At Localmize, we talk about SEO a lot. So, let’s dig in and understand exactly what we’re up to and why it’s so important to your business and our success as your Digital Marketer. Our goal at Localmize is not to just build a great website, we want to build a great website that is easily found! A great website can look amazing and function and drive easily for a user, but…if the user can’t find it, or the site doesn’t show up when searched for in a search engine, no one will ever know how amazing your site is or how amazing we are! That’s a huge fail, for everyone! Our goal is to make sure your website shows up in search results. Which brings us back to SEO…Search Engine Optimization. We’re going to break this down…
What’s a Search Engine? It’s ok to ask. Search Engine is defined as a software system that is designed to carry out web searches. We all use these EVERY SINGLE day, but most people just don’t refer to them as Search Engines, especially if you’re not analytically tracking or building a website. The most popular search engines in the U.S. are:
- YouTube
- Amazon
- Microsoft Bing
I’m sure as I typed that, this list was immediately outdated and/or another was added to it! When you go to Google and ask any question or even type in one word, Google will automate Search Results which we know to be numbered (these are called SERPs or Search Engine Results Pages). You can pay to have a google ad so that your company or product shows up at the very top in these ads. The companies/products/websites that automate at the top of Search Engine Results, just below the ads, have built their sites with strong keyword analytics that work within Google algorithms so their site shows up early in search results.
This is the process of Search Engine Optimization. Search Engine Optimization is defined as the process of improving the type of traffic and the number of users that visit a website from a search engine. You’re optimizing the strength of your site and its search engine results through analytics. When was the last time you scrolled through 3 or 4 pages of results before you picked a company? Never…that’s when! We want your site at or near the top of search engine results when your business or your product in your area is searched for.
At Localmize, our strategists and analysts are constantly checking your website for SEO and performance. Our strategists focus on three types of SEO:
- On-Page SEO – Visible content on your website, how to display it and drive users to that content so that rankings are boosted.
- Off-Page SEO – Backlinks or links from other websites to your site…think of it as a digital referral – search engine algorithms use this data.
- Technical SEO – how a site is built, its architecture behind the scenes – this data is also used for search engine ranking.
As our digital world has moved more and more to a handheld digital world, Mobile SEO Strategy was introduced. We’ve all gone to a website while on our phones or tablets and the page doesn’t fit or the content isn’t readable on a mobile device. It’s frustrating and at this point, just shouldn’t happen. Google practices “mobile-first indexing” which means their algorithms will use the mobile version of your site to rank your business in its SERPs.
Statista, an industry based statistics site, found that in 2021, 4.32 billion people were mobile internet users, which means that 90% of the world’s internet users – 90% of all people who use the internet – use a mobile device when searching the internet! WOW! If your website isn’t a mobile friendly website, you could be missing out or turning away 90% of the people that search for your brand or product. Why would you do that? Would you turn away 90% of the customers that walked in your door? Upon first impression, no less? If you were turning away 90% of customers, you would do whatever it takes to fix it. So, what are you waiting for? If your website isn’t mobile device compatible, you are missing out.
The process of developing a website with a strong SEO Strategy is where we, Localmize, come to life! This is what we get excited by, what we work so hard on. When we can improve a website and its design to bring in more traffic and more customers to a business, then we have started to do our job. It’s much more than just keywords. We monitor page speed, build responsive websites through good design, utilize local SEO and create content that is high quality and useful to your target audience while ensuring that users can reference your site across multiple platforms and devices.
While SEO Strategy is important, it’s even more important that we listen to our clients needs. We have to keep in mind that every business owner has different objectives. We are working with a client right now that hired us to build a website. We went into the first meeting thinking we would be putting together a menu of their services, products and technical skills. What we’ve discovered in getting to know this customer, was that they don’t want their website to build their business, they’re booming and have too much work! They need their website to help them onboard new employees. Big difference in objectives and a very different website to be built. We do our best to listen to our customers. Your needs, your objectives and your business goals working hand in hand with our business, our team to build the strongest website for you, so we can bring the most customers to you. What can Localmize do for your business or someone you know? Contact | Localmize
