1. Use SEO
SEO might have a bad name in the wake of Google's Panda, Penguin and Hummingbird updates, but it's still necessary. It's not about keyword stuffing, but about showing the search engines you are relevant. So you still need to use attractive page titles and descriptions that tell people who you are. And you must do this consistently for every page, changing text to suit. There's no blanket solution, but with more sites than ever, good SEO will help customers find you. Don't forget to
think about accessibility when optimizing your site – describing your images and links helps disabled users as well as SEO.
2. Create a content plan
Content marketing is huge and getting bigger. Today's web audience wants in-depth content that meets their need for trustworthy information. But they are also looking for entertainment and using social sites to find and share that. The way to meet these needs is with a content marketing strategy that has a good mix of your own authoritative content and sharing useful resources from others.
3. Use a CMS
If you're producing a lot of content on your site, then a content management system is your best friend for making the process easy and allowing everyone who needs it to have the right level of access. Read our previous articles on the advantages of
using a CMS and what a
good CMS should include for more guidance.
4. Encourage social sharing – and conversation
One of the trust signals your customer respond to – and these days it's all about trust – is that others have found your content worthwhile. They'll check to see how many times content has been shared, so make sure to include social sharing buttons on every piece of content you want to spread. And if you also spend time
interacting with customers via social sites, that will also help your online impact and reputation.
5. Find and engage with customers
Related to that, it's important for you to have a presence where your customers are. Did you know that most people spend time in the evening updating social sites while watching TV? And that updating social sites is a huge part of that? Use analytics to assess where your customers are and build a presence there to improve your online reach.
6. Go mobile
These days, you can't ignore the fact that your customers are using smartphones and tablets (check out Google's report on
The New Multiscreen World for more data on how customer behavior has changed). That means if your site isn't adapted for mobile viewing then you will lose that audience. The
latest stats show that 2 billion mobile devices will be shipped this year, so it's time to get in on the action.
7. Go local
One of the sectors that has grown with the increase in mobile use is
local search – is your business ready? This topic is so important that we'll be looking at it in a future post. Stay tuned!
Cover these 7 areas and you will have a business that's easier to find online, promoting in the right channels and optimized for the devices most customers are using.
