SEO
Gone are the days getting a website was the essence of ‘online marketing’. Having a great looking website is one thing, but there is little point in having a website if it isn’t attracting traffic.
The information below relates mainly to Google and for good reason. Google has revolutionised the purchasing process. If you are considering purchasing a new car, a new laptop, a new camera what’s the first thing you do… Google it?
Online marketing is a particularly complex subject area and there are unfortunately a lot of dodgy operators selling services under the banner of ‘SEO’, ‘SEM’ or ‘Social Media Marketing’ which are of little real value or impact.
If you are interested in increasing your website’s search engine visibility, we strongly advise you select a reputable, trustworthy service to partner with. Where possible, select someone on referral basis.
For a rundown of the SEO services offered by ISCA Marketing, visit our website packages page.
So, how can your website ‘get found in Google’? Here are some helpful tips from ISCA Marketing.
What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the process of creating a website which will generate a good search engine ranking when certain keywords are used.
It is important to distinguish the difference between Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) or paid online advertising such as Google Adwords.
Below are the search results for Google using the keywords ‘Home Computer Repairs Brisbane’. There are two groups of results.
The area in blue box highlights what is known as ‘organic search results’. Where your website ranks in this area is the focus of SEO activity.
Common misconceptions about Google and SEO
- You can not ‘buy’ the top spot in a search on Google – A good rank in a Google search simply cannot be bought. When competing for popular key words, it can take considerable effort and resources to achieve a good ranking. Remember, we are talking here about organic search results.
- No one knows exactly how to secure the #1 spot in Google – the way in which Google calculates a website’s ranking is based on a complex algorithm, the components of which only Google knows.
- If you put your business name in the Google search bar, your website (hopefully) appears in the number 1 spot. That’s great, but how many of your potential customers are conducting google searches on your business name compared to your product category? Understanding which keywords your potential customers are likely to use when conducting a Google search for your product category or service is extremely important. A website with good search engine visibility will incorporate these keywords into the structure, content and overarching strategy of the site.
- It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen. Achieving a good ranking in Google takes time. It is also not something that you can focus on one week and then forget about. If you hold the number #1 spot in Google today, there are no guarantees that you will hold it tomorrow.
- At the end of the day, the best foundation for good SEO is a great website. When pursuing an SEO strategy, there’s a balancing act between developing a website which is visitor-friendly or one which is search-engine friendly. At the end of the day, the visitors are your customers, not Google so first and foremost you should develop a website with your customers in mind.
- If Google is king, content is the king’s trusted advisor. Publishing great content on a regular basis, is viewed very favourably by Google and will help boost your ranking.
Coming up with a steady stream of content which is relevant, interesting and informative can be challenging for small business owners. Remember content can take many forms including:
- Blog posts
- Podcasts and Webinars
- Social Media Posts or Pages (Twitter, Linked In, Facebook etc)
- Videos and images
- Forums and Feedback Areas
ISCA Marketing offers a range of SEO services and packages to assist you to ‘get found in Google’. Contact us for more information.
