Organic search drives 53% of all web traffic.
That’s more than social and paid search combined!
In other words, whether you’re running a blog or a service-based business, SEO should be your top priority when it comes to driving more traffic to your website.
But, if you’re selling services, you probably know that this is a little trickier than it sounds, which makes working with a digital marketing company worthwhile.
After all, you can’t show off any product photos because you don’t sell products. Naturally, this makes the job of earning peoples’ trust a bit harder. Besides, you need to attract the right kind of traffic. That’s where content comes in.
That said, let’s take a look at the best practices for your content and SEO strategy. We’ll start talking about the content. Then we’ll take a look at SEO.
Content
The reason we’ve put content first is that Google loves it.
As a result, blogs can experience a 434% increase in indexed pages and a boost in inbound links by 97%.
In other words, you can’t go wrong with creating content. And as we’ve said, this is a great way to earn the trust of potential customers.
So let’s take a look at how you can use content effectively.
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Be original
For starters, you’ll need to come up with the content on your own. Sure, copying your competitors may be appealing at first. After all, creating content takes a lot of time.
Besides, service-based businesses are usually very specific. Consequently, service-based businesses that operate in the same niche are usually similar to one another.
So what’s the harm in borrowing parts of their content, like service pages, right?
Here’s the thing: Google will register this as duplicate content, meaning that your rankings will take a significant hit.
That said, it’s always best to use your own words. Of course, this also applies to your own content.
You shouldn’t copy the text from one page and paste it on the other, as it still counts as duplicate content. What’s more, you’ll come off as lazy and unprofessional in the eyes of your visitors.
Besides, why copy your competitors when you can be better than them?
Be sure to check out their content and see where there might be room for improvement, as their word count per article.
Why does that matter?
Blog posts 1500-2000 words in length usually rank the highest in the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). So, if your competitors’ average word count is lower than that, you’ve got an opportunity to take over.
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Provide value
When you’re creating content, be informative. Give visitors a little extra information that will help them in the long run.
Users will see that you’re not only out to take their money, but you genuinely want to help them. This will earn you their trust, making them more likely to choose you over your competitors.
For example, if you’re running a plumbing company, give visitors tips on dealing with a blocked drain or maintaining their plumbing correctly.
You won’t need to post articles daily. Posting weekly or monthly should be enough.
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Be consistent
One thing that visitors hate is inconsistency. Make sure that your blog posts display the correct information and go hand in hand with what kind of services you offer.
Consistency also applies to other types of content. For example, if you’ve got two business phone numbers, always place them together. Otherwise, you may give visitors the impression that your business is illegitimate.
Speaking of phone numbers, they need to be easy to find. Someone who’s dealing with an emergency will likely not have the patience to wander around your website until they find your contact details.
Also, consider integrating a chatbot so users can get quick answers about your pricing, for example. This way, they won’t have to bother calling you. The future of service is digital, after all.
SEO
Although great content will increase your rankings, it’s not enough. You’ll still need to do some SEO tweaks. Let’s see how.
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Build separate pages for separate services
Google ranks web pages, not websites.
That said, if your business offers multiple services, it’s always better to create dedicated web pages for each one of them.
Let’s say that you run a digital marketing company and you offer SEO, PPC, and Social Media services. Chances are that most of your clientele will either pick one or the other rather than going for the complete package.
This means that the search query from someone looking for SEO will be different from those who want PPC services.
If you build separate web pages, you’ll rank for the specific keywords users are typing when looking for these services.
In other words, a web page dedicated to a specific service will rank higher than a single webpage that showcases everything you offer.
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Have a sitemap
A sitemap is a file that lists your website’s pages, their content, and the correlation between them.
But what does this have to do with SEO?
Search engine bots use these sitemaps to navigate through your website more efficiently. That said, sitemaps tell search engine crawlers which pages or files you consider are important, and thus, index them first.
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Focus on local SEO
Even though your company may run on a national or global level, local SEO is still not to be ignored. Not to mention how important it is if you’re operating only locally.
Experts at Digital Silk, a design agency Chicago, say that displaying social proof is crucial for earning the users’ trust. Most users trust online reviews just as much as recommendations from their friends.
Local SEO displays customer reviews directly on the SERP. So if a user searches for the services you offer and the first thing he sees is your company name followed by a number of positive reviews, you already started off on a good note.
Besides, if you show up both in the top stops of the organic and local results, you’ll occupy more real estate. As a result, users will be more likely to enter your webpage.
Speaking of reviews, make sure to display them within your website as well, especially testimonials.
But how do you encourage users to post reviews or come up with testimonials?
Requiring them to do it or giving them something in return is a big no-no!
Sure, it may work at first, but it’s not the way to go around it. For starters, you’ll appear pushy in the customers’ eyes, potentially losing them as a result.
Secondly, these types of reviews are often superficial, and users will be able if that’s the case. But, surprisingly, a few negative reviews can work in your favor. That’s because users will know that the reviews you display are honest.
You should instead ask politely, via follow-up emails, for example.
Takeaways
In terms of content, you’ve got to focus on earning people’s trust by offering tips or how-to guides.
Also, make sure that your contact details, including your phone number, email address, and physical address, are easy to spot. This will let visitors know that your business is legitimate.
Regarding SEO, build a web page dedicated to each service you offer. Also, have a sitemap so crawlers could navigate your website, and most importantly, focus on local SEO.
Author bio:
Tomas is a digital marketing specialist and a freelance blogger. His work is focusing on new web tech trends and digital voice distribution across different channels.
