In today’s digitally driven world, having an informative, user-friendly website is essential for any business. However, getting that website noticed by search engines is another matter entirely.
Your website could have some of the most compelling content on the internet, but it still won’t be an effective marketing tool unless it is primed for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Here are some essentials for creating B2B website content that is more discoverable.
Obtain a Google Verification
Google’s algorithms are constantly sifting through the web to discover new pages that are easy to categorize and read. If they find one that ticks all the boxes, they’ll verify it as a legitimate business and rank it higher on searches. If you haven’t gotten a verification yet, your site is missing out.
Fortunately, obtaining a Google verification is a simple and easy three-step process:
- Create an official Google My Business account
- Find and claim your business on Google Maps
- Wait for your verification email from Google
Once your business is verified, you will have the option to optimize your Google My Business listing. Since Google is one of the web’s leading search engines, this verification could bring a significant influx of traffic to your site.
Add Page Descriptions to Your Site
When web users search for something online, a list of titles and links appears. And according to search engine statistics, those with descriptions are more likely to get clicked on. This is likely because it provides people with a clearer idea of what kind of webpage they are about to enter.
By adding a short, concise description to your individual web pages, you make the link appear more inviting. Search engines also pick up on this and shuffle them to the top. Page descriptions are also called Meta descriptions as they are part of the metadata that helps search engine algorithms understand the content and context of your site.
Target Your Webpages for Keywords
Proper keyword use is one of the most important components of SEO. If you want consistent traffic on your business’ website, using targeted keywords is a great place to start.
Keywords are essentially just frequently searched-for words. By strategically adding them to your web content, you help search engines funnel traffic onto your site. The keywords you use should reflect the interests of your target audience, so make sure you do your keyword research on a regular basis.
Ensure SSL Is Enabled
SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, and it exists as an encryption protocol used to protect and secure internet data. When SSL is enabled, your website domain name will start with “https”, which means that users can visit your site with a secure connection.
This is important for online visibility because search engines care about it a lot. If your site has not yet enabled SSL, search engines may penalize it and restrict visibility and accessibility. If you’re not sure whether your website is SSL enabled, you can check it via the SSL panel to confirm its status.
Add Your Physical Location
If you run a business that relies heavily on local or in-person interaction, listing your business location is a must. Doing so will help search engines identify web users who frequent your area and push them towards your site. You can list your location via a Google My Business Account.
Get Blogging
At this point in time, websites that don’t have blogs can kiss mainstream web traffic goodbye. Blogs are one of the most powerful ways to get picked up by search engines and keep users coming back to your site for more content. This is also where most sites insert the bulk of their keywords.
Blogs have seriously evolved over the past few years. No longer synonymous with foodies and lifestyle sites, even the most corporate-orientated B2B websites are tapping into the online traffic and growth potential that well-curated, regularly updated blog posts provide.
Add Alt Text to Your Images
Alt text is text that gets added to an image. If your website has a blog (which it absolutely should), you may add professional product photographs or other business-related images for an enhanced visual experience. But what most B2B businesses don’t know is that by adding alt text to those images, it makes your site more accessible. Why?
Bots can’t read images very well, but they can read text. So when search engine bots are supplied with alt text, they understand what it is and can include it in similar searches, thus reaching a wider audience.
Focus on Your Page Headings
Clear, compelling headings make it easier for search engines to detect themes within your site and prioritize them based on how SEO-adjacent they are. As a general rule of thumb, headings should be:
- Between three and 10 words long
- Easy to read (for both humans and bots)
- Contain a major keyword
- Unique but similar to other headings on your site
By following these guidelines, your page headings will be optimized for search engine detection while simultaneously being more generally compelling to web users.
Bonus Tips: Reduce Page Loading Time
A slow loading time means high bounce rates. A recent report found that for every one-second increase in loading time, a website’s page view rates decrease by 11%. This is because search engines interpret high bounce rates as coming from a low-value website, lowering your search ranking.
If you want to keep your search ranking high, investing in faster loading times would be an effective plan. This is typically done by reducing page size, optimizing images and videos and running regular audits to ensure there are no page elements that are causing delays.
Establish and Maintain Site Visibility
When it comes to website marketing, the content itself isn’t nearly as important as the way you go about creating it. The world of online marketing is a system. If your website doesn’t play by its rules, users will struggle to discover your site.
By inserting the right keywords, ticking all the verification boxes, and generally complying with the ever-changing rules of SEO, your B2B website can remain visible and active all year round.
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