Search engine optimization can make or break a business, especially a small business. SEO determines whether or not visitors find your site in the first place, plays a direct role in a site’s traffic volume and can increase the chance of a conversion exponentially.
However, it can also be a confusing maze leaving many small business owners – already bogged down with responsibilities related to necessary operations – wondering if it’s really worth their time. Based on the importance of a web presence allowing visitors to find your site in the first place, it is extremely important, but, the expenses involved can prove to be difficult to come by. Don’t fret; there are affordable SEO strategies all businesses should be utilizing today, some are even free. Keep reading to learn more.
Free SEO Strategies
Many on-page SEO strategies come at no additional cost, just a commitment to put in the effort up front. A few of them are as discussed below:
1. Study your web design:
A website’s design and layout could be the difference between visitors staying on your page and purchasing a product, or immediately bouncing from your site. Think about your competitors. If you want to rank above them, your site must be better. Look at your navigation structure, your layout and the clarity of the information you post. Make the changes necessary.
2. Create a Site Map:
Search engine crawlers need a site map to efficiently navigate the many pages of your website. By making a site map that clearly list every indexable page of your site in a neat and customer, friendly way, you’ll be helping both the crawlers as well as your own customers.
3. Make SEO-Friendly URLs:
To be SEO-friendly, the URLs on your site should be clear and concise. They should contain keywords to help search engine crawlers find your pages and should be easy for someone to read aloud. If a URL contains symbols, random numbers and letters, it becomes confusing and takes away from the overall SEO strategy you want to have in place.
4. Create Content:
Regular, authoritative content boosts page rankings. Sites that keep their content current rank higher than those that do not. To accomplish this, blogs and other content sharing sources are important. Content should add value, offer the chance to engage visitors and leave them wanting to come back to learn more.
5. Set Up an Analytics Account:
One of the most important aspects of any SEO strategy or initiative is the ability to monitor and measure results. If a certain tactic isn’t working, it’s time to reevaluate and try again. Setting up a Google Analytics account is one of the best ways that you can evaluate the current SEO strategies of your website.
Taking it One Step Further
Like all business strategies, free SEO strategies come with limitations. Because of this, working with a content marketing provider, SEO agency or social media professional who understands the more technical areas of SEO may help with attracting additional traffic. Additional traffic means higher revenue potential, which pays for the services. Over time, you can increase the budget for your SEO campaign and continue to get great results.
Whichever route you follow, SEO should not be ignored and should be a part of your business plan from the start. If you’re looking to attract a larger, more engaged online audience, SEO strategy must be a priority.
