Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a pretty big deal, and every business with an online presence should at least have a basic understanding of what SEO is and how it works. Learn the fundamentals of SEO for small businesses in this guide.
Honestly, it's all about what you're used to---or at least, that's been my experience. Both platforms can do the trick if you are well-versed in them. However, as a writer, I can tell you that one definitely tends to do better when it comes to keywords.
Honestly, it's all about what you're used to---or at least, that's been my experience. Both platforms can do the trick if you are well-versed in them. However, as a writer, I can tell you that one definitely tends to do better when it comes to keywords.
However, when it comes to the features for the price point, I'll make a couple of notes below:
1) Moz Pro is generally going to be the same price or cheaper. That's a huge win in the world of business where every penny counts.
2) Both Moz and Ahrefs have good on-page optimization ideas. You can't go wrong with either for this.
3) Moz tends to focus on who linked you, while Ahrefs tends to look at who you links. Ahrefs also happens to be more visual than Moz in this respect. Some people adore that, others don't. If you're visual, you're good to go.
4) Moz cannot give you a list of keywords a site ranks for if you give it a URL. Ahrefs can.
5) Ahrefs Keyword Explorer will help you find new keywords. Moz doesn't have that, but can give you a Keyword Difficulty ranker tool.
They are both just as effective as each other. Wordpress has the benefit of plugins that can help with certain aspects and E-commerce solutions such as woocommerce is quite good. Shopify however, is buitl with E-commerce sites in mind and is also very good for SEO. If you are looking for an external ... expand
They are both just as effective as each other. Wordpress has the benefit of plugins that can help with certain aspects and E-commerce solutions such as woocommerce is quite good. Shopify however, is buitl with E-commerce sites in mind and is also very good for SEO.
If you are looking for an external person to handle the SEO, then most companies should know how to effectively run an effective SEO compaign for both content management sytems. If you are planning on doing the SEO yourself, then it depends on how much coding knowledge you currently have. Most people that we speak to that attempt to do their own SEO find that Wordpress is easier than Shopify solely as they have more plugins to help them around certain elements such as minifying and caching JS and CSS files.
There are many ways I'd recommend to learn SEO that I'd recommend. First, study. I spent many years reading articles written by SEO experts such as Neil Patel to learn how to optimize my website content for search engines. I still read as many articles as I find time for. Then, I incorporated ... expand
There are many ways I'd recommend to learn SEO that I'd recommend. First, study. I spent many years reading articles written by SEO experts such as Neil Patel to learn how to optimize my website content for search engines. I still read as many articles as I find time for. Then, I incorporated listening to podcasts about SEO in addition to reading articles. I recommend the podcast Search News You can use by Marie Haynes. Next, I added watching videos to listening to podcasts and reading blog posts. I watch Ahrefs videos many nights a week. Finally, I learned by trial and error-- seeing what works and what doesn't. For instance, I learned the hard way what keywords my content can rank for and the difficulty level of the content my keywords can't rank for. All these methods will help you learn SEO and save you thousands of dollars on SEO courses you don't need to spend.
SEO doesn't have to be expensive unless you're in a very competitive space. It's mostly about making the right decision when building your website, then spending some time on creating content that has value and making sure you're know for it. I would break it down into 3 big chunks:Technical ... expand
SEO doesn't have to be expensive unless you're in a very competitive space. It's mostly about making the right decision when building your website, then spending some time on creating content that has value and making sure you're know for it. I would break it down into 3 big chunks:
Technical improvements: that's what a lot of people think when they talk about SEO. It's important but only one part of the equation. The passing grade here is not that complex in most cases: make sure your website renders well on mobile, loads decently fast, etc.
Content: try to answer a simple question "does the content on my page answers perfectly the reason that drove people to search on Google?". Figure out what people are googling when looking for something you can offer (keyword research), write good content, demonstrate your expertise.
Offsite: the initial assumption of Google's algo is that if a content is good, it will have other website mentionning/linking to it. So work on your PR, work with people in your industry, etc. and make sure they mention you for the good work you're doing (with a link).
This is a very short summary and obviously only the tip of the iceberg. Each of those aspects can be worth spending thousands of dollars on every month, it all depends on what marketing channels are relevant to your business.
Number one is quality blogging. Like this site, I accept submissions to my BLOG (Monday Motivational Moment), but I find the quality of writing is poor and mostly just self promotion. You absolutely must add value to the reader, be on topic for the BLOG you write for, be entertaining, and produce articles ... expand
Number one is quality blogging. Like this site, I accept submissions to my BLOG (Monday Motivational Moment), but I find the quality of writing is poor and mostly just self promotion. You absolutely must add value to the reader, be on topic for the BLOG you write for, be entertaining, and produce articles which take about 90 seconds to read.
AdWords, and their equivalent on LinkedIN and other sites, can be very expensive if the conversion rate is low. I have found, in the initial stages of an Adword campaign, the most common click is from a competitor wondering what you are up to - ouch!
If you are just after cheep traffic (fellow SavvySME's please don't hit me) try some of the traffic builders on sites like fiver.com - but use with caution. You are unlikely to get conversions - but will get traffic.
Word of caution - do not use any of the BLOG 'spin' services as this is a quick way of getting black listed by Google.
SEMRush and BuzzSumo are both excellent for content research and ideation. However, I've used both and I can honestly say that SEMRush is my personal favorite. Here's the main differences people notice with it:
SEMRush has a stronger handle on keywords and can offer an "article ... expand
SEMRush and BuzzSumo are both excellent for content research and ideation. However, I've used both and I can honestly say that SEMRush is my personal favorite. Here's the main differences people notice with it:
SEMRush has a stronger handle on keywords and can offer an "article outline" that tells you what you should expect to write in order to rank,
BuzzSumo's generally seen as easier in terms of onboarding, naviagation, and business amenities. SEMRush takes longer to learn, but is generally more amenity-filled.
SEMRush has a number of important factors that make it easier for you to get the scoop on good topics. This includes trend analysis, content direction, and competitor analysis.
The keyword trackers on SEMRush are mint. As in, they're amazing.
SEMRush is also best for smaller businesses that can't afford to make many mistakes. Why? Because their analytics are more accurate and in-depth.
SEO is just as important for accountants and bookkeepers as it is for businesses in other industries. If you are providing bookkeeping and accounting services in local areas, SEO can help you target and attract local clients and increase your brand awareness. Research by Backlino shows that the first ... expand
SEO is just as important for accountants and bookkeepers as it is for businesses in other industries. If you are providing bookkeeping and accounting services in local areas, SEO can help you target and attract local clients and increase your brand awareness. Research by Backlino shows that the first organic search result on Google has an average click-through rate of 31.7% and is 10 times more likely to get a click than the result in 10th place. The high-ranking sites are there for a reason, i.e. Google has established that these sites are authoritative, credible and deserving of ranking at the top. Moreover, if you rank higher than your competitors, you’re in much better stead to win clients.
Some SEO tips for bookkeepers and accountants include:
Create a blog to demonstrate thought leadership in your field. Creating high-quality and share-worthy content may also help you build backlinks to your site.
Create social media accounts for your business and share your blogs.
Conduct keyword research to identify the key bookkeeping/accounting terms and queries your target audience is searching for. This will help you inform and structure your website content.
Create a Google My Business (GMB) page, ensuring all key information is completed correctly.
Ask clients to leave reviews on your GMB page.
It’s definitely worth setting aside a few hours each week to invest in optimising your website SEO. If you have the budget, you can also consider outsourcing to an SEO agency.
Did you know that 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine? (BrightEdge)
From humble beginnings, search engines have grown in complexity and sophistication to become the most widely used online tool.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a pretty big deal, and every business in {year} should at least have a basic understanding of what SEO is and how it works.
If you’re new to SEO, welcome to the party. You’re about to transform your digital marketing for your business.
And if you’re looking to brush up on your existing SEO knowledge and keep up to date with current SEO trends and insights, you’re in the right place.
What is search engine optimisation (SEO)?
SEO stands for “search engine optimisation” and is the practice of generating the quantity and quality of targeted website traffic through the organic rankings of a search engine.
In essence, SEO is both the science and the art of optimising your website to rank high on the organic (or unpaid) listings on a search engine.
Let’s paint an example: If you operate a plumbing business in Sydney, you want to rank first on the first page at the top of the organic results when someone types in “plumbers in Sydney”.
The first three organic search results get 75.1% of all clicks (Backlino).
What is search engine marketing (SEM)?
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a part of the broader discipline of online marketing, and incorporates both Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and paid advertising through tools like Google Adwords.
A central part of both of these disciplines is keyword research and analysis.
By determining the most appropriate and cost-effective keywords to target, and by using SEO and paid techniques, they raise your search ranking.
SEO is used to increase your organic search ranking over time, which puts you in the unpaid results for a given search, whereas paid advertising can immediately put you on the first page of results (typically in sections known to users as paid ads).
Because SEO can be a slow process, and because your search ranking relies partly on your website traffic, paid advertising is an essential part of SEM – especially while you are still trying to establish a consistent stream of visitors.
Higher search engine rankings correlate with a higher conversion of impressions – which means that more of the people who see your search listing actually click through to your website.
Why is SEO important?
We search for almost everything online nowadays. Our search queries are often very specific with high intent to find an answer or solution, hence why optimising your website for your audience and their queries are so vitally important.
The whole point of paid advertising, social media and other digital marketing strategies is to drive traffic to your website, right? Well, nothing drives online traffic quite like search engines.
In fact, SEO drives more than 1000% more traffic than organic social media (BrightEdge).
How often do you actually click on the sponsored ads at the top of Google? As users, we are much more trusting of organic content as it’s more credible. In fact, 70-80% of users ignore paid ads and click on an organic result (imFORZA).
SEO is an important strategy for every business with an online presence as it can continue to offer a return over time (when it’s done right).
When you invest the time and effort into optimising your web content, you will be more likely to drive a continuous stream of organic traffic as opposed to momentary traffic from paid advertising.
Image source: directiveconsulting.com
How does SEO work?
When you type a or speak a query into a search engine like Google, have you ever stopped to think about why certain websites appear at the top? We’re not talking about the pay-per-click (PPC) ads at the top (businesses pay big money for those), but the organic listings just below.
Well, SEO is how websites get to the top of the rankings.
Here’s how it works: A search engine has a web crawler or spider that collects information about all of the content it can find on the internet.
The crawler brings all the information back to the search engine to build an index.
The index is then sifted through an algorithm to match the most relevant content with your specific search query.
What are search engines looking for?
Google. Bing. Yahoo. Baidu. DuckDuckGo. There are various search engines. However, Google has over 70% of the market share (HubSpot, 2020). Needless to say, Google towers over all other options.
Ensuring you are easy to find through Google and other search tools is a vital part of attracting traffic and building a healthy business.
But what are search engines looking for when it comes to rankings? How do they determine which website provides the “best result”?
Here are the things search engines look for:
The relevancy of your content - the relevancy of your content in relation to the keywords and search queries you are targeting
The quality of your content - how authentic, valuable and digestible your content is for users
User experience (UX) - UX and SEO share the common goal of giving users the most efficient experience using your website
Site speed - the slower your web pages take to load, the fewer pages a search engine can crawl (and the chances you have to rank)
Responsive design - ensuring your website is optimised for different devices (e.g. mobile, tablets and desktop) can benefit your SEO
Internal linking - hyperlinks that direct the user to specific pages on your website
Domain authority (DA) - the relevancy of your website in relation to a specific subject area scored from 0-100
Metadata - meta tags (e.g. meta title and description) that display key information about your website.
What are the different types of SEO?
There are three types of SEO: on-page SEO, off-page SEO and technical SEO.
What is on-page SEO?
On-page SEO consists of any optimisation that you do directly on your website to improve the relevancy, quality and value of your content.
On-page SEO tells a search engine that your website is useful, detailed and relevant to a user’s query.
How do you do on-page optimisation in SEO?
You can do on-page SEO optimisation by implementing the following on-page SEO components:
Keywords
URL slug
Title tag (H1)
Meta description
Heading tags
Images
Alt tags
Content
Internal linking
Speed
Mobile-friendliness
How do you choose the best keywords for SEO?
Keywords are super important. They are the words and phrases people type into a search bar to find content that will answer their query or take them to a place where they will find out.
There are various steps to choosing the best keywords to optimise your content.
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes: What keywords are they likely to use to find your product and service?
See what your competitors are doing: What body and long tail keywords are your competitors using on their site? What about the keywords in their meta title and descriptions?
Use SEO keyword research tools: Keyword research tools like SEMrush and Moz make choosing keywords so much easier. Gather data on keyword volume, competition, trends and long tail content ideas.
What is off-page SEO?
Off-page or off-site SEO involves the actions taken away from your own website to improve your website’s relevance, authority and trustworthiness - and ultimately, your ranking.
Some examples of off-page SEO include:
Backlinks (this is a really important one - we’ll dive into this a bit more in a minute)
Guest blogging
Social media marketing
Influencer marketing
What are backlinks and why are they important in SEO?
A backlink is simply when one website links to another website. Backlinks are the bread and butter of off-page SEO.
Why? Because when another website links to your website, it tells the search engine that your content is credible and trustworthy.
Backlinking is a way of telling Google, “I vouch for this website”.
What are the different types of backlinks?
There are numerous types of backlinks you can use for SEO.
Editorial backlinks
Guest blogging
Relationship-based backlinks
Directories (general and niche)
Sitewide backlinks
Paid backlinks
Badge backlinks
Business profile backlinks
What is an example of a backlink?
Here is an example of a backlink:
What is technical SEO?
Technical SEO refers to all of the things that ensure your website meets the requirements of a search engine. If you’ve done the keyword research, optimised all of your content but don’t have the technical SEO in place, your efforts will go to waste as your site won’t rank.
The basic elements of technical SEO include:
Crawling: When a search engine crawls your web pages to find new and updated content whether it’s a PDF, web page, video or image. If the content is deemed good enough, it’s added to a database (indexing) to rank in search engine results.
Indexing: Content added by the crawler is processed and stored in the index and ranked on the basis of how well it solves user search queries.
Rendering: Rendering is similar to indexing, but it focuses on the user experience of your site content (e.g. structure and layout of the site) as opposed to HTML coding. It then uses this information to decide how a page should rank.
Website architecture: This refers to how web pages are structured and linked together. Good website architecture helps users and search engine crawlers alike navigate through a website easily.
Are there any drawbacks of search engine optimisation?
The only real drawback is that SEM can take time to produce worthwhile results. While you will begin to see traffic immediately with paid techniques, you will find that gaining a valuable position in the organic search listings could take weeks or even months.
If you are in a highly competitive niche, this may also require significant financial investment and a well-crafted strategy.
What are some common SEO technical issues?
SEO issues that can upset search engines and have a negative impact on rankings include:
Keyword stuffing: Using unnecessary repetition of target keywords in an attempt to rank for that keyword in search engines.
Excessive links: Low-quality or unnatural links (also known as spam links) and purchased/exchanged links can be penalised by Google as it sees that as an attempt to manipulate the organic search results. Be careful in your link building.
Duplicate content: Content that appears more than once on the same site can lower your rankings on Google.
Hidden links and texts: Hidden links and text violate Google Webmaster guidelines as they are viewed as an attempt to manipulate organic search results.
What are SEO best practices?
SEO best practices refer to the things you can do to start improving your website ranking.
A quick search online will present you with an array of things you can do to boost your rankings, but we’ve picked the cream of the crop.
Here are some of the best SEO practices in {year} you can start implementing for your business:
Always write for the user first, search engines second
Position your keywords early on in your content
Avoid duplicate content
Use high-quality titles
Track the performance of your content regularly
Build backlinks
Use internal linking
Prioritise user experience (UX)
How do I measure the return on investment (ROI) of SEO results?
Good SEO can take considerable time, effort (and money if you decide to outsource), so of course it’s important to measure the ROI of your SEO performance.
There are several key performance indicators (KPIs) you can use to track and measure your results:
Organic click-through rates
Leads and conversions
Bounce rate
Average session duration
How do I build an SEO strategy?
Developing an SEO strategy or an SEO approach is the first step to improving your search engine rankings.
You can develop an SEO strategy by following these steps:
Analyse your competitors
Create a list of topics
Build pages for each topic
Create clusters of keywords
Optimise for all types of SEO
Measure, review and iterate
Stay on top of the latest SEO trends
How long does it take for SEO to kick in?
SEO is a slow burner and it usually takes several months to start seeing results. But remember: when the results start to kick in, they will grow steadily over time for long-term visibility of your website.
Can I do SEO myself?
The short answer to this question is yes - you can certainly do SEO yourself.
With enough research and practice, you can learn how to do SEO for your business and start climbing the ranks of Google.
There is a wide range of awesome SEO tools and software that can help you do so.
However, if you do decide to do your own SEO you will need to be confident with the fundamentals of SEO to ensure your efforts aren’t in vain.
You will also need to stay afloat of SEO trends and industry insights, as Google and other search algorithms are updated regularly.
Should I hire an SEO agency?
SEO can seem quite complex to get the hang of, which is why many businesses hire an SEO agency or SEO specialist.
They are experts in identifying the areas in which your website is lacking for SEO and implementing strategies to improve rankings.
You can post a project and we will introduce you to the best SEO agencies who can help.
FAQ
How do I hire an SEO company?
There are some important considerations and questions to ask before you hire an SEO company. These include:
Be wary of offers that seem too good to be true
What is their process when it comes to taking on new clients?
What sets this agency apart from others?
What is the agency’s SEO processes?
Can they provide a mixture of quick wins and long-term growth?
What SEO tools do they use?
How will they measure progress and provide feedback to you?
Do they have any case studies or success stories from previous clients?
How do they price their services?
Why do I need SEO for my business?
SEO helps people find your website easily by appearing on the first or top pages of a search engine results page. It also equips you with the things you need to rank amongst and even beat the biggest companies in your industry. If you’re not focusing on SEO, you’re missing out.
