In 2024, SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) remains a critical tool for businesses who want to strengthen their online presence and reach their target audience. Understanding and applying modern SEO strategies can significantly improve your website’s visibility on search engines like Google. This can lead to increased website traffic, customer engagement, and - ultimately - sales. This guide will walk you through the basics of SEO, how to use it effectively for your business. We also touch on how partnering with companies like Merchant Capital can support your growth.
Let’s understand SEO in 2024
Search Engine Optimisation is a fancy way of saying you tweak your website backend, and the words on your website, in a bid to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) for important keywords.
What is a keyword?
Well, it is the phrase, or term, that best sums up your services or products. So, you’re a dentist in Bellville. Your keywords are “dentist in Bellville”, “dentist near me”, “best dentist in cape town”, etc. It is not your company name. There are only two types of people who search for your company by name: your clients - who don’t need to find out more about you, and - let’s be honest - you!
No, your keyword is the thing you offer that you desperately want your prospective customer to find you under.
How does Google know my keywords?
Search engines like Google have one priority - it is to provide the best answer to a user’s question or query. The ‘spiders’ crawl the whole world’s websites and they use complex algorithms to determine which pages are most relevant to users' queries. The more content or words on a page you have with keywords that are relevant to your prospective audience’s queries, the higher your website ranks, the more likely it is to attract organic (non-paid) traffic.
This complex algorithm is constantly changing. So, we need to stay up to date with the latest changes, and make sure that our websites have useful, meaningful content for our target audience. No shortcuts here!
In 2024, SEO has evolved to include several key elements
- User Experience (UX): Search engines increasingly prioritise websites that offer a seamless user experience. This includes fast loading times, easy navigation, and mobile responsiveness. Websites that are difficult to use or slow to load may see a decline in rankings.
- Quality Content: Content remains king in the SEO world. However, the focus is now on producing high-quality, authoritative content that provides real value to users. Content that answers user queries comprehensively and is well-structured is more likely to rank higher.
- E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): Google emphasises the importance of E-A-T in its ranking criteria. Businesses should ensure their content is created by experts, is accurate, and is trustworthy. This can be demonstrated through author bios, links to credible sources, and consistent, high-quality content. You can also add your Google Reviews on your website so that people can see you are the trusted go-to in your industry.
- Keyword Research and Optimisation: While the days of keyword stuffing are long gone, keyword research is still crucial. Identifying the right keywords—those that are relevant to your business and have a reasonable search volume—helps in targeting the right audience. These keywords should be naturally integrated into your content, meta descriptions, and headers.
- Voice Search Optimisation: With the rise of smart speakers and voice assistants, optimising for voice search is becoming increasingly important. Voice search queries tend to be longer and more conversational, so focusing on natural language and question-based keywords can help capture this growing segment.
- Local SEO: For businesses with a physical presence, local SEO is essential. This involves optimising your Google My Business profile, gathering customer reviews, and ensuring your business appears in local searches. Local SEO is particularly important for small businesses that rely on foot traffic or serve a specific geographic area.
- Technical SEO: Technical aspects of your website, such as site architecture, XML sitemaps, and structured data, play a vital role in SEO. Ensuring that your website is technically sound helps search engines crawl and index your site more effectively.
- Link Building: Building a network of high-quality backlinks from reputable websites signals to search engines that your site is credible and authoritative. Guest blogging, partnerships, and creating shareable content are effective ways to earn backlinks.
How to Use SEO for Your Business
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use SEO for your business’s website.
- Do an SEO Audit: This sounds intimidating, but it simply means find out what state your current website is in as far as SEO goes. Use tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and third-party SEO tools like SEMrush or SEO Optimizer to identify areas for improvement.
- Optimise Your Website: If your website is slow, look for a better hosting company with dedicated servers, like Domains or Xneelo to improve your website’s speed, mobile compatibility, and user experience. Ensure your site structure is logical and easy to navigate, and fix any broken links or errors.
- Create and Optimise Content: Develop a content strategy that aligns with your business goals. Create blog posts, articles, videos, and other content types that address your target audience's needs. This is where you make use of relevant keywords naturally that focus on delivering value.
- Engage in Local SEO: If your business serves a local market, claim and optimise your Google My Business listing. Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews and ensure your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across all online platforms.
- Build High-Quality Backlinks: Network with other businesses, industry influencers, and bloggers to build backlinks to your site. Ensure that these links are from reputable sources to boost your site’s credibility. Or, you can make use of a marketing agency to help you with these things, so that you can focus on working in your business. Read our blog on what to look for in a marketing agency.
- Monitor and Adjust: SEO is not a one-time task. Regularly monitor your website’s performance and adjust your strategies based on the latest trends and algorithm updates. Tools like Google Analytics and SEMrush can provide insights into how your SEO efforts are performing.
The bottom line
SEO can be a complex and time-consuming process, especially for small businesses with limited resources. This is where partnering with companies like Merchant Capital can be beneficial. Merchant Capital offers financial support and business growth solutions tailored to small businesses. By providing access to capital and industry expertise, Merchant Capital enables businesses to invest in SEO and other growth strategies, helping them compete effectively in the digital landscape.
Mastering SEO in 2024 is essential for businesses who want to thrive online. When it comes to SEO, there are simply no shortcuts. Focus on user experience, quality content, and technical optimisation, and leverage partnerships with growth-focused companies like Merchant Capital. This way, you can create a strong online presence that drives success for your business.
