How to Grow your Business – Part 4: The Importance of SEO

Tips to harness Google to increase your web profile

Getting noticed online can be a challenge for any business – and especially so when you are just starting out.

As I have found out while setting up my business MPM (Mike Peeters Media) online, Google can be a hard taskmaster.

Most web-savvy readers know that posting good content is the only sure-fire way to increase your search rankings and increase your business impact. However, there are a range of proven methods to get ahead of the competition.

One way is the use of ‘keyword phrases’ which highlight the area in which you wish to become prominent, for example, in the case of MPM, that area would be ‘corporate writing and editing’.

As Google itself explains on its Help page, this must be done sparingly:

“A keyword phrase is, generally speaking, the words you think someone is most likely to put into a search engine to find your content. They should appear in your content. Don’t overdo it. If it looks spammy, it probably is.
Again, the point here is to speak like a human and just use the words that humans are most likely to use when searching for a page about your topic. If you use obscure words, define them. Otherwise, just use natural language.”

As well as ensuring your content has a wide range of optimal keywords, a strong social media presence is crucial in enhancing your site’s visibility.

This can include: sending e-newsletters, and joining online groups such as Meet Up, or LinkedIn groups, in your specific business area. Exchanging links to your site with other relevant websites – particularly those with equal or greater popularity – helps create ‘backlinks’, which in Google’s eyes increases your site’s credibility and search ranking. Not to mention the extra traffic that backlinks will send to your site.

By the use of social media – such as sending tweets, LinkedIn and Facebook posts – you can really ramp up your profile. Frequent and high quality posts are a must. This isn’t rocket science as most people know that capitalising on the power of Google is very much a numbers game.

Also, you can try submitting your site to the most popular search engines – thus inviting them to index your site in their results. It may help you get listed on free search results faster, although there are no guarantees.

Paying for SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) through a recognised SEO company is another option, but the cost needs to be balanced against the outcome. And, no matter how much money you spend, your business may still struggle to make the first few Google search pages against tough competition.

To conclude, there is no hard and fast way to reach the top of the Google charts. The answer to success is many and varied and this is something all online businesses should bear in mind.

Until next week…happy surfing!

Mike Peeters is CEO of Mike Peeters Media