popular to Your Advantage
Sometimes instead of “in 500 feet, turn right,” your GPS tells you to “turn right after Costco.” That’s really useful because you’re given a familiar landmark to watch out for. You should try to do the same with your website. What can you call out as a feature to highlight in your SEO?
When our client, Aunt Millie’s, approached us to move their website over to a new CMS, we noticed there was a page type that was not getting the traffic it should—their recipes. Upon investigation, we quickly realized something was missing: “recipes” was not in their recipe pages’ urls. So instead of auntmillies.com/recipes/blt-hot-dog, it was just auntmillies.com/blt-hot-dog. As soon as we added the recipes subdirectory (and relaunched the website), search engines not only began ranking Aunt Millie’s higher for those types of queries, they also were featured more in rich snippets. These are the types of search results that go beyond the typical listings of web links, like the “People Also Ask” and “Things to Know” accordions (you know you’ve used them), local map listings and the knowledge panel. Because they diverge from the normal result, they grab viewers’ attention more on the search engine results page, or SERP. And that can help generate more website traffic. These adjustments are SEO fundamentals—sort of the low-hanging fruit—but they can make a big difference, which Aunt Millie’s has seen.
Update Often to Avoid Issues
Back in the day when GPS systems were standalone displays or running off DVD maps (ugh), you might have followed it in an unknown area only to find that a road that obviously exists wasn’t on your map. It probably meant you hadn’t updated your software recently. That oversight may have cost you some time because you missed a more direct route. It’s the same with SEO. This is not a once-and-done exercise for your website. It needs to be maintained continually to keep up with adjustments in search engine guidelines and technical advancements. Additionally, a more thorough analysis should be done every few years, especially if you’re making frequent changes to your website.
Your Address Probably Isn’t Known. So You Need SEO. And Us.
A well-known landmark doesn’t need an address. If you’re in New York and someone says to meet them at the Empire State Building, all you have to do is look up in the sky, locate the iconic art deco skyscraper, and walk toward it. At the same token, if you want to watch a video, you know to head to youtube.com, no search engine required. But there aren’t many Empire State Buildings in the website world. So it’s important your SEO is top notch, and BIG can do that for you.
While we don’t live and breathe search engine optimization, we do understand how it relates to branding (and we do live and breathe that). If you’re just starting out, we think about SEO as we discover your brand—incorporating your key attributes into keywords and phrases that are ownable. Your brand story will be built with an intentional search engine optimization focus, so that it not only speaks your truth but can be heard by as many people as possible when they’re internet browsing. And of course, if you have us build your website, we’ll make sure the technical, strategic, and content side of things are all in perfect harmony to make your SEO sing.
Already have a site that’s up and running? No problem. We offer audits that reveal your website’s SEO health and where opportunities for improvements lie. From meta tags and backlinks to indexing and content creation, we maximize the potential for greater growth.
Are you ready to make sure as many people as possible arrive at their destination—your website? Contact us and we’ll get the SEO trip started.