Do I need to do search engine optimisation on my website, and if so, what and how?
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a suite of practices that will help your website be listed in search results on sites like Google – and the more people can find your site, the more people can buy your services and products. In a nutshell, it’s a method of increasing both the quality and quantity of website traffic, as well as exposure to your brand, through non-paid (also known as “organic”) search engine results.
There are technical and creative elements involved – it’s neither science not art, but a complex mix of both. For those of you willing to invest a bit of time to learn, you can do a lot of SEO yourself. However, in most instances, the factor you should be considering above all else is your website performance: security, page load speed and mobile-optimisation.
Key: paid for service registration required official
Search engine optimisation
WHEN: You would like to understand search engine optimisaton (SEO) in order to do it yourself or to successfully outsource it.
WHY: SEO is about understanding what people are searching for online, the answers they are seeking, the words they are using and the type of content they want. Use this to provide high-quality content your consumers will value.
WHAT: A detailed guide on SEO, from how search engines operate, through doing it yourself and tracking success.
WHEN: You have a WordPress site.
WHY: You want to improve your search engine optimisation on each page.
WHAT: A plugin that analyses each of your pages against key words, checking how good the “snippet” is (the text Google displays when your website is pulled up by a search word) and gives you pointers on how to improve.
WHEN: You have a website.
WHY: Understand what level of optimisation you’re at and if your practices are working.
WHAT: An online tool that scores your website on performance, mobile optimisation, search engine optimisation, and security. Provides improvement recommendations, too.
WHEN: You have a website.
WHY: Use the data to tweak your content and improve conversion rates with customers.
WHAT: Dashboard with all sorts of data on how many people visit your website, by what route, how long they stay, when pages they click on.
WHEN: You are a newbie to online.
WHY: You want to work out your CMS from your CRM, and SEOs from QR codes.
WHAT: A list of key online-related words and their definitions.
WHEN: You have an online presence.
WHY: There are simple measures any business can take to stay safe online.
WHAT: A short guide giving an overview of what SMEs should consider (software updates, strong passwords, staff training, etc) and where to find help.
