Why Is Search Engine Optimization Important?
In today’s online world, there are around 200 million active websites among around 1 billion total websites. While the majority of the 1 billion websites are not actively being updated, they can still be crawled during searches. Even if you consider only the active websites as competition for searches, that’s still 200 million. Obviously, all of these websites will not be in direct competition with your business; however, this helps us see the grand scale of websites out there that search engines are looking at when a potential lead is searching for your business.
When thinking about the importance of SEO, think about your own searching habits. If you’re looking for a new doctor’s office, furniture store, or local restaurant to try on a search engine, how often do you make it past the top searches to the bottom of the page? How often do you click through to the second page? It’s probably safe to say not often. This is why incorporating SEO into your marketing strategy is so important so that your business ranks as high as possible!
What Are Some Quick Changes I Can Make To My Website To Improve SEO?
Improving your website’s search engine optimization long-term is going to take time and continued efforts. However, if you’re looking for a relatively quick way to jumpstart your SEO plan, these are five areas you can tackle on your website:
Title Tags
The title tag is displayed on the search engine results pages (SERPs) in the form of clickable headings. They play a critical role in SEO, usability, as well as social sharing. Google usually displays the first 50 to 60 characters of a title tag. Keep the title under 60 characters to ensure it displays properly. Your title should be catchy, natural, and read well. Use your main keyword first, but avoid keyword stuffing.
Heading Tags
Header tags provide structure and break up the text, making your copy readable and engaging. However, that’s not the only purpose they serve. By including keywords in the heading tags, you provide search engines with a reason to look up your content to understand the context and relevance of your page.
Meta Descriptions
The meta description is a summary of a webpage. It tells the search engines what your page is about. Google usually displays up to 160 characters in the SERPs. Focus on crafting a catchy, compelling description using your target keywords to improve the click-through rate.
URL Structure
A webpage’s URL is the first thing search engines and visitors see. So, make a solid first impression by taking the time to create well-structured URLs for your web pages.
Image ALT Text
Add descriptive alt text to all images, making them more accessible and easier for search engines to understand
Who Can Help Me With My SEO?
A complete website overhaul to improve your SEO can take a lot of time and effort. If you don’t have the time or expertise to work on your SEO, you can always bring in professionals! At Blackbear Marketing, we offer SEO services to help your business grow and reach new customers! If you’re ready to learn more about how we can help your business, get in touch with us!
