Do you own an automobile, but are not a mechanic? Have you ever submitted your own taxes, but aren’t a CPA? Do you cook at home, but aren’t a professional chef? The reality is that we do things we are not experts at. The same is true for digital marketing. Nearly all businesses require a website to succeed, but most business owners are not digital marketers.
For this reason, we have compiled a detailed list of website SEO tips you should implement before your launch from the development site to the live site. Optimizing your website’s content for SEO from the get-go is crucial for establishing a strong online presence and steadily improving your search engine rankings over time.
If you are looking for an experienced digital marketing agency with over two decades of search optimization experience, don’t hesitate to contact Mile High Content. We are a United States company, with our office in Denver, Colorado, and no overseas employees or independent contractors. Our ideal client is a small to medium-sized business with a physical location targeting a specific audience within a particular area.
Implement Strategic Keyword Research Before Writing Website Copy
If you are building a website, you probably know your industry well and shouldn’t have to guess which keywords are relevant for your business. Well, think again?
Most companies fail to implement high-earning keywords into their website copy, consequently missing out on potentially thousands of dollars to competitors. This begs the question: What can you do to achieve rankings at the top of search results for money-making keywords?
The answer lies in strategic keyword research.
For example, if you are an auto mechanic, it’s a fair assumption that ranking for the keyword “oil change near me” is critical to increasing sales. But did you know that “full synthetic oil change”, “express oil change”, and “oil change coupons” yield nearly the same amount of monthly traffic? We discovered these long-tail keywords by searching on a keyword research software. And guess what… You can access the same tools, such as Google Keyword Planner, Moz, SEMRush, Ahrefs, or Ubersuggest, to find high-volume keywords that will deliver solid search results.
KEYWORD RESEARCH HELPS YOUR WRITING AND SEO BY DISCOVERING LONGTAIL TERMS THAT YOUR COMPETITORS MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT.
Writing Criteria In Four Steps To Increase Engagement and Conversions
Nobody wants to read word diarrhea or blobs of boring text that put you to sleep faster than Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. If you are a local business targeting a specific audience within a particular area, your website copy should accomplish four criteria in this exact order: identify a problem, present a solution, build credibility, and create a clear call-to-action.
Step One: Identify A Problem
A common mistake many businesses make is boasting about their greatness from the get-go. This can be a turnoff to website visitors who may see your offering for the first time. Instead, lead the interaction by asking a question describing their situation. For example, suppose you are a mental health clinic trying to attract more patients. The following would be a great way to start:
Are you suffering from insomnia?
Are you having difficulty concentrating at work or school due to brain fog?
Step Two: Present A Solution
If a website visitor answers a resounding “yes, this is me!” to one of the above questions, you have piqued their interest and now have their attention. The next step is to present a solution to their problem by explaining how you can solve their pain point. Sticking with the mental health clinic example, the following are solutions to each one of the problems above:
Our clinical therapists have helped hundreds of patients improve the quality of their sleep through relaxation methods and cognitive behavioral therapies that don’t rely on prescription medications.
Brain fog is a complicated issue that can result from poor sleep hygiene, stress, improper diet, and lack of exercise. Our primary focus is to help identify which problems are causing brain fog and create a road map to clear, productive thinking.
Step Three: Build Credibility
If a website visitor has remained on your site long enough to self-identify with a problem and listen to your potential solution, it’s time to build credibility. In the good old days, before cell phones and computers, credibility was usually built by word of mouth. Jon would tell Jane that Therapist Jeremy was very professional, knowledgeable, and empathetic in helping him not toss and turn at night. Consequently, Jane would most likely choose Therapist Jeremy for her sleep insomnia.
Although word of mouth is still more relevant than ever, in the age of digital marketing, social validation, displaying expertise, and building trust is more dynamic. Local businesses can leverage social validation by building high-quality reviews on trusted sources like Google, YELP, Facebook, etc. Not only will these reviews be visible online, but you can embed them into your website to be displayed in strategic locations, like the home page or a testimonials page. Additionally, with the power of video, local businesses can not only put a face behind the brand but also display industry expertise.
Step Four: Create A Clear And Easy Call-To-Action
By now, you’ve successfully identified a problem, presented a solution, and built enough credibility that a website visitor can choose to contact you or leave your site. “Unfortunately, many websites fail on this vital last step by creating a difficult call-to-action,” says Ally, with Big Orange Planet, a Denver web design company. “That’s why it’s imperative to lead your website visitors to a purchase, form submission, telephone call, check out, or whatever relevant call-to-action as easily as possible.”
The key to a simple yet effective call-to-action lies in subtlety. Here are several dos and don’ts to keep in mind:
Do: Keep your main call-to-action in the website’s header and footer at all times
Do: Use colored buttons with action-provoking text
Do: Feature your telephone number throughout the website if calls are important
Do: Have form submissions on the contact us and other important pages
Don’t: Use pop-up banners. Studies show users find them annoying and increase the bounce rate.
Don’t: Over-promise on call-to-actions with words like guarantee, money-back, etc.
Don’t: Make check-out or contact methods complex with too many steps.
THE KEY TO EFFECTIVE WRITING FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES IS THE FOLLOWING:
One: Identify a problem
Two: Present a solution
Three: Build credibility
Four: Create a clear and easy call-to-action
Break Up Text Sections With Strategic H-Tags
Would you enjoy reading a novel without chapters? How about a manuscript without titles and subsections? Most people don’t digest information well without breaking up text into sections with legible and deliberate titles and subsections. Well, guess what, the same is true for search engines.
H-Tags, short for Header Tags, are essential in digital marketing for user experience and inform search engines which information is most important. For that reason, using H-Tags is an SEO best practice that can give you an edge over competitor websites fighting for similar keywords.
As a best practice, only have one H-1 tag on each website page. Also, make sure your H-1 tag is different from your Meta Title. A common mistake for most local businesses is to use the exact Meta Title and H1 Tag. Google finds this lazy, but it also minimizes your chances of ranking for more keywords. Below are examples of how local businesses can use alternative keywords to differentiate the Meta Title and H1 Tag.
Meta Title: Oil Change Mechanic Denver, CO
H-1 Tag: Denver Auto Repair Shop Specializing in Oil Changes
Meta Title: Best Botox Los Angeles California
H-1 Tag: Experienced Botox and Injection Specialist in Los Angeles, California
Regarding H2, H3, H4, & H5 Tags, the best practices differ from H1 Tags. You can use as many of these tags, or subheaders, in your website copy as you’d like. Typically, start with H2s and work your way down. Also, use these headers to highlight alternative and long-tail keywords in your writing.
