The Internet has become one of the most powerful tools for business owners. But, it has also become overwhelmingly saturated because of this.
Luckily, there are plenty of tools available to help you reach your audience despite the clutter.
Search engine optimization is a vital concept. In fact, it is one that every serious business professional should take advantage of.
If you don’t, it could actually hurt your business from the lack of visibility on search engines. If people can’t find you, then how will they ever know what you can offer them?
You don’t have to hire an outside source for your SEO needs. With a little research, you can do it all yourself.
Continue reading to discover ten do it yourself SEO tips that can help you grow your business.
1. Research Your Keywords
Keywords are one of the most important components of SEO. They serve as pillars for your entire strategy.
Your potential customers are using a search engine for something that they want or need. That’s how they will find you in the first place. But, you need to figure out how your customers are searching for you.
For example, if you own a business that sells clothing, all of your relevant keywords will have something to do with apparel.
First, think of relevant words or phrases your customers may be searching that could lead them to you.
Then, use Google’s Keyword Planner tool or other similar software to view the statistics for your chosen keywords. You’ll want to focus on keywords that have a high search volume but low competition.
High volume keywords are ones that are frequently searched by consumers. Low competition means that there aren’t too many other businesses using them.
2. Have A Steady Stream Of Content
It’s going to be hard for your audience to find you if there is nothing for them to find. Having a sleek homepage and “Contact Us” section on your website just isn’t enough.
Your customers are going to find you through the content that you post. Most commonly, this content is in the form of blogs.
Blogs are powerful do it yourself SEO tools because of their potential. You decide the topic, so you can decide the content.
People tend to love reading how-to guides and lists that provide them with relevant, useful information.
In the case of a clothing brand, a potential topic might be “Top Sweater Styles for the Fall Season.”
But, it’s important to keep churning out fresh content, too. Staying on top of business trends and popular fads will help ensure your customers can find you.
3. Update Your Social Media
There’s no getting around social media. Today’s society (especially the younger generations) is glued to an electronic device at all times.
Surprisingly, members of Generation X spend more time on social media than millennials.
Just like how creating content for your website will bring you customers, social media will, as well.
Additionally, social media will allow you to show your audience what your brand is about. You can also interact with them directly.
Furthermore, you can utilize your social media platforms to link back to your website. This usually done in the form of sharing content that you developed yourself.
4. Spend Some Time Going Over Analytics
So, you’ve finally made your site and incorporated do it yourself SEO. It’s engaging, it has content, and your social media links directly back to it.
You even have a couple other websites linking to your site, too.
But, you also need to understand how you are performing. Even if you take all the necessary steps to reel your audience into your content, you may not perform as well as you’d hoped.
Utilizing a rankings tracker tool will give you a transparent look at exactly how your site is doing.
When was the last time you Googled something and went beyond the first page? The answer is most likely “I can’t remember.”
Get in the habit of frequently checking your website’s search engine ranking. The higher your ranking, the closer to the top of the front page your site will be.
And, the more publicity you will get.
5. Have High Standards For Quality
When it comes to content, should you focus on quality or quantity?
The answer is both.
To your customers, your website’s content is a direct reflection of your company. If your content is informative, relevant, and visually appealing, then your consumers will place you higher up in their minds.
However, if your site’s content is subpar, then your customers may leave your website and never look back.
The main appeal of do it yourself SEO is that you can control all of it yourself. But, you have to put in work to make it work.
Keep your standards high on everything you strive to do as a business owner. This will make sure that you give off the best image possible when your audience visits your page.
6. Put Yourself In Your Customers’ Shoes
Do it yourself SEO has many components. Some, however, are more important than others.
To completely understand your customer, you have to think like your customer.
Before you can sell anything to your audience, you will have to have a firm grasp of not only what your consumers want, but also who they are.
How do they spend their free time? What are their general hobbies?
You should even know what type of music they are likely to listen to.
After you spend time mapping out your potential consumer, you will be able to predict what type of keywords they are searching for.
But remember: there are plenty of other companies trying to do the same exact thing you are doing. They are also targeting the same group of people you are.
Stuck on how to get to the same level as a strong competitor? Check out our Competitors Inspector.
7. Optimize Your Site For Mobile Devices
Mobile devices are one of the most common types of traffic you will get on your website.
People love to be on their phones. Even if they are near a computer, they will often use their smartphone’s Internet in the own homes.
Fast loading times for mobile devices (which includes iPads and tablets, too) is vital. If your site takes more than a few seconds to load, users will backtrack and move onto something new.
But, it isn’t enough to just have a site that loads quickly.
You should format it correctly, too. This especially true when it comes to images.
If someone loads your website and sees cluttered pictures and text all over the page, you will give off a very poor impression.
Going the extra mile with do it yourself SEO and making your site mobile-friendly will lead to increased sales over time.
8. Keep Local Customers In Mind
Location is very important.
If you are able to provide your product or service to customers in your local area, then you should capitalize upon this capability.
People often search for a product or service accompanied by a city name. This especially true for high-priority services, such as auto repair, medical practices, etc.
Creating a Google Business page and a Yelp Page will give you additional platforms for people to find you on.
Plus, if your customer service is exemplary, your customers will leave positive reviews on those pages. This may help sway people who are on the fence about what company to choose.
When utilizing do it yourself SEO, focusing on local customers will also help you find relevant keywords. Once again, these typically include the city where your business is located.
If applicable to your company, you should never overlook SEO for local customers.
9. Optimize Your Images With Keywords
Your audience may never see the file name of the images of your site. They most likely won’t ever read the description, either.
But, the search engines will.
When your customers use search engines, their query may bring up your site because of the text associated with your images.
Images provide another opportunity for you to utilize keywords. This will help connect your audience with your business.
And, as always, you should take advantage of every opportunity you have.
10. Be Consistent
Consistency is key. None of these do it yourself SEO strategies will matter if you don’t continually use them.
This means keep creating content, watch your rankings, and keep an eye on relevant trends you can take advantage of.
A strong SEO plan is sure to work, over time, as long as you maintain it.
Still Not Sure About Do It Yourself SEO?
Do it yourself SEO can be tough. But, that’s alright. We’ve got you covered.
The first step is using our SEO Site Auditor to determine the areas you need to work on.
From here, you can begin to build a strategy that can get you up to speed with your competitors.
To see what else we have to offer, try out our app for free.
