SEO - Otherwise known as Search Engine Optimisation,  can be a bit of a grey area for many people to get their heads around. But if you have your own website, or your business owns a website that primarily sells your product or services, then chances are you will have heard of the phrase, “Getting your website to the top of Google”? And it is so important that you learn and understand the basics in order to help you rank well in Search Engine results, and get your brand in front of the right eyes.    Search Engine Optimisation is one of our main focus points here at Wriggle Marketing, with our SEO department working diligently to get our clients websites exactly where they should be in the order of search, whether it be on-page or off-page practise, and maintaining that. So today we thought we would answer a few of our key questions on all things SEO, that we tend to get asked on a regular basis, to put your worries at rest and allow your business to thrive!   

SEO - Your Questions, Answered…

It must be easy, so what is the quickest or simplest way I can improve my rankings?

  You may think how hard can it be to get your website noticed on Google, but when Google Algorithms come into play (that update and change quite frequently, with little to no warning at all!) it can be challenging to say the least! It’s an area to keep on top of, and one that takes time and resources, and if you expect to see results overnight - then sadly that is just not the case. If you are looking for a way that is quite simple to fathom, and have a significant impact on the ranking of your website, then you can sign up to Google My Business, which is Google’s free business listing. It works on the basis that it will ask you for particular information when you register, and then utilise that to help your site perform better within searches, help your customer find you with ease and enable users to find out more about your business and what you can bring to the table.   

How important is it to add new content to my website, if nothing really changes within the running of the business? 

  Is the Pope Catholic? ...Obviously, yes. So in short, does this prove our point?    It is essential to add new content to your website, whether that be in the form of keeping on top of updating your Blog page regularly, adding to a Case Study folder, or simply refreshing Page Content and Website Materials to keep them up to date, relevant and factual!    New content does not have to be updating a price list for example - it does not have to be concrete information about the business operations. It can be interesting reads for your audience to enjoy, offering the extra mile that your competition doesn’t, and simply just adding value to your website.    Search Engines prefer to offer their users content and information that is fresh, as they consider it to be more relevant, time fitting and from a ‘live’ source. Therefore, your publishing date will be taken into consideration by Google for example when ranking where your website will sit.    Not just technically, but adding new content is what will keep your users coming back for more each time, when they can expect fresh reads that they can’t find elsewhere!   

Keywords - What, Why and How?

  Keywords are an important element of SEO practice. They should include the name of any product you are aiming to sell, any service you provide, and your location. For example, for us, a key keyword is Digital Marketing Newcastle < as it states exactly what we are, and where we are. So as a general search, a user looking for a company like ours will enter these keywords into Google - and find us sitting comfortably at the top of the first page of search results!    In an ideal world, keywords should be used in the page title, headings, subheadings, main text AND meta descriptions - in order to be picked up with ease. However, it is always important to remember that these technical SEO theories do work, the more you are able to customise and deliver the exact content that your user is searching for  - will always rank higher than content that has not been written for a specific focus, or aim.   

How important are Backlinks?

  In short, referencing backlinks from websites that rank high in Google, and are a trusted source for high quality content, WILL boost your SEO, as it looks more appealing and reputable for search engines.   

What about Sitemaps?

  The purpose of a sitemap is to help search engines discover everything on your website, index it efficiently, so it then appears in search results for a user to find your business with ease. It could be beneficial for your business to create a Google Search Console account, and submit your sitemap.xml file to direct Google straight to your website to scan content.   

Does an SSL Certificate benefit my SEO?

  An SSL Certificate is used to convert data into a code that is sent by your customer to your website. Whether it be through payment transactions, it can prevent credit card numbers from being stolen by hackers for example. When your website has an SSL Certificate it means that search engines will label your website as secure on a web browser, which will ultimately impact beneficially from an SEO perspective, as the search engines want their users to be protected, and therefore would prefer to only list websites in the search results that are deemed as a secure source. 

Contact Wriggle Marketing Today...

If you would like to discuss how Wriggle Marketing can implement a successful SEO strategy in place, then simply get in touch with our team today! Give us a call on 0191 285 6128 or email us at tickleus@wrigglemarketing.co.uk.