Whether you’ve partnered with PR firms in the Raleigh area in the past or handle your customer engagement in-house, search engine optimization is an important part of your marketing plan. Fortunately, you do not have to have an SEO certification to implement some simple strategies that will make your website a strong contender during a Google search.
Some of our favorite SEO strategies can be implemented by both SEO and PR firms for small and medium-sized businesses.
- Start with keywords. Your keywords are the foundation of any successful search engine optimization strategy. These are the words or phrases that a potential customer might search when looking up a specific type of business. For example, if you sell custom clothing for businesses, your keywords might include embroidery, screenprinting, team jerseys, and corporate apparel.
- Only post quality content. While your keywords are the foundation of your content, the quality of the writing and information contained within it is the glue that helps it stick to the first page of Google. PR firms can help clients create organic content that also hits on keywords and follows other SEO strategies, such as using bullet points and H1/H2 headlines.
- Utilize your URL. Your URL will likely start with your domain name. Although you don’t necessarily have to have keywords in your domain, you can use your extended URL to help search engines find your content more easily. If you’re rating local public relations firms on your site, your URL might be YourDomainName.com/PRFirms/Raleigh.
- Go beyond content. While SEO relies heavily on content, Google’s ranking algorithm also looks at everything from the amount of time your customers spend on your site to how quickly it loads during an initial visit. Time spent on your site (dwell time) is an indicator of your quality. The more time someone spends, the more likely they are to get something important from the content they are exposed to.
- Consider hiring an expert. PR firms, SEO consultants, and web development agencies are all well equipped to help businesses conduct keyword research and create quality content that will appeal to both users and search engines. If you don’t have the budget for a managed SEO campaign, you might hire someone just for keyword research or pay a freelance writer to create content based on your research findings.
As a website owner, the most important takeaway is that your content matters. Well beyond simply stuffing articles and blog posts with keywords, your content must provide real value to the people who use your website in an approachable way that matches your company’s voice. As you launch or update your online presence, pay attention to the SEO principles mentioned above. While you may not find yourself on page one from the beginning, consistent, quality content will go a long way toward boosting your site above those of the competition.
As one of the leading PR firms in the Raleigh area, McKeeman Communications suggests that all business owners evaluate their search engine strategy often as rules and rankings can change without notice.