Starting a Business Website? Here are 9 SEO Tips for Beginners

SEO can be a tricky beast if you haven't dealt with it before. If you're starting a website for your business, then you're in the right place. In this article, we're discussing the top 9 SEO tips for beginners in 2018 so you can launch with success.

Starting a new business is an exciting time for any entrepreneur. There's also a lot of work involved.
Between filing the right paperwork to form your business, deciding on a name, and whether or not you want to hire employees. You may feel as though your to-do list is endless.

Then there's your website. Without a website, it's hard to run a successful business. And even if you have one, if you aren't using search engine optimization, you're severely limiting your visibility.

But SEO is a tricky beast, especially if you're new to it. Which is why we want to help. Keep reading to learn the nine best SEO tips for beginners.

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1. SEO Tips for Beginners Should Start With Creating Great Content

Whether you're looking for SEO tips 2018 or beyond, content will always be king. Search engines, customers, and potential customers are looking at your website for its content.

They want to read content that's relevant to your business. Content is also a way of setting you up as the expert in your business.
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One easy way to continue creating fresh, relevant content is to start a blog on your website. Write about topics that educate, inform or entertain. And don't forget to make it shareable.

2. Use The Right Keywords

When it comes to basics 2018, keywords should be at the top of everyone's list. Keywords are what search engines and customers use to help find your website.

You can find the right keywords by doing a keyword search. There are plenty of free keyword search tools available online to help you.

Take a look at your competition and see which keywords they're using. Pretend you're a customer and figure out which keywords they would use to find you.

Don't overuse keywords. If you're writing a blog, use the keyword three or fewer times. Also, search for keywords that aren't being used by everyone else in your industry. That will help drive more traffic to your site.

3. Get on Social Media

As far as easy SEO tips go, signing up for social media is one of the easiest. There are plenty of social media sites to choose from and you don't need to be on them all.

Just choose the sites that are most likely to have your customers or people who may love your product or service the most. LinkedIn is great is B2B businesses while Instagram works great if you run a restaurant.
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Make sure to include keywords when you fill out your profile and have the social media site match your website. All of it is part of your brand so everything must look consistent no matter which platform you're using.

4. Make Sure Your Site Is Mobile

In 2016, nearly 60% of all online searches were done through a mobile device. Those numbers are now dwindling, but instead, are rising.

If your website isn't mobile, you're losing out on a lot of potential business. And it's not difficult or expensive to make your website mobile-ready.
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Just make sure your website looks the same whether someone is viewing it on a desktop, smartphone or iPad.

5. Fill Out Your Page Titles & Meta Tag Descriptions

Filling out your page titles and meta tag descriptions is one of the SEO tips that's most often ignored but yet is so crucial to the success of your site being ranked higher on search engines.

The meta tag description is what will hopefully entice people to click on your website to read the content. Try to include the name of your business to drive brand awareness.

If possible, include relevant keywords within the meta tag description.
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Make the title as descriptive as possible so people want to click on the information to read further. The better the descriptions and titles, the more organically your site will rise to the top of search engine rankings.

6. Use Photos and Videos

SEO basics 2018 need to include photos and videos. Videos are the primary reason people are online and by 2020 it will account for 80% of all internet traffic.

Make sure your photos are relevant to the written content. Don't forget to fill out the meta tags properly to increase your SEO capabilities.

Try not to use stock photos as others, including your competition may be using them. Original photos help increase SEO rankings.

Videos should also be relevant and fill out their meta tag descriptions as well. You can post the video as content or put it on your social media.
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Create funny, informative, frequently asked questions, and other types of videos to keep your customer base coming back to see what you've posted lately.

7. Fill Out All Business Listings

If you haven't already claimed your Google Business Listing, you need to do so immediately. Then go through all the other pertinent search engines and claim your business with them as well.

This task is free but it takes a lot of time. You may want to work with a professional marketing service to get save you time and effort.
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Look for other sites where you can fill out more business listings. Sites like Angie's List is a great one of you own a service. If you're a law group, there are tons of business listing sites to place a business profile.
The more you're listed on other sites, the better it is for your business.

8. Ask For Testimonials

SEO tips for 2018 are all about testimonials. Testimonials help existing and new customers learn more about your business.

It's a great way for people to automatically feel more comfortable doing business with you and it builds up trust and credibility. You really only need five testimonials to begin building trust with people.
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However, the more you can get, the better it is for SEO and your business. Try setting up a page on your website where visitors can easily leave a testimonial.

9. Add External And Internal Links

External and internal links are also important SEO tips. Internal links allow you to share information without having to re-write the same content on another page.

It's also a great way to highlight pages which don't often get as much attention as other pages do.

External links help set you up as an expert. You can use them to provide more information about what you're writing. Just make sure you link to credible sources.
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Also, ask other sites if they'll provide a link to your site. That also helps build up credibility and builds up SEO for your site.

Get Help

While these SEO tips for beginners are a start, there's more to do to ensure your site is as competitive as it can be.

It's not easy to do it all on your own, especially if you're not a marketing expert. That's when it's time to get help. Contact us to see how we can put your website in the spotlight.