Did you know that market studies have shown that over 90% of transactions begin with a search? Even more surprising is that of those searchers, the same market studies showed that 75% of users rarely go past the first page of results.

We’re sure you know the importance of being listed in the top 10 results, but with constant search engine updates, such as the recent Penguin update, it is not uncommon to feel lost in the world of search engine optimization.

For many small businesses, there is a mindset of build it and they will come when it comes to an online presence. But with millions of websites on the internet, search engines can rarely find websites that operate in this way. Instead, it takes time and effort to prove to search engines that your content, product or service is what your customer, the searcher, is looking for.

Here are a few tips to help you understand what your website needs to help get optimized for search engine results.

1. Understand your keywords – Keywords are the text that prospective customers type into the search box to try to find you. Search engines can find these keywords in the copy on your website – this is the main way that they determine if your site is relevant for the person making the request. Some small businesses try to simply stuff their pages with keywords. Why is this bad? The advanced algorithms search engines use will quickly deem your site as “spammy.” Keyword use must be natural appropriate. Unsure of what your keywords should be? Google has a tool to help here.
2. Keep your site updated – Google also wants to see if your site is current. This requires constant updates, such as through regular blog posts and web page content revisions. According to a marketing Sherpa study, companies with blogs received 2000% more traffic, which resulted in 40% more revenue. High quality content drives people to your website and stirs the interest in your company to make them ultimately think of you when they are ready to purchase. Using content from professional copywriting firms can ease the burden on you to craft quality content, and can help you ensure that what you are putting out online will not hurt your search results.
3. Build backlinks – Not only do you have to worry about the content on your own page, but to show search engines that your page has something of value, other pages must link to it as well. This is best done by writing guest blog posts on other websites and linking the keywords you found in step one, back to your website and content. Sound simple, right? But getting guest posts accepted by the right sites can be tricky. Reputable SEO firms can help you here. Building backlinks through guest posting and other content marketing strategies should be a regular part of your SEO regime, as the more current your backlinks, the better your SEO will be.

Search engines have a job to do: delivering the most current and valuable websites to their searchers is their priority. To do this, they use complicated algorithms that are constantly changing. To stay ahead with your SEO efforts, put your content marketing strategy to work for you by keeping your page regularly updated with valuable information for your readers and by building backlinks on other sites.

Have you checked out iCopywriter lately?

Photo credit: SEOPlanter