When running a busy B2B company you have a lot of important things to do in your day to day operations, and it can be hard to find the time to work on your website. It can also be confusing, as you’ve likely heard conflicting stories about best site-building practices and what tricks can get you in trouble. For example, backlinks are important, but you’ve also heard that Google punishes sites they deem have unnatural linking patterns. And, of course, content is king, but what type of content is that, and how can you create it? No wonder so many companies put expending effort on their website on the back burner. If you have been reluctant to jump in and make changes to your site, here are the basics you need to know to help boost your site’s ranking.
Get the SEO Right
Proper SEO requires that your site uses the correct industry and location-related keywords in your site’s metatags, where they matter. Understanding the jargon is less important than treating Google like the machine it is and using keywords to tell it precisely what your company does on each and every page.
Metatags are the Page Title and Meta Description that create the first two lines that show up in Google search results. The Page Title needs to include both your industry and your location and needs to be 67 to 70 words in length. Longer titles won’t fit into the search results. Remember to include at least one H1 heading in each Title Page.
Create Basic Backlinks
Backlinks from authoritative external sites that point to your website have a major impact on your search ranking. The number of backlinks is a factor, but the number of referring domains is more important because some have links across their entire site in the sidebars or footers of the websites that link to them.
Don’t discount easy local backlinks, though. Name, Address, and Phone (also called NAP citations) are links from reputable local sites like Yelp and other review or directory sites. Look into local suppliers, trade associations, accreditation organizations, or business links, and fire off an email asking for a testimonial and a backlink from their site. Don’t overlook local listings through Yahoo, Bing, Google, and your social media profiles.
Utilize Google Reviews
The top-ranking sites typically have the most Google reviews. While more is better, it’s not wise to beg 100 customers to review you at once, because that will trigger Google and possibly lead to receiving a penalty. A much more organic approach is to simply approach your customers as you engage with them, and ask if they’ll submit a review.
Bump Up Your Content
Google isn’t a fan of “thin” websites. Search engines generally reward sites that offer new content constantly. Beef up your site by creating multiple pages. For example, rather than having only one page that lists all your services or products, add individual pages to address each of your services or products separately. Aim for a page length of at least 500 words. A blog is the perfect place to show your expertise and knowledge and engage with your target audience and is the perfect vehicle for contributing consistent new content on a site that is generally static. Don’t forget to use keywords to link between your pages, including your blog.
