These days, everyone relies on the internet to interact with the world around them. This means, when it’s time to find a new local business to work with consumers are more likely to choose a business that has a developed online reputation. The easier your business is to find online, paired with great online content and reviews, the more likely someone is to choose your local business.
The team at Houston Small Business Marketing is a full service digital marketing agency with a heavy focus on design and development SEO strategies. Our services include website design, social media marketing, content marketing, and local SEO on Google Maps.
When you are looking for marketing solutions that actually help grow your business, reach out to our team. We will develop a marketing strategy that fits your specific needs and highlights what makes your company unique and special.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO means Search Engine Optimization and is the process used to optimize a website’s technical configuration, content relevance and link popularity so its pages can become easily findable, more relevant and popular towards user search queries, and as a consequence, search engines rank them better.
Search engines recommend SEO efforts that benefit both the user search experience and page’s ranking, by featuring content that fulfills user search needs. This includes the use of relevant keywords in titles, meta descriptions, and headlines (H1), featuring descriptive URLs with keywords rather than strings of numbers, and schema markup to specify the page’s content meaning, among other SEO best practices.
Search engines help people find what they’re looking for online. Whether researching a product, looking for a restaurant, or booking a vacation, search engines are a common starting point when you need information. For business owners, they offer a valuable opportunity to direct relevant traffic to your website.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of orienting your website to rank higher on a search engine results page (SERP) so that you receive more traffic. The aim is typically to rank on the first page of Google results for search terms that mean the most to your target audience. So, SEO is as much about understanding the wants and needs of your audience as it is about the technical nature of how to configure your website.
How do search engines work?
Search engines provide results for any search query a user enters. To do so, they survey and “understand” the vast network of websites that make up the web. They run a sophisticated algorithm that determines what results to display for each search query.
Why SEO focuses on Google
To many people, the term “search engine” is synonymous with Google, which has about 92% of the global search engine market. Because Google is the dominant search engine, SEO typically revolves around what works best for Google. It’s useful to have a clear understanding of how Google works and why.
On-Page SEO
On-page SEO is the practice of optimizing web page content. You can control these factors, unlike off-page tactics (which we’ll cover next).
For example, you can update title tags on meta descriptions on your own page and create your own content.
Some other examples of on-page SEO factors include:
- Keywords: Start your content creation process by performing keyword research with a tool like the Keyword Magic Tool. You can see data on how many people search for a particular keyword as well as a gauge of how difficult it will be to rank for it. This will help you decide which keywords you want to target with your content.
- Content Creation: Once you choose primary and secondary keywords about a particular topic, start creating content with user intent in mind. This means determining what people who search a particular phrase are looking for. If someone searches “Honda Pilot colors,” be sure to include the colors as well as supporting images the user will probably want to see.
- Page speed: Users will often leave a page if they don’t get the information they want quickly. Ensure that your page speed is fast enough by using Google’s PageSpeed Insight tool. If there are any issues, the tool will provide tips for improvement.
- Internal linking: Google crawls the internet by using links, meaning that internal linking is a very important part of SEO. Links are seen as a vote of confidence; leverage this by linking from high-authority pages to new pages or pages that need a little boost.
Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO describes all of the optimization tactics that take place off of your owned web properties. These off-page tactics help search engines and searchers to determine if your site is authoritative, relevant, and trustworthy.
While off-page SEO can include areas like social media and influencer marketing, arguably the most important aspect is link building.
Link building refers to the practice of getting other websites to link to your website. Links function as votes of confidence, so getting a backlink from a high-authority site can bring your site more traffic as well as boost its authority.
Keep in mind that more links aren’t always better; spammy backlinks won’t positively impact your site and can even lead to penalties. Avoid buying links or taking shortcuts to avoid this.
Link building can be difficult, but the results can really pay off in terms of traffic, brand recognition, and authority.
SEO Marketing Campaigns For Businesses in Houston, TX
If you are not making efforts to optimize your website, you are falling behind because your competitors already have begun implementing SEO design strategies to their websites. As the gap grows between how much effort your competition puts into their online marketing and how little work you put into your website, the more difficult it will become to engage with customers online. The Houston Small Business Marketing team works hard to help your business stay relevant in this online-focused world by tracking the latest strategies in online marketing for businesses.
Don’t lose potential customers and become a force within your industry! From excellent web design to social media management, the team at Houston Small Business Marketing is here to help you broaden your reach and grow your audience! If you are tired of giving away potential customers to your competition, contact us today! We dedicate ourselves to working closely with business owners to come up with a marketing plan that helps them succeed. We provide each customer with a free consultation for your website and social media to let you know how you can improve your placement online and grow your engagement with local potential customers looking for your services.
Houston Small Business Marketing
713-492-0025
1415 North Loop West #950
Houston, TX 77008
View our Website
View our Facebook Page
View our Google Listing
