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Basic SEO doesn’t have to be complicated. I am sharing my Top 5 Fave Ways to Hack Your SEO and get results!
#1 Set up Google Analytics
“This tip is one of the most important and one of the most overlooked steps when setting up a website!!“
To let Google know you want them to share your information with the world, they first need to know who you are, and what you are offering. To do this, just sign up on their Analytics Site. This not only registers your business with Google, but the site is packed full of information to help you track your performance and improve it!
And when you are all done on the Analytics site, don’t forget to add your business to Google Search Console, so you will actually have a business listing that Google can easily share.
Want to learn more about how Google Analytics work? Here are some helpful resources
- https://analytics.google.com/analytics/academy/
- https://analytics.google.com/analytics/academy/course/6
#2 Use Alt Text
I’m sure you’ve heard of alt text before, but do you know how to use it on your site to help you improve your SEO ranking? Alt text (or alternative text) is simply, the short text used to describe images throughout your website, blog post images, logos, etc.
Alt text helps search engines (like Google) understand the contents of the image. For example: This picture I took of my youngest son, in his gray hoodie, fishing off a wooden dock on a stormy afternoon at our campground in Montana.
What is really great about Alt Text is that it not only helps your SEO ranking, it also helps make your site more accessible to people who may have limited vision, by describing the image to the audience, through specific apps.
To make it even sweeter for you, many sites forget to use Alt Text! This means using it on your website will most definitely make your site stand out for search engines Now, if you booked your Custom Website Design with me, you don’t have to worry, I add alt text to all images on the websites I create. But, if your site was designed elsewhere, you may want to double-check. If you don’t see any alt text, it’s an easy fix, just go into each image and quickly describe what you see in the image. Try to make sure each description is unique, because those pesky search engines are smart enough to notice repetitious patterns in your alt text, and they will punish you for it.
#3 Keywords Are Key
Think about it, if you are a photographer who shoots outdoor weddings in Bend, Oregon how does a search engine know to connect you with a bride searching for a photographer for her outdoor wedding in Bend, OR? You have to make it really easy for that search engine by telling it, over and over, who you are, what you offer, and where you offer it.
But here’s the kicker, Search Engines are kind of a pain in the butt, so if you just use the same 3 keywords (Bend, Photographer, Weddings) over and over, those SE’s get bored, and they start to ignore you. Plus, you want to make sure you are using enough unique keywords that no matter what words your ideal is using to search for you, they will still match up.
Keywords are what help your search engine connect your website with someone looking for a product, service, or information you offer.
Ways to use Keywords
- In your Alt Text
- In your blog posts
- In our text content throughout your site.
- Even on your Social Media Posts
You can search some of the more popular keywords for your genre of business by using Google’s online tool Google Trends
- Go to https://trends.google.com.
- Click the menu and select “Explore”. The menu is in the top-left corner of the page.
- Click the menu and select Trending Searches. The menu is in the top-left corner of the page
You should be able to find info and listings of the most popular keywords for your specific business genre
#4 Create Content For Your Ideal Client
I know, I know, EVERYTHING is about “content” these days, and it’s true, especially with building your SEO. Basically, for a SE to want to share you on their 1st-page searches (aka the holy grail for any small business), they have to know that people will be interested in visiting your site. They learn this info by tracking how many people have previously visited your site. Lots of people visiting your site = Lots of interest in your site = Search Engines seeing that people like your site = SEs ranking your site at the top of their searches.
So, how do you consistently get people to visit your site, you ask?? By creating content that they find interesting (bet you didn’t see that one coming, did ya?)
There are lots of ways to create content people will want to check out, but here are a few ideas I have super helpful personally.
1. Share tips or tricks to help your client. These can be related to the services/products you offer, or they can be just some helpful life hacks. People love learning something that makes their life easier, so why not make it easy for them? “5 Tips to Make Your Wedding Day Stay on Track.”
2. Share a personal story so your audience gets to know you a little better. “Sharing My Own Wedding Story: An Evening in The Rose Garden”
3. Bring on a guest blogger who is an expert in something that is helpful to your audience. “Expert Make-up Artist Shares Their Secrets On How To Make Wedding Day Make-up Stay Put For Eight Hours”
4. Share happy client stories, so clients can see what the experience is like working with you. “Wedding Under The Stars: Shayla + Kelly’s Evening Wedding At Estrella Vineyards”
And don’t forget to drop a few (ok, a little more than just a few) KEYWORDS into these posts you are creating. And if you are mentioning any other vendors in your posts (for example Venues, etc) make sure you link their sites or socials and share the post with them – so they might share it with their clients. That’s just FREE MARKETING, and around here, we love ourselves some FREE MARKETING.
#5 Check Your Mobile Site
“This is definitely the easiest tip I am sharing with you today! “
Yep, that’s it! Just check your site’s mobile version. You would be astonished to know how many people totally forget to check their mobile site to make sure everything is running properly. That’s a BIG DEAL if a majority of your clients are searching your site via their phones.
You and I both know that if we were scrolling a site on our phones and, it’s not working within the first 10 seconds, we’re out and moving on to the next scroll-worthy site. So a quick scroll and review of your mobile site will ensure that anytime a client visits your site they’re going to stick around for a while.
*Bonus Tip* Hire An Expert
I can promise you that if you implement all of these tools I’ve mentioned, your SEO ranking will definitely improve. But sometimes, it can still be difficult to get the prime spot in the top five on the first page. That is when it might be worth considering bringing on an expert. SEO and its algorithm are constantly changing and evolving. It isn’t always easy to keep up with all of it. So sometimes it’s better to pay someone else to keep up with it and make sure you are doing all you can, to maximize your ranking.
Hey Friends, I’m Becci, Owner of Becci Ravera Creative
I’m a Cali girl with southern roots, currently falling in love with Oregon. I’ve been known to wildly chase dreams, especially the “crazy ones” … Ask me about that time I made my family travel the US in an RV for almost 3 years!
After a decade of running a successful photography business, even while traveling full-time, I realized, almost by accident, that my real love is helping other small biz owners navigate through the usual hang-ups that come with running a business. From custom branding + web design to business organization + marketing, I am with you every step of the way. Helping others reach their dreams is my love language (well, that and chips), so what dreams are you holding out on? ‘Cause I’m ready to show you how you can make them a reality!
