Aug. 24, 2017—When you consider a new statistic that shows that search engines report 14.6 percent close rate, while outbound leads (such as cold-calling and direct mail) have a 1.7 percent close rate, there’s no denying that shops need to really concentrate on how their SEO functions.
That stat was the impetus for The Business Journals' new article, "Demystifying content marketing and SEO," in which it breaks down three simple steps that go a long way in getting your shop's name in search engines. Here are some important basics for businesses to understand:
1. Quality of keywords > quantity of keywords
Optimizing your website or blog for keywords is not about incorporating as many keywords into it as possible. In fact, loading your website with keywords might actually hurt SEO, because search engines will think you're keyword stuffing.
Rather than trying to include specific keywords as many times as possible on your pages, use them in your content in a way that doesn't feel unnatural or forced.
2. Consider the long-tail approach
Google wants to provide users with the most valuable information possible. Its algorithms are becoming a lot more sophisticated when it comes to providing recommended pages for detailed searches. As a result, long-tail keywords have become an incredibly valuable area to focus your attention.
Since website visitors searching long-tail terms will often be more qualified, using long-tail keywords may be more efficient. In other words, you'll bring in the right type of traffic—visitors who convert—by using long-tail keywords.
3. Don’t ignore metadata descriptions
A meta description is the additional text that appears on search engines that lets readers know what the link is about. While the meta description gives searchers information they need to determine whether or not your content is what they're looking for, it’s also incredibly important for SEO rankings.
By creating reader-friendly metadata descriptions with natural keyword inclusion, you'll make it easier for Google to prove your posts’ relevance and search engine rankings.
