Posted on: December 7, 2018 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The internet era means a lot more things are digital. And it feels like one of those things is our brains: research indicates that we’re more likely to skim web pages and search for interesting words rather than read closely. In-depth processing is harder now. If you’ve ever logged off your computer or smartphone and taken out an old-fashioned book, you may have noticed that it takes a few minutes for your brain to slow down and absorb all the words.

 

The way we read may not sound like it has a lot to do with SEO (short for “search engine optimization”), but it actually does. If your business doesn’t pop up early on in the list of Google results, your chances of getting a click are much lower. Here are three ways SEO can affect your small business.

 

High-ranking SEO helps people find you

 

Don’t expect web surfers to go through three or four pages of results looking for something perfect. They expect something suitable to come up on the first page. At least 71 percent of search traffic clicks come from the first page of Google results. Less than six percent of those clicks come from results on the second page or later.

 

SEO determines how high on search engine results your website will appear in a relevant search. If you aren’t sure how to boost your ranking, then don’t panic. You don’t have to figure it out on your own. In fact, SEO can be tricky because Google’s algorithms are constantly changing. What’s fine one day may be frowned upon the next day. SEO experts at places like Link Laboratory can help you develop SEO that will help you attract more clicks from interested customers.

 

Too many of the same keywords lowers your status

 

Let’s say you run a sushi restaurant in Seattle, and you want to show up when someone searches for “best sushi Seattle.” But in the year 2018, building too many anchor text links with that phrase can do more harm than good. According to Entrepreneur magazine, “you should have many keyword links for a variety of keywords.” Don’t zero in on one or two phrases and get obsessive about them. Google algorithms are sophisticated enough to pick up on that, and they won’t be impressed.

 

An SEO team can help you locate other relevant anchor text phrases. In the above example, think about other things that people looking for sushi in Seattle might want to know. Health department ratings are important, so you might want to add “sushi restaurant inspections Seattle” to your list of phrases that pay. People also want to know how much that sushi dinner will cost them, so a phrase like “cost of sushi Seattle” could also prove fruitful. Google AdWords can help you determine what keywords are more likely to be hits, as well as which ones are more likely to be misses. For instance, something like “hottest sushi chefs Seattle” probably isn’t going to help you much. People looking for sushi in the Emerald City are more concerned with the quality and price of the food than how the chef looks.

 

SEO works best when it seems natural

 

You need good, natural-sounding content surrounding those anchor text links. The content should be topical and relevant to your audience. People will get suspicious if they see phrases like “best sushi Seattle” appearing randomly in a blog post about the weather or something. If you aren’t sure how to make things sound natural and organic, don’t worry. It can take time to develop that skill, which is another reason why you should hire SEO experts to help you out.

 

Ignoring SEO isn’t an option anymore. You’re selling your business short if you shrug and say that it’s too complicated. Additionally, creating SEO haphazardly can leave you in a worse situation than when you started. If you act carefully and consult professional SEO teams, you’re more likely to see the results you want.

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