2024 is here and while it seems like only yesterday we were celebrating the start of 2023, another year has rolled around. With January comes fresh starts, new business ideas and the chance to look at your current strategies and what you can do to improve your company in the coming months. One of the most important things you need to look at for your business – both old and new – is SEO. So much more than just keywords, it’s an all-encompassing strategy that will bring you in new business, keep your current customers and enable you to grow. To find out more about the importance of understanding SEO for your business, keep on reading.

What exactly is SEO?

SEO – search engine optimization – is the process of getting your website to rank in search engines. Through using an array of techniques and strategies you can improve your readership, make more sales and have your business show up top. This can be a slow process and some techniques might work and others might not so well, but it’s down to you to persevere and see what is best for you. SEO can include (but isn’t limited to):

• Ranking for certain keywords
• Optimising your images
• Generating shareable content
• Writing posts that target keywords
• Social media marketing
• Link building
• Sorting the metadata and description for the back end of your website
• Optimising your website for search engines

Why is SEO so important?

SEO is a vital aspect of your business for many reasons. The main reason behind it is getting your business to rank in search engines and in turn bring in more traffic and general sales. Some of the main points include:

• It gets your business seen by potential clients
• It offers 24/7 promotion without having to purchase ad space
• You can target the entire marketing funnel
• It improves the credibility of your business
• You can improve your annual turnover
• It offers many chances to grow and progress your company
• User experience is improved
• It puts you ahead of the competition 

These are just a few reasons SEO is important and is something you should never stop working on whether you’re a new or old business. 

What are some tips for implementing SEO for your business?

When implementing SEO for your business, it’s not as easy as it once was. Back in the early days you just needed to keyword stuff your site and you’d rank for it. Now, search engines are much cleverer and you need to prove your worth to rank for what your business does. This requires a multi-faceted approach that integrates a number of different tactics. Some of the top ways that you can implement SEO for your business and improve your search presence involves:

Utilise Google’s available tools

When looking to rank on Google, the first thing you need to do is utilise the tools they offer. There are many things to look at, including Google Analytics which means you can see what traffic you are receiving to your site and where it’s coming from. You can also use Google Search Console for SEO reports. This will help you see how your content performs in search results, troubleshoot indexing issues and more.use Google Search Console for SEO reports which will help you see how your content performs in search results, troubleshoot indexing issues and more. These tools come directly from the search engine itself, without any third party involvement meaning you will get the best idea of how your content is doing and what you can do to improve it.

Speak to a professional

If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed with the amount of SEO knowledge you feel you need to know, or if you’re just completely snowed under, don’t despair. There are a myriad of SEO companies out there that can help you with all or some elements of your search engine optimization. It could be that you need someone to teach you the basics and then you can carry on yourself, or that you want someone to take it over entirely. Perhaps you know the basics of SEO but want someone to do the tech side or write articles for your blog. No matter what you’re looking for, you’re sure to find it. Make sure to read reviews and check their pricing aligns with your business model so that it’s viable for a length of time.

Retain authenticity for your business

Google values authenticity and it’s thought that sites which put readers’ value above just ranking high on search engines, might actually do better. You want content that’s useful, shareable and authentic, rather than hashing out the same things as everyone else. While SEO needs to be an important part of your marketing strategy, you also want to make sure you think of why you’re doing what you’re doing. Whenever you make decisions, think of your target audience and those that use your site. After all, there’s no point in being easy to find if once people do find you, they click off and don’t convert to sales.

Make the most of social media

Another layer in your business plan needs to be your social media. While this might feel like yet another thing to consider, social media can be an integral part for both retaining your current customers and reaching new ones. Think about the social media that would work best for what you’re offering and the age range of your customers. TikTok and Instagram are great tools for very visual content such as images and videos, Twitter is good for snapshots of information and Facebook is best for sharing offers and blog posts. Do your research and don’t be afraid to switch up your technique once you’ve found what works best.

Do your research

Research is an important part of understanding SEO and needs to be something you continually stay on top of. The Google algorithms and tactics you need to adopt can change all the time so you want to stay up to date with these. There are training courses you can go on, as well as blog posts written by SEO experts and others that you can read and share. Keep a check on social media hashtags and press releases which can also keep you up to date. 

Don’t be afraid to change up your tactics

One of the main things you need to keep in mind when implementing SEO for your business is not being afraid to change up your tactics. What might work for a while could plateau or dip and things you might not have tried before could start bringing you success. It can be a good idea to try lots of different things to see what works then you can shuffle around your technique once you’ve got a bit of clarification. The same goes if you’re spending any budget on your SEO and marketing to see what areas it’s best to focus on for this.

These are just a few reasons why you need to know about SEO for your company and how you can utilise it to bring in new business in the new year. Many new year resolutions are given up after the first couple of weeks, but sticking to this one can see you really improve the way you work. It can seem like slow progress at first, but soon you’ll see the difference. What are some top tips you have for SEO and implementing a successful strategy? Let us know in the comments below.