Say the acronym SEO and people either groan or offer a knowing smile. The vast majority of people fall into the ‘groan’ category. SEO is seen as a rather muddy, dark art which remains a mystery to all but a few of the faithful. Regardless of how you feel, if you’re a business with an online presence it’s not something you can afford to ignore.
In a nutshell, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation and refers to how you can optimise your website to drive more search engine traffic. Reach page one under the search terms that are relevant to you, and people are more likely to buy your products or services. If you’re languishing on page four, then your website isn’t doing the job it should.
If you need advice on how to improve your ranking, then look no further. We’ve been helping companies through the maze for years, and this month we added another member to our team of experts. We’re delighted to introduce our new Head of Digital, Nikki Osborne.
Nikki is responsible for overseeing all digital operations for our clients, consulting strategically on their digital marketing efforts.
Nikki joins us from a digital marketing agency, where she assumed responsibility for SEO & PPC (Pay per Click) and advised on online initiatives such as conversion rate optimisation and new website design for a host of companies. During her time there she contributed to work that was nominated and awarded several industry accolades.
Originally cutting her teeth in-house with email marketing, content marketing and SEO for one of the largest travel brands in the UK, iglu.com, Nikki’s broad range of digital expertise makes her a great candidate to advise on omnichannel marketing strategies. Nikki is a Bing Ads Accredited Professional and Google Ads Certified.
We took this opportunity to catch up with Nikki in her new role, and to get her thoughts on SEO. Nikki commented:
“When it comes to SEO, people generally feel very confused, and that’s completely understandable as the parameters are constantly evolving and there are so many factors that influence your visibility in search engines. If you thought you understood SEO a year ago, you’d be surprised at how much has changed since then as search engines constantly make updates to improve the service.”
We’ve also seen the increased emergence of new SERP features (Search Engine Results Page), which are highly prominent in most searches. You will recognise some of the most common SERP features such as the local pack, showing local map results and featured snippets, where search engines attempt to pull the answer instantly from the featured blog within the search result. Today, it’s not just about optimising for organic searches but for SERP features too, and overall visibility. To stay on top of the changes, Nikki continually updates her knowledge and is in a constant flux of blending tried and tested techniques with new experiments.
Nikki offers her SEO top tips if you don’t currently have the help of an SEO expert
- Make gaining new customer reviews a priority. According to Moz’s local search ranking factors, reviews make up between 7 – 13% of how search engines deduce where you will rank within search results. Considering the obvious benefits of building a solid base of reviews, as well as the opportunity to gain more user generated content, there’s a clear case for prioritising new reviews as part of your overall strategy.
- Allow sufficient time for regular new content. Posting engaging and informative content is still one of the most important ways to improve or maintain your ranking, since search engines are looking to provide the best experience possible to the user. Great content is more likely to be shared, and this will help to position your website as an authority in its industry. As quality websites link back to your website, search engines notice these backlinks and may start to see your website as more trustworthy. Therefore, relevant referral traffic equals more exposure.
- Join relevant associations and leverage your partnerships. In being a member of associations within your industry, you are likely to gain high authority links to your website. In addition, most websites will provide assets that you can use on your site which will help to highlight your business as more credible to search engines. Similarly, if you work in partnership with several other organisations, use these as an opportunity to get links back to your website.
Want to hear more? We can develop strategic campaigns that will help you generate the traffic your business needs. Don’t hesitate to call us on 01403 783400 for a free consultation with our team and we’ll get your site working for you.
