10 on-site SEO tips for small businesses
On-site search engine optimization (SEO) is essential to get your small business website ranked on Google. These 10 SEO tips for your website will help the search engines identify your site and improve your site ranking in the Google search results.
1. Determine the most relevant and searched keywords that relate to your business by doing some keyword research.
Write down all the words and phrases that describe your business. Then, take those words and put them into a free keyword suggestion tool like SEOBooks Keyword Tool. This tool will show you what keywords people are actually typing into the search engines. You can then create unique, relevant and valuable content around these keyword terms.
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2. Use a simple and easy-to-navigate site structure.
Include a home page, an about us page and a contact us page. If your business has multiple locations, each one should have it’s own page. The same goes for each type of service your business offers.
3. Create an SEO friendly URL structure.
URL’s should be short, descriptive and keywords should be placed close to the front. Here is an example of an SEO-friendly URL: <yourdomain>/landscaping-services/lawn-maintenance
4. Give each page on your website a unique title tag.
Title tags should describe the content of the webpage and include a primary keyword, secondary keyword and business name. Be sure to include the city and state in the title tag. We recommend this format for small businesses:
Landscaping Services, San Francisco, CA | Joe’s Landscaping, LLC.
5. Make sure every page on your website has a unique meta-description.
Include important keywords in your meta-description and describe what the content on the web page is about. The meta-description should be about 160 characters.
6. Use <h1> Headings </h1>
Use heading 1 (<h1>) tags that match your page title tags. Additionally, use descriptive secondary header tags (h2, h3, etc.) that highlight key sections of content on the web page.
7. Use your business name.
Include your business name, address and local phone number (NAP) on every web page. Add your NAP and any other extra contact details to your contact us page.
8. Add descriptive alt text to images, so search engines can determine what the content of the image is about.
Don’t forget to do this for your company logo as well! Here is an example of optimized alt text for a business logo:
<img src=”http://www.joeslandscaping.com/images/logo.gif” alt=”Joe’s Landscaping, San Francisco, CA”>
9. Anchor Text
Use keyword-rich descriptive anchor text to describe the page you are linking too. This is helpful for both the users and Google!
10. Use Google Maps
Add Google Maps driving directions to your business on your contact us page. You can include nearby landmarks, building names, cross roads, etc.
These 10 essential SEO strategies will help to improve your website’s SEO ranking. Pair this with effective off-site SEO strategies like link building and social interactions to boost your SEO further!
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