Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a process Web Developers and System Administrators use to tweak and enhance a website so that it can rank higher on a search engine's list. With any search engine, when typing in what you are searching for, the first results you see are websites the search engine deems most appropriate for you. If your website doesn't rank highly on search engine results, then you need to implement some SEO strategies.

Pure SEO is complex. Employing the skills of an SEO consultant is a wise choice to help your website rank well on Search Engines. At Jubec, we develop long term strategies for businesses that increases their exposure on the internet. However, as unusual as this sounds, an SEO subscription is not required for every business.

When is an SEO subscription not required?

SEO works by tailoring the content of your website so that it is recognised by search phrases people type into their search engines. An SEO expert will analyse your business. They will analyse your market, discovering what people type into their search engines to try and find products or services like yours. This analysis is necessary to determine what types of phrases are the most popular amongst people, and which key phrases should be utilised within your website to expose it to the largest audience possible.

Recently, we had a client come to us requesting SEO for their business, and after we performed an SEO analysis for them, we realised that there were very few people searching for their type of service. It also revealed there were very few businesses or services like theirs in the region, meaning they had almost full autonomy on the market. Importantly, it also meant their website would rank on page one of search engines quite easily, especially when the the necessary key words and key phrases were being used within their website. For this client, we recommended developing a Social Media marketing campaign instead.

What you can do yourself

There are various things every business with a website should undertake that will always enhance their website's credibility, as well as help their website and business rank higher on Search Engines:

• Get on Google+ for Business: A Google+ page for your business is a must! Registering your business with Google not only demonstrates to Google you are a credible and legitimate business, but it also helps your website rank higher in Google Search results.
• Google Maps: Ensure you set up your business to display on Google Maps. If your business is set up on Google Maps correctly, not only will your business show up in organic search results, it will also show up on a map for various searches. Take a look at the image below. When typing in 'Law Firms Launceston' into google, the map instantly shows businesses which meet the search criteria, and will only show businesses that are registered on Google Maps.

  

  The Google Maps listings have a number of advantages over those businesses not listed:

  1. Businesses listed on Google Maps get displayed before any organic search results are listed.
  2. Not only does it show your business on the map, but clearly shows other information such as opening times, contact phone numbers and reviews. It even provides directions to your business.
  3. It's shows your business independently from what Google's search results display. What this means is, your business can end up being listed twice on the first page of a Google Search.

  Good SEO combined with correct registration of your business will give you a professional listing on Google Maps.

• Don't forget Bing Search Engine: Like Google, Bing offers similar products for businesses, and your business should be registered with Microsoft's Bing Places for business. Not everyone uses Google to search for information on the internet, and capitalising on the free services offered by Microsoft is recommended.
• Be on Social Media: Create a business page on Facebook, and actively use it. Search engines prefer to see businesses being active, and social media is one way they track it. What's important is to make sure a link to your website is on your Social Media pages.
• List your business in the Yellow Pages and White Pages: Many people believe that the traditional phone directories are obsolete, and there is no need for them. Search engines, such as Google, will rank websites and businesses higher when a credible listing is in these directories. Why is this the case? One of the factors that rank a website is the links from one website to another, and how credible the two websites are. When your website is listed in the Yellow Pages and White pages, the online versions of these websites list your business and list your website. Both the Yellow Pages and White Pages directories are solid links for your business, and help search engines gauge the credibility of your business.
• Update your website regularly: Most websites these days have the ability for you to log in and update the content yourself. Create new articles for your website, and share those articles on your social media accounts. Search Engines will factor how often your website is updated, and will penalise websites that do not change.

And that's IT!

or is that meant to say 'And that's I.T.'? These are some simple things you can do that benefit the online credibility of your website on the internet! Naturally, Jubec Systems can offer great advice for your website and online presence.