How important is search engine optimization SEO when building your new website?

As a global marketplace, the world wide web is a crowded place. A study by Ignite Visibility found that “the top three results on the first page of SERP get almost 47% of all clicks.” Impressive visuals or a one-of-a-kind product won’t make a difference if no one sees your website when they perform an online search. With more than 200 ranking factors affecting your website’s appearance in searches, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Start from the beginning by optimizing for SEO while building your new website.

Perform keyword research to discover your customers’ search intent

Plenty of business owners create their website based on their products and services without much thought into how people find their site in the first place. Being SEO-savvy is crucial to ranking your site on Google. For success, use your keyword list to brainstorm search intent.

• Use a combination of free and paid tools to find keywords, synonyms, and long tail search phrases.
• Talk to your sales team to find out what questions customers ask.
• Perform a Google search and look at their list of other search phrases, plus check out any keywords in ads that pop up.
• Narrow your list using Google Ads to estimate the number of monthly searches and amount of competition.

Use built-in website functions for optimization

A platform, like WordPress, makes it easy to add metadata and organize your site structure. For those unfamiliar with website building, it’s easy to forget to add SEO-rich page titles, category descriptions, and meta tags. Filling in each piece of the puzzle increases your website’s visibility. Also, your metadata serves as a call-to-action on the search engine results page by encouraging users to click through to your website. Every click has the potential to boost your search ranking.

Factor SEO into written and visual content

SEO research extends beyond web copy on your About and product pages. Build an effective website, by optimizing your site’s content and images. Since more searches are completed via voice-activated devices, it’s crucial to use a conversational tone in your writing and clear descriptions for your photos.

• Optimize your web copy by ensuring that your keyword is near the beginning of your title, in the first 100 words of your content, and in at least one H2 header.
• Add the keyword to your image file, alternative tag, and if it fits naturally, then include it in the image description.
• Use clear anchor text that relates to your content and tells the reader exactly what they’ll get when they click.

Close the deal with a solid CTA

Larry Kim, WordStream founder, says “you lose 97% of leads on leaky landing pages.” That’s why every single page on your website requires a straight forward call-to-action. It’s no secret that people are decision-fatigued. Make it easy for them by suggesting they click on a button for a free download or follow a link for further information on your services.

Don’t let your competition snag your customers

Between well-placed keyword-related ads and optimized sites ranking higher on the search engine results page, you need to start your site off using every advantage possible. Today’s websites can’t compete without basic SEO optimization. The longer you sit on page five of the SERP, then the fewer clicks you’ll get, and Google will consider your page more and more irrelevant.

SEO isn’t a one-time activity. It requires continual updating to keep up with our rapidly changing digital world. Miriam Ellis with Moz says that it’s crucial for your website to rank on various Google My Business features, which is why “our very best bet for being included in them is to have the strongest possible website.” Start with a solid SEO strategy, then build upon that powerful base to reach your customers.