If you own a business with a website, you are among 70% of the small businesses out there. With so many businesses online, you need to distinguish yourself to be found by potential customers.
To be found online goes beyond having a pretty website with photos and contact information. Your website needs to be search engine friendly. To accomplish this you need to ensure certain website practices are followed in order to comply with Google’s search algorithms. These are technical aspects that can be performed by most web developers.
Apart from technical aspects, here are some things that you as the business owner can do to ensure your website ranks higher in search results.
Get Listed on Google.
Search for your exact business name on Google to see where you are listed. If your business does not have a Google listing, set one up by going to https://www.google.com/business. If you do have a listing that you didn’t create, you can claim the listing and make edits as required.
Get Listed in Directories.
Search online for business directories. There are plenty of free online directories to list on. Try places like Yelp, 411.ca, TripAdvisor (restaurants & travel), Bing Places, Yahoo, Foursquare and of course, social media websites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. If you are a member of a local association or a chamber of commerce, ensure your listing on their website has a link back to your website.
Get Reviews.
If you have customers, you have feedback. Online feedback is tracked by Google and can help you appear higher in search results. When you have sold a product to or completed work for a customer, it’s a great opportunity to get their feedback. Encourage them to help you out by reviewing your business listing online. Avoid using a gift or reward in exchange for a review as this goes against Google’s policies and can negatively affect your ranking.
Get reviews on the websites where your business is listed. Make sure to respond to reviews, especially negative reviews. It shows other potential customers that you don’t avoid problems and that you are active in your customer service.
Though these three tasks are not a complete solution to ranking your website higher online, they will get you started. Remember is to be patient and check your website rank regularly as it can take time to improve your ranking.
If you are interested in learning more about optimizing your website for search engines, we have more information on our small business blog [https://zealmedia.ca/small-business-blog/].
