Google might be dedicating more of its search results pages towards paid ads, but that doesn’t mean to say that the outlook for organic search looks bleak. On the contrary, let’s not forget that more and more people are using search engines and as such, the effects are somewhat offset.
It means that some real opportunities still exist for businesses who are looking to gain a foothold within SEO. Admittedly, some industries are tougher than others, but if you can get your SEO right you can still experience very good levels of “free traffic”.
Additionally, some would argue that things have got easier for small businesses who might manage their own websites. Previously, an out-of-the-box software was anything but SEO-friendly. Now, things have changed and to coin an example, UK based website builders Web Eden allow all of their users a huge degree of flexibility when it comes to optimizing for search engines.
Following on from the above, let’s now take a look at some of the quickest ways to make a difference organically when you launch your new business website.
The power of meta tags (it still exists)
When the term “meta tags” is branded around, most people think back to the days where the infamous meta keyword tag was spammed to death. Fortunately, those days are over.
Something which is still effective of this ilk is meta tags focusing around the title and description of your website. The former is something which can have a direct impact on your rankings, particularly if you include your primary keywords in there. Place these at the front of your tag, and it’s an obvious sign to Google that your page is based around this topic.
In relation to the description, this isn’t a direct ranking signal. However, it can entice users to click on your search listing so it can increase organic traffic to your site.
Tap into the wonders of image search
A lot of verticals amongst standard web search are saturated. They are very competitive and for the new business, it can be difficult to break into.
This is the reason why we would advise focusing on image search, whenever possible. Sure, this isn’t going to work for all industries, but a lot of searches are conducted through Google Images and by optimizing your alt text and image names accordingly, you can grab a slice of the action.
Let’s not also forget that Google now allows pricing information to be accredited to images – meaning that in some ways it is turning it a secondary online shopping search.
Citations can be your best friend (if done properly)
In terms of off-site optimizations, citations can be an easy win for small businesses. They require little expenditure, other than time, and can result in some positive increases for local search as well as a decent stream of backlinks. Of course, you should ensure that the citations are of acceptable quality – so your link profile is not negatively impacted.
