The online space is becoming more competitive by the day and for your business to get ahead in 2018 you need to embrace the latest trends.
The old saying of “Do what you’ve always done” is becoming as outdated as the companies who still follow it. Just ask Blockbuster, Kodak and Alta Vista.
When considering your website and digital marketing strategies for the year ahead, be sure your business has the following things ticked off.
A Mobile Responsive Website
Mobile search now accounts for over 55% of all online searches which means a large proportion of potential business opportunities start via mobile devices.
If your website is not mobile responsive it will be harder to view on phones and tablets, decreasing the likelihood of the prospect contacting you.
A mobile responsive design will ensure the website adjusts based on:
- the screen size,
- platform and
- user behaviour
This is crucial for people to easily find relevant information about your offerings, keeping them engaged with your brand, and converting them into customers.
Mobile responsive websites started appearing on the web in 2013. So it’s quite surprising that 5 years later, many business owners still haven’t made the switch! Have you?
Find out more about our responsive web design.
A Secure Website with HTTPS Encryption
If you run a business and have an online presence, you’ve likely recently heard mention of HTTPS encryption for your website. It involves installing an SSL (secure sockets layer) certificate to ensure all communications between your browser and the website are encrypted.
Not only does HTTPS provide security benefits and protect against phishing, sites that have this extra level of security are seen as more trustworthy.
This is partly thanks to Google now showing a ‘not secure’ message on all websites that don’t have an SSL certificate. Google is also favouring HTTPS sites in their ranking results.
Don’t have SSL? We can help.
A Regular Content Strategy
For your brand to be successful online, you need to be seen as an expert in your niche. If people believe you’re an industry leader, they will want to do business with you.
One of the best ways to do this is to have great content on your website.
Helpful, well optimised, easy to read content will not only resonate with your audience, it will increase the likelihood of you ranking higher in Google.
Search engines love content, especially regularly updated fresh information. They’ve told us!
“Our site quality algorithms are aimed at helping people find “high-quality” sites by reducing the rankings of low-quality content.” – Amit Singhal, Google
However if you’re like most businesses, it’s likely you only have a limited number of products or services to create pages for. Making them awesome is one thing, but what else can you do to strengthen your website content?
That’s where articles are your friend. Setting up a blog on your website and implementing a regular content strategy will help blow your competition away.
- ‘How to’ articles,
- Industry or company news,
- Fun facts and entertainment
- Lists (ie. the top 10 tools…)
- Personal spotlights and success stories
These are all examples of posts that will increase the size of your site, improve your relevancy, and boost your credibility and the amount of keywords you can potentially rank for.
Properly Optimised Web Pages
It’s one thing to have an amazing looking website. But if it isn’t optimised properly, then no-one will ever find it. It’s like buying a Ferrari and keeping it parked in the garage!
There are many structural components to a well optimised website. These include:
- the title tag,
- meta description,
- headings, internal links,
- images, to name a few.
All these help tell Google WHAT your website is about.
Laying down these on-page optimisation strategies correctly from the start (along with a good ongoing content strategy) will give your site the best possible chance to rank well for keywords that are relevant to your business.
Read more about our SEO agency to find out more.
Smart Link Building is a Must
While on-page optimisation tells Google WHAT you’re about, it’s off-page optimisation that tells Google HOW IMPORTANT you are.
A website’s importance is essentially judged by the incoming links pointing to your website, which are seen as “votes” for your site.
But the internet is not a democracy and not all votes are considered equal. High quality relevant links from good web pages are much more beneficial than random links from any old site.
Investing in a smart link building strategy that helps generate good quality, diverse, contextual links to your site is one of the most important factors for “increasing your online authority” and climbing your way up the search engine results.
We can tailor an SEO package specifically to your needs, focusing strongly on both on-page and off-page optimisation techniques. Digital marketing is only getting bigger, and with the right strategies, your business can take advantage and grow with it.
For more information or to receive a Free Website SEO Audit (valued at $137) call Elliot on 0413 334 699 or email hello@temeritydigital.com.au
