I will admit upfront, I am not an expert in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and I am guessing neither are you. So how can you make the most out of your website, social media efforts and other online presence? The good news is, you don’t need to be an expert, and you don’t need to hire one.
I’m not putting down SEO experts, but really, you are not likely to hire one. And SEO practices are constantly evolving. Google and other search engines are constantly updating their algorithms to make searching more accurate for the user, and to screen out “tricks” that improperly drive web traffic. So getting attention for your site is up to you. Any SEO specialist will tell you that content is king. You provide solid, interesting content, others will want to connect to your site. And while search engines are always evolving their algorithms, links are always the basis of all SEO rankings.
For small businesses, especially those that operate in a niche market like woodworking, getting online attention is a matter of making connections. Any time someone anywhere on the web posts a link to your site, your site gets ranked higher in the search engines. When other people post a link on their site to yours, there will be people that visit their site who may never have found yours, but can now.
Also, if your content is specific to your niche, then it is far more likely that the new visitors to your site will be interested in what you and your site are about. Want other woodworkers to visit your site? Have free plans available. Have a “Tips and Tricks” page. Want people looking for a kitchen remodel to find your site? Have free articles on new kitchen hardware. Show pictures of how it works and add your experience with it. Publish ideas on design and how to maximize the small kitchen. If you want local customers, be sure to reference local landmark, city and town names. Talk about how your designs are affected by local climate. With good content in hand, it is time to begin getting the word out. You know you need other folks to link to you, but how to get them to your site? Tell them about it. This brings us back to your Social Media Persona.
Twitter and Facebook are excellent ways to broadcast what you have to offer. When you post a new review or plan, let folks know about it. Remember, as I have explained before, this is SOCIAL media. Be a participant. Be helpful, friendly and informative and people will follow you. Offer up great content, and people will visit your site and pass along your information through links. Every time you post a “Tweet” with a link in it, that counts. When someone else “Re-Tweets” your post, that counts as another link. Passing along links is a two-way process. Be sure to pass along good links from others and they will, in turn be more likely to pass along your links as well. You need to check the links you pass along to insure that they are useful and not spam.
The internet is known as “The Web” for a reason. Things become interconnected in unpredictable ways, and any good connections you can make with others will increase the search results for your site. And as you provide solid content, your reputation will begin drawing those you most want to your site.
