As if running a business isn’t hard enough, there are so many things that we, as small business owners, need to do and know.
Just like with insurance, there are so many moving parts, but you have us, Kicker Insures Me Agency, to help you navigate the waters with respect to your personal and business insurance needs. Could you imagine having to know all that too? Us either!
So, we got a local SEO business owner to help us with sharing with you some of the basics on Search Engine Optimization. Because, after all, we don’t know it all – we stick with insurance. We know we can’t know it all so we have to outsource what we aren’t excellent in, and you should too. Take a look at these tips and do your own research as well to improve your business SEO. So, let’s get to it.
What IS Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Basically, it is making changes to your website design, functionality and the content on your website to make it more user friendly, provide more value to the consumer which in turn makes it more important to the search engines.
Remember that search engines have a job and they want to provide the best “answer” to a search query “question” on Google or any search engine so the better the answer, the happier their client (the searcher) is.
Searcher enters query (question) >> Search engine provides Search Engine Results Page – SERP (answer) >> proper answer & quality website = job well done by the search engine
Further, when websites have mobile responsive, user friendly, valuable content, quick loading, visually appealing and just quality websites – they are happy and your chances of showing up in search are better, because you helped them do their job.
One last thing on this – remember that there are only 10 “answers” or results on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) for any given query and it constantly changes and may vary based on your location too. So, the best thing to do is constantly work on your website and SEO to keep your moving towards page 1 of the SERP for as many queries as possible.
How to “do” SEO
Well, there are tons of things you can do to optimize your website for searchers and the search engines so let’s cover some of the basics that you should be able to do or check off your to-do list. Some of these may not seem to be “SEO” but they are what makes your site user friendly, which in turn makes them SEO related.
Does your website have an SSL certificate?
This means your site is secure for the searchers. Your website will have a lock in front of your domain in the browser address and/or is accessible by typing in https://yourwebsitehere.com. You can usually get an SSL certificate from your domain or host provider. GoDaddy has a cool SSL checker, but keep in mind, GoDaddy, while well known, isn’t always the best option, they charge for an SSL certificate where others don’t and they up-sell for everything, so be sure you have someone in your corner to advise what you need, and don’t. We use Kristen at A Visual Business, so check her out.
Is your website mobile responsive?
This isn’t just being able to see your website from any type of mobile device but that is it easy to read from your mobile phone to your tablet and desktop/laptop computer. You shouldn’t have to squint to read or scroll left or right to see what’s on the screen, or even pinch and zoom to read the site. Google has a free tool here to check your site.
Does your website load quickly?
You know people have no patience so it needs to load fast. Here is a tool Google offers to check to be sure your web pages load quickly on various devices. If folks have to wait for your website to load, they will just hit that back button and find one that does load quicker.
Is your website easy to navigate?
Be sure that your readers can find what they came looking for. A rule of thumb is, don’t make them search for what they need more than 2 pages deep. If they linger longer for other things, that’s different but they should be able to find what they want, quickly. Search Engine Land provides a great means of improving your website navigation.
Do you have keyword rich content on your website?
First, make sure you have plenty of content on all of your pages/blogs. Then, make sure the words that are used in that content are the popular words (and similar words) that folks use to search for your business, products or services. Be sure you aren’t stuffing these keywords to where it doesn’t make sense when reading it. Moz provides a great guide on keyword research if you need more help on that.
Do you have a means to track your results?
Google Analytics is a great way to track your traffic coming to your website. If you don’t have a means to track your traffic, how will you ever know if it’s working? Check out this on what Google Analytics can do for you and setting it up.
Get someone to help with your SEO
Hopefully that will help with some of the basic SEO ideas. Whether you do it, someone on your staff/team does it or you outsource it, SEO really needs to be done, continuously. If you have a website, you need to be optimizing that website for the life of your site. (Just like your house and car – they need maintenance to keep running)
And should you have any questions about your business insurance needs, risks for your business or personal insurance needs, well, you know you can contact Kicker Insures Me Agency and we will help you with any questions or concerns you have with respect to your insurance needs.