When it comes to search engine optimization, there are a number of new and advanced tactics. Your job is to ensure that you have incorporated the basic local SEO practices in your website to get the desired results. It is easy for you to slip when it comes to matters such as technical audits or checking your backlinks so you can follow the simple steps outlined below to ensure you have made a solid foundation. Read on to find out what they are:
Address any penalties you may have: Your website may have a penalty because of a recent update or it could be due to a manual action penalty. The latter typically happens when spam websites backlink to yours or there were issues of duplicate content, load time or pagination. Regardless of the reason, it is definitely not good for your business if you allow a penalty to just fall through the cracks. It requires immediate attention and needs to be fixed immediately. The solution will depend on the nature of the penalty, but usually you only have to follow Google’s instructions. As for an algorithmic penalty, you have to keep up with the updates launched and make changes to your website accordingly to avoid being penalized.
Doing a technical website audit: If you are looking for a starting point, it is good for you to run a website audit because this will aid you in understanding your strong points and figuring out where improvements are needed. In this audit, basically, you have to use a variety of tools such as Open Site Explorer, SEO Analysis, etc. which provide you with statistical data about your website. You look at these numbers and see where they are lacking to make improvements.
Check your backlinks: You may not have built any backlinks for your website, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there at all. It is possible that some websites, which are mostly spam, have linked themselves to your website and you need to disavow them immediately. This is the process through which you notify Google that you are not associated with these links. If you don’t do so, your website’s ranking in search engines is going to suffer as Google is going to consider you associated with spam websites.
Extensive keyword search: Using tools for doing your keyword research and selection isn’t enough. You should also look at the metrics to know if the chosen keywords are providing you with the results you want. It is a good idea to do some market research and get creative when you have to find keywords for your website.
Come up with engaging content: It is also crucial for you to write engaging content because this is the most important thing when it comes to local business SEO as it has a spiral effect. With quality content, you will be able to have a positive impact on your leaders and this will allow you to gradually build credibility for your website.