SEO - 11 things you need to know for a more successful business
15.05.2024. / Content marketing

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the pillar of any successful digital strategy. Social networks and various other communication channels can support the promotion of your business, but the engagement is, in most cases, far less than with SEO optimisation.

Unfortunately, most micro and small business owners ignore SEO (Search Engine Optimization) as a tool to drive traffic to their websites.  
   
So very often, it loses its advantage in front of the competition, which is already familiar with the benefits of SEO and is doing it.  
   
Neglecting or paying insufficient attention to SEO in your business weakens your market position and, very often, leads to the loss of an already existing position.  
It's an online market, after all.  
   
If you do SEO well, you have responded well to your clients' wants and needs.  
   
SEO is the best way for your brand to succeed.  
   
Well-done SEO brings traffic, and that's exactly what every small or micro-entrepreneur needs most.  
   
What are the 11 things about SEO optimisation that bring your brand to potential clients?  
   

1. Google SEO should work for you  

Do you know that famous saying: "It's good to be on top"? You probably know.  
This is what SEO is about.  
   
Only the best come to the top of the online search results, and your customers are looking for and viewing most often what is among the first in the search results.  
   
It is not easy to get to the top in a sea of the same websites, so long-term and hard work on optimisation is required.  
   
To achieve this, you need to appear where those looking for your services or products come from—on Google and similar search engines.  
   
So, in your marketing strategy, do not ignore the keywords and phrases that people are looking for. Doing so will cause you to lose the market game at the start, even though sometimes your competition has inferior services or products.  

   

2. SEO marketing drives traffic in the long run  

While paid advertising on various online platforms can attract traffic, SEO marketing tends to attract more traffic in the long run.  
   
Most people trust organic search results more than paid ads, so it's only expected that organic links get the most clicks.  
   
SEO marketing is a digital marketing channel that, if done right, can bring long-term benefits and drive traffic for a long time.  
   
SEO continuously drives potential customers to your website. Paid advertising, on the other hand, requires ongoing funding to keep the traffic coming.  
   
Search engines like Google are becoming more advanced year by year, and their algorithms are becoming more demanding. However, they still need "our help".  
   
Before you even start SEO marketing, optimise your website to get the most out of it.  
   

3. On-page SEO is (still) important  

On-page SEO or on-site SEO is the practice of optimising website content for search engines and users.  
   
Common activities related to this type of optimisation include optimising titles, fonts, images, internal links, and URL addresses.  
   
Relevance of information is often based on matching keywords in the page's content and the user's query.  
   
The information is relevant mainly if keywords appear on the page, in headings or in the body of the text.  
   
Even though Google is much "smarter" today than it was 10 or 12 years ago, it still looks for specific keywords on your page.  
   
On-page SEO is essential because people will first click on the web page containing precisely the keywords they seek.  
  

 

4. You must include SEO in your internet marketing strategy  

SEO is one of the best and most effective Internet marketing methods and, if done correctly, can yield top results.  
   
Although it may take up to several months to see SEO results, it is worth the wait.  
   
It may be good to rely on social media and different platforms initially, but implementing SEO into your internet marketing strategy is crucial.  
   
If Google ranks you high, many people will see your link and click on it.  
   
Through social networks and other platforms, you can make your potential users/buyers aware of the importance of your brand. Still, SEO turns a simple visit to your website into an actual transaction.  
   

5. Good online marketing means trust  

Do you know your market?  
Is it possible to target it with online marketing?  
What and how much is your audience searching the Internet? What terms do they "google"?  
   
These are just some of the questions you must ask yourself before adopting a successful web marketing strategy to get top results and have a significant advantage over the competition.  
   
Let Google Analytics help you. Mobile search has experienced a boom in the last few years, so you should also take this aspect into account when making decisions about web marketing.  
   
Of course, this includes optimisation for mobile search engines, which a test like Lighthouse or PageSpeed Insights can help you with.  
   
Therefore, SEO within web marketing does not only mean optimisation but also knowledge of your target market.  
   
Your clients and customers want interest on your part. They want to feel comfortable and trust you when they come to your website.  
This cannot happen if you do not know their needs and wants.  
   

6. SEM is perfect for direct sales  

SEM, or search engine marketing, is one type of marketing that can bring you top business results.  
   
To dominate their market, many owners of small, unestablished brands use paid advertising to make their sites show at the top of the search results. SEM marketing has proven to be an excellent solution, especially for direct sales of specific products or services.  
   
If the seller, i.e. the website, responds accurately to the needs of the customer/user, i.e. to his keywords, the same company or brand has the opportunity to maximise ROI - return on investment.  
 

  

7. WordPress SEO has never been easier  

Most websites today are created using WordPress, mainly because of this platform's simplicity and financial profitability.  
   
When you solve the domain and internet hosting issue, you can practically buy the ready-made look of the site you want.  
   
For 4-60 EUR/month, there are many themes at your disposal that you just need to install and start filling with content.  
   
You can opt for one of the free themes if you are not too picky.  
You have many at your disposal. It is important to know that WordPress, as such, cannot help you rank in the search results. You need to do that work yourself.  
   
The good news is that this work is simplified to the maximum on the WordPress platform.  
Therefore, even if you are a beginner, you can easily optimise.  
   
First, choose a "light" theme, i.e., one that doesn't have many plugins and add-ons. Loading the site too much can only slow it down.  
   
It is recommended to use only those plugins that are necessary, such as:  

  • Yoast SEO  
  • W3 Total Cache  
  • Smush Image Compression and Optimization and similar.  

They are free; you can install them as soon as you install the theme.  
   
WordPress also states that these are its most popular plugins:  

  • Yoast SEO  
  • WooCommerce  
  • Contact Form 7  
  • Google Site Kit  
  • Elementor  

Each theme has an editing menu that includes SEO optimisation, and plugins like the aforementioned Yoast SEO guide you through step-by-step content optimisation.  
   

8. Use the SE Ranking platform  

If you need help with SEO optimisation, the SE Ranking platform has proven to be a great solution.  
   
SE Ranking is a platform that provides a wide range of tools for analysis, monitoring, reporting, and more.  
   
In addition to standard SEO tools, the system offers additional SEO benefits, such as monitoring page changes and advanced social network management.  
   
SE Ranking is the leading site management software on the market, used by various company owners, agencies, and SEO professionals.  
   
It has proven to be a very valuable tool, especially for those who do not have much experience.  
 

  

9. Keyword research - high volume and low competition give an advantage  

Keyword research must be part of every SEO strategy.  
   
Try Google Keyword Planner, Google Trends and Keywords Everywhere.  
Google's tools are free and comprehensive.  
   
When researching, you just need to enter the desired term, and you will receive data on how much that term is searched for.  
In addition to the search volume, these platforms allow you to see the competition, SEO weight, etc.  
   
If you can, i.e. are in a big enough and popular niche, you should know that keywords with high search volume and low competition give you a significant advantage in the market.  
   
You can respond to the needs and wishes of users/customers that most brand owners (still) cannot.  
 

  

10. SEO or SEM - which is better?  

SEO and SEM are two different marketing channels and approaches for increasing visibility in search results.  
   
SEO brings organic traffic, and SEM brings paid traffic.  
   
SEM campaigns include search results and visual ads on different pages, email ads, and YouTube ads, depending on the wishes and needs of your key customers.  
   
Before you decide whether to focus on SEO or SEM, you need to analyse your business.  
   
Do you sell directly, or just want to make customers/users aware of your brand?  
Analyse before you do anything.  
   
Ask yourself the question, "What are my goals?". If they include sales and promotion, a combined SEO/SEM strategy would be the best idea.  
 

  

11. SEO as a marketing tactic  

Finally, SEO as a marketing tactic is subject to constant change.  
   
The reason for this is the constant and frequent changes to the algorithm introduced by Google as the world's largest search engine.  
   
Therefore, several SEO trends are popular among marketers. These trends attract potential customers/users and create potential conversion opportunities in a new and fresh way.  
   
Google often introduces applications and innovations in its algorithms and search engines. One of these is Core Web Vitals. These metrics affect a particular website's ranking and include the speed of content loading, the site's adaptability to mobile devices, the site's security (https), and the avoidance of excessive pop-up windows.  
   
The Google Passage feature allows Google to independently rank certain parts of a web page.  
For example, your website sells women's clothing and shoes. If the offer also includes "formal pumps", Google, with the help of the Passage feature, can rank you only for the term "formal pumps". Therefore, on your part, you need to organise the content on the web pages well and smartly.  
   
In addition, ranking using introductory paragraphs (Featured Snippet), visual search, and video is always up to date.  
   

Now, we think that you know the importance of SEO and that it can bring you excellent benefits. 
   
But also, to get it right, you also have use appropriate tools and have a well-developed digital marketing strategy.  
   
Wondering where to start and what your next steps should be in setting up SEO for your business? 
Contact us and book a free consultation.