SEO (Search Engine Optimization) can be categorised by two main types; onsite and offsite. In this blog post, I'll go over what Offsite SEO is and how you can increase your chances of being found on Page 1 of Google.
Onsite SEO is all the things you do on your website to to enable your clients or customers to find you when they search for your products or services on Google.
Offsite SEO is the process of having other websites link back to your own. These are called 'backlinks'. As far as the Google search engine algorithm goes, it plays a major part of proving your authority as a business.
Examples of Offsite SEO
1. Google My Business
If you run a physical or online business that customers or clients visit, you are able to set up a Google My Business Profile.
Google loves it when you use their tools. I recommend posting on your Google my Business listing once a week. Think of it as its own social media platform. Some ideas for content:
- Photos and videos
- Links to your blog posts
- Industry conferences or workshops you’ve attended
- Industry specific updates/key info
- Offers
- Links to freebies (from your website)
Things not to post:
- Memes
- Quotes
- GIF’s
Also important, to have a good photo of yourself, your business logo and a banner image, that shows a bit about your business.
2. Reviews on Google my Business
When you’ve been working with a client for a while, or finish a project, send them a text with the link to the Google Review section. Make it super easy for them to provide a quick few words about your service. Having a great google rating with multiple reviews really helps you rank well.
3. Backlinks
Backlinks are paths to your website from other reliable sources. This could be from business directories (i.e. Chamber of Commerce), or from other industry specific websites. As an example, all of the websites I build as a designer, have a link on the bottom linking through to my website as the designer.
4. Business Directories
Business directories are a good option because they provide a link back to your site which is great for boosting your local search rankings. There are free and paid directories available.
I recommend you have a look at your local business associations and if any have online business directories. Important guidelines:
1. Don’t copy & paste your info across directories. Google frowns on duplicate content, so change it around a bit, use different photos if you can. Always use your company logo or profile photo.
2. Quality over quantity. There are a lot of directory sites (free & paid) online for New Zealand businesses. Yellow Online and Neighbourly are a couple of great options. Do a bit of research and find ones that are right for you and that you can tell have up to date content.
4. Blogging
The purpose of blogging for SEO is to highlight your knowledge and industry experience.
I recommend having a think about how often you could comfortably write a blog or piece of content. Monthly would be a great start. Write a list of all the things you know about and could write some content around.
Find it hard to sit down and write? You could use a tool such as otter.ai or another voice recorder and dictate some thoughts while you’re in the car driving.
Each of your blogs should be focused around ‘long tail keywords’. That means what someone would search for in Google if they needed something specific. Here are a couple of examples:
“Residential electrician in Hamilton”
“Farmstay accommodation that's pet friendly in the South Island”
“Tennis shoes for women in Tauranga"
5. Guest Blogging
Reach out to other businesses (even current or past clients) and offer to write a blog for their website about something relevant for both parties. This provides a backlink from a well ranking website to your own and they get good current content for their site (win/win!)
6. Social Media
Keep your social media channels updated regularly with relevant, useful content with links back to your website. Make sure to include call to actions (i.e. book a call, phone us) on all posts that are promoting your services.
Make it easy for people to contact you by including your name, email and other contact info on all your social media platforms.
Building up your SEO ranking is a continuous process, definitely not a set and forget thing. The above suggestions, along with great Onsite SEO can give your business more chances of being recognised by Google. Good luck with your SEO building and if you need advice around any of the above, book a call with me today.
About the Author
Melanie Cosford juggles being a mum to her 5 year old daughter with running her own small business Melanco Consulting in Hamilton, New Zealand.
Passionate about designing beautiful and affordable websites, she loves to embrace the latest technology to make you stand out online. She also gets a real kick out of implementing a new system or app into a business to help her clients be more productive.