What is SEO and how to improve it for your brand, Part 2

SEO has evolved a lot and Google is responsible for this. Techniques behind SEO change constantly and given the speed of change and evolution this blog might be irrelevant in a couple of years!

However this is how we understand it at the moment and feel the advice offered here will be helpful. The following are all examples of areas you should focus on to help improve your SEO, and therefore your list ranking, when it comes to searches.

Google Plus: Although at first this might seem like yet another social media tool to not only learn but set up and use, it is actually incredibly important and effective in terms of SEO. Admittedly it seems at first glance very complex and not overly intuitive. However it is the most important social media tool with regards to SEO. Google Plus is linked intrinsically with Google and having a strong presence on here will have a significant impact on your ultimate ranking.

One element crucial for SEO success is to have fresh content: once you have set up your Google Plus business page, new content is as easy to add as posting on Facebook.

Youtube: This is now the second biggest search engine in the world and is owned by Google. By updating video content regularly on your YouTube channel you can improve your ranking positions. Again like Google Plus, having this easily linked to your website is important.

Blogging: Blogging has become very important with regards to SEO in the last few years and is relatively straightforward to do. There are a number of blogging sites to choose and link to your own website but perhaps the most obvious two are WordPress and Blogger (which is yet another Google product). Blogging allows fresh content to be published and this is something that can be done as frequently as you wish.

Google Places for Business: This is a relatively new piece of software but one which can have a hugely positive impact on your SEO rankings. It is extremely easy to set up, as long as you have a Google account for your business you can sign up with the same details.

It allows your business to be found via Google, Google Maps, Google Plus and on mobile devices. Given the power of Google and the ease of setting this up it should be high on your priority list if it has not been already done.

The above methods are all online or digital methods of improving SEO. However there are offline methods that can also help. For example direct mail could drive an audience to your website. The more popular your website is the higher up it will appear on the search rankings.

There are other ways of raising your business profile. For example Twitter is an incredibly simple media tool to promote your business and get any messages out. However it does not have any SEO value beyond this.

Your current web visibility: This has been briefly mentioned above but the general visibility and presence your organisation has on the web will help, particularly Google related products such as Google + or YouTube.  Having a presence on Facebook and LinkedIn can also have an indirect impact as it can help to drive traffic to your site and Google will be aware you have profiles/accounts with them. Again along similar lines having an Instagram or Vimeo account can also derive similar benefits.

Does your website work?: This may sound a little obvious but if you have links that don’t work or if your website is very slow then the SEO will be affected.  It is worth checking this as it can be relatively straightforward to fix. We can certainly help you with these checks, just email arps@prefacestudios.com

How does Google decide rankings?

So when you type in a search criteria for Google, what factors influence a website’s position?

Google decides a website’s rankings based upon a number of issues.

• It looks at the content relevance to the initial search query.
• It will look at the location for relevancy.
• Site trust and authenticity will be examined (website age, content and backlinks will all be examined)
• It will examine the historical visitor engagement. By this we mean how often people click through the website.
• It will look at the current visibility your website has on the web.
• The publishing frequency of fresh new compelling content.
• The health of your website. Do all the links work and the general speed of the site.

We are aware that working on the list mentioned above is not an overnight job and that SEO is an ongoing development.  However we feel that they are important to ensure your website has a good index ranking. We are experienced in SEO and are happy to help. Just ask Arps to run an SEO report on your website.

Why not follow us on Twitter at @prefacestudios