The primary reason that most businesses have a website is to increase sales. You build a website and then hope that visitors come. But how do you attract visitors? There are multiple solutions, including using pay-per-click and social media paid advertising. Before you spend any money on advertising, you should think about setting aside a portion of your budget for SEO.
Understanding the Basics of SEO
What is SEO? Search engine optimization is the process of optimizing your website to increase search engine rankings. With SEO, you are attempting to gain internet traffic related to specific keywords. This is accomplished in multiple ways. Here are some of the most common methods of SEO:
- On-site keyword optimization
- Building backlinks to your website
- Website restructuring and HTML improvements
- Proper use of outbound links
SEO Begins with Keyword Research
One of the first steps in implementing good SEO practices is performing keyword research. This is the process of determining which keywords should be targeted in the content of your website, in links, and throughout your site.
There are two major factors to look at when performing keyword research – competition and search volume. You need to look at the amount of competition for that keyword and the average number of times that internet users search for that keyword each month.
It can be difficult to increase search engine rankings for high-competition. At the same time, low-volume keywords will not provide much of a benefit, if only a handful of people are searching for the term each month. The goal is to find a balance between competition and volume.
Tips to Increase Your Internet Traffic, implementing Keywords with SEO
Once keyword research has been performed, an SEO company then begins optimizing your website for those keywords. How long will it take in order to get results? You may notice an increase in rankings during the first month, but generally you will not see a significant increase in website traffic for 4 to 6 months or longer.
If you are interested in increasing your website traffic, you need to get started with SEO as soon as possible.