No matter what kind of company you own or what your products and services entail, your online presence is a major component of business growth. People use search engines like Google to find details about the businesses around them, and often make purchasing decisions based on the ease with which they find that information. For digital marketing, high search rankings are the fundamental aspect that connects you with new audiences. Maximizing website search engine visibility is easy – here are five simple ways you can boost your online visibility today.
Google Search by the Numbers
Why is website search engine visibility so important, and how can search rankings help connect your company with new audiences? The sheer volume of use and the habits of search engine users hold the answers. For over 20 years, Google has been the global leader in search, accounting for over 87% of the market for search engines. In addition:
- Google processes over 40,000 unique search queries each second, on average. That is about 3.5 billion searches each day.
- 46% of product searches begin on Google.
- 84% of Google users turn to the search platform three or more times per day, on average.
- About 90% of Google users are likely to click on the first set of results; 60% of those users click on the first two or three results in a results listing.
In simple terms, you can have the most stylish or informative website on the planet, but if potential visitors cannot find it, they are unlikely ever to know about your business and your products and services. Search visibility is of critical importance.
Boosting Your Website’s Visibility
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the system by which websites are tweaked to ensure great search visibility. In essence, SEO works to satisfy the complex algorithms that Google uses to index and categorize websites. SEO professionals have access to hundreds of tools and techniques to facilitate search visibility. With a robust SEO strategy in place, search rankings are greatly improved. Even with these many tools, however, there are five “must use” visibility-boosting strategies:
- Registering websites with Google Search Console – formerly known as Webmaster Tools, this free service allows you to share your website and its sitemap directly with Google. Google uses this information to index/categorize the site and to use its algorithm to rank the site’s individual pages. Google Search Console is packed with features for SEO professionals and website owners as well, such as showing what other sites are linking to yours, what types of search queries are being conducted to drive traffic to your site, and allowing you to get new content displayed in search results more quickly.
- Ensure fast site-loading speeds – most web users will skip to another search result if your page loads slowly. This is even more prevalent with mobile device users. If they navigate away from your site, you may miss out on a sale. Optimizing a site to load quickly on any device can be challenging, but SEO professionals have options like keeping image sizes small, cleaning up underlying site scripts, and focusing on fast hosting services.
- Register on Google My Business – so-called “local search” has transformed digital marketing in recent years. Millions of Google users attempt to locate businesses nearby, and most do so on mobile devices. Google My Business (GMB) is another free service that vastly improves search visibility – including on the coveted Google Maps search rankings. GMB also allows business owners to easily share product information, contact numbers, and hours of operation in addition to physical location.
- Target specific keywords, then use them appropriately – keyword research is a fundamental part of SEO, identifying the keywords and phrases searchers are using to locate information about businesses, products, and services. Search volume of those words and phrases is also important. By targeting specific keywords rather than using generic terms you’re telling Google what your site is about and what it can offer; the results in search rankings improve greatly. Once targeted keywords are identified, it is important to use them across pages, including the page content itself as well as in page titles, headers, URLs, and meta descriptions/snippets.
- Build links and enjoy the benefits – a time-honored formula to improve search rankings is to have other sites link to the content and pages on your own site. The more quality links Google sees pointing to your own website, the higher in search rankings you can appear. SEO professionals use a technique known as link-building to facilitate this. These professionals focus on obtaining backlinks from reputable sources like industry sites, news media outlets, and business directories to maximize their rankings benefits.
With these five simple visibility-boosting tips, your website will be well on its way toward attracting new customers and driving business growth. These tips are cost-effective and have positive benefits for any website, regardless of industry.
About Agency Tsunami
Agency Tsunami is the digital marketing division of Neilson Marketing Services, who has provided the insurance distribution sector with innovative marketing and communication solutions for over twenty-five years. With our Agency Tsunami program, we have implemented an integrated marketing strategy that includes optimized, professional websites supported by high-quality SEO and Social Media for hundreds of insurance retailers and wholesalers. Our goal is to help your insurance business perform and generate new opportunities. Give us a call at (800) 736-9741 to learn more about how we can do that for you.
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