How can customers find you on Google
Put yourself in the shoes of your customers and ask yourself “If I wanted to find my business through a search engine, what terms would I use?” Note down key words or phrases but be objective and remember that your customers typically do not see your business in the same way as you do – would you search for ‘vacuum’ or ‘hoover’ or even 'electrolux'?
Check out which terms return your competitors’ websites. The more niche your subject matter, for example "Wellington ice sculptures", the easier you will be to find. Conversely, the more common the query, such as "New Zealand insurance", the harder it will to get onto the front pages on Google.
Metadata
You can't see meta data on your website, but Google will use it when it creates your listings in its index. WonderWebs will have already added a default title and description to your website, but you are able to override these for individual pages through the Meta data editor you can find on the Secrets page.
- Page titles. Each page should have a unique title of up to about 8 words.
- Keywords. These are no longer used by all search engines but can be useful for adding mis-spellings without having to write them within the visible page content.
- Description. Ideally provide a unique description for each page and if possible, include a call to action. This should be a maximum of about 30 words and again, this content should closely match the content of your page. Some of the dynamic Webbits, such as the news manager, will automatically generate page descriptions.
Images
Image descriptions (Alt tags) of about 3-5 words are used to describe the visual contents of images (e.g. 'Screenshot of Windows 7'). They are hidden in the code of a page but both search engines and screen readers (for accessibility purposes) will read the alt text, and so this should describe the image. Alt tags can be added to images through the Word Processor. WonderWebs Gallery Webbits will automatically use the image title or filename as the alt tag.
Content
- Format your content. Break your content into short paragraphs. Use normal, bold, italics. Use bullets and numbered lists. Use just one Heading 1 on a page, and then increasing instances of headings 2, 3, 4 etc. Do not use variations in colour, font, and font sizes.
- Re-state the obvious. Don’t force people to second-guess you – they won’t have the time or patience. Your homepage should express the essence of your business and immediately answer the questions: What is this, and is it meant for me?
- Add add new content. Search engines love fresh content and will re-index your site when they find it. Ask for a blog and write your own entries, or include news feeds from other websites (ask for assistance with this). Do not make
- Use sensible filenames. Use full words (not numbers or unidentifiable words) to define your filenames as search engines will read these. Do not use odd characters. Use only letters, numbers and hyphens when naming files. This is a good filename: Austmine-Member-Directory-2012.pdf
Hooking up
- Become a visible expert in your field. Answer questions on other websites (e.g. Yahoo Answers) or provide commentary on related blogs and forums, always linking back to your website where applicable. If you do not overdo this, most forum moderators are happy to let you link back to your website.
- Be more social. Post your latest blog entries onto popular websites like Twitter or Facebook. Include social bookmarking button on your pages to encourage sharing - Ask WonderWebs support for this.
- Get linked up. Search engines will rank your site higher if you link to other related sites – particularly if they’re local or industry-related so creating links to authority sites within your subject matter (particularly ones which themselves rank highly) is a good idea. Once you have these in place, you can ask these sites to link back to your site (you can check who’s already linking to you with tools like Yahoo Site Explorer). Adding a “resources” or “related links” page can house both your links out and the content (keyword-rich text links and logos for instance) you’d like referrers to use to link back to you. Join local business communities (e.g. www.chamber.co.nz) and get listed in online directories such as www.buynz.org.nz or www.yellow.co.nz to help boost your online awareness.
Review regularly
Check your website stats to see what pages are the most popular. Look into referrals and see how users have found your site and what search terms they’re currently interested in. Ask WonderWebs support for advice and assistance with this.
What about SEO services?
All website owners are bombarded with offers to improve their SEO and resulting search engine ranking. These 'experts' generally rely on the fact that specific combinations of words, that may relate to your business, can often be found to not be highly ranked on Google, and therefore it is fairly easy to make them rank. The downside, is that the suggested phrases are typically not highly ranked because people are not actually using them.
The field of SEO is rife with scams and our advice is to avoid any business that contacts you randomly and offers this service. Ask us for assistance and advice and save your money.
What about directories?
Web directories can serve two purposes. They can drive legitimate traffic to your website, and/or they can list your website alongside similar sites, and the resulting back links may help improve your page rank.
Never pay for a listing in a web directory unless you have ascertained its value. Well known industry-specific directories may provide significant value, and some even charge high prices for membership. But there are thousands of worthless directories on the internet, mostly started as someone's dream of making it big online. A worthwhile directory has an advertising budget and you will see their presence elsewhere on the internet.
Sign up for all the free directories you can find so long as they look reasonable, and avoid committing to any payments. Ultimately, the only directory you really need to be in is Google.
Google Places
You will be familiar with Google Places as the little map that often displays alongside your search results. If you have a bricks and mortar business location, then it is extremely valuable to have a valid listing in this index.
Because Google automatically creates places pages for many businesses it finds by itself, you may find there is already an entry for your business. If there is, then you will also find a link to claim the listing for yourself. After verifying that you own the business, you will be able to edit the listing and provide images and accurate information.
Visit Google Places and register your business.
Other resources