SEO (aka Search Engine Optimization) is key to growing your digital footprint by improving your Google Organic rankings and increasing traffic to your website. Without the name recognition of many large companies, small businesses are especially dependent upon 1st page rankings on Google and Bing in order to compete with other similar businesses that offer the same services and sell similar products.

With Google’s ever-changing SEO requirements, it can be challenging to keep your strategies current with the latest trends. Here’s what is important in SEO right now. Tailoring your Search Engine Optimization approach to these requirements can boost your rankings and drive more traffic.

Utilize On-Page Factors

One of the most important tools for increasing online visibility is to utilize on-page factors that provide search engines a way to index your content. Meta descriptions give a brief description of what visitors can expect to see on your page, and it helps search engines in the same way. Your meta description should include keywords and needs to accurately convey why your page is useful and relevant.

Meta titles and H1 headings are equally as important. Both should also include keywords, as Google and other search engines use them as a primary method for categorizing content. Using keywords also tells people who are searching for a particular kind of content that you have what they’re looking for. The right meta descriptions and titles can significantly increase click-through rates.

Create Relevant and Engaging Content

When your audience clicks on your webpage, you want them to stay there. If they bounce right off the page, it tells search engines that they either did not find what they were looking for or that the content on the page did not engage them. To increase the likelihood that people stay on your page, create your content with the following in mind:

  • Make sure your content contains appropriate and relevant keywords
  • Create fresh and original content
  • Create meta descriptions and title tags that accurately describe the content
  • Make your content evergreen

Instead of focusing on how to drive sales, create content that is centered on how you can help your audience. When you create content that answers the questions your audience has, you build trust, and that trust is what ultimately drives your rankings and increases your sales.

Get Expert SEO Help

Staying on top of the SEO trends and updating your strategies to meet current conditions takes time and experience. Sprout Media Lab makes it our business to keep up with Google’s changing requirements. We can help you boost your rankings, increase traffic and help you generate more leads.

Our SEO experts understand the major and minor factors that increase visibility for small businesses. Contact us online or call our team directly at (800) 617-6975 to find out more about what we can do for you, today!