Local SEO Tactics to Boost Your Search Results

Transcription

1 Local SEO Tactics to Boost Your Search Results

2 Introduction You ve used Google to find things online, but have you ever stopped to think about how amazing it is? You enter a few simple words, and the search engine manages to deliver pages and pages of information to you in mere seconds, and it s usually the information you were actually looking for. When a search engine crawls your website, it s basically looking to find out who you are, what you do, and where you re located. That way, when a potential client enters a search query, they ll get search results with the most relevant information to help them decide if you re a good fit for what they re looking for. The trick is making sure you tell the search engines what you re all about so they will pick your website when potential clients are searching for a new veterinarian. This is called search engine optimization, or SEO. So how do you do that? It comes down to a few main concepts, which we ll explore in-depth. They are: 1. Keyword research 2. High-quality content in some key places on your website 3. A great blog 4. Google Local tools 5. Consistency across your website and your entire online presence 6. Social media strategy 7. Being mobile-ready 8. Getting genuine reviews 9. Community involvement 10. Analyzing the results _2 / 29

3 Part 1: Do Your Keyword Research The foundation of a good local SEO strategy begins with keyword research. To start, you ll need to identify which terms or phrases your clients are using to find you online. Understanding your clients (your target market) is the most important part of keyword research. For example, if your veterinary hospital is located in Nashville, Tennessee, people are likely to use search terms such as veterinarians in Nashville or veterinary hospital in Nashville, TN in order to find you that means that these terms are pretty important to include in your website. So, how do you do know which terms they re using? It s pretty simple, really ask them and/or think about how they talk. You ll want to find answers to some key questions: PRO TIP: Consider sending your clients a short customer satisfaction survey and specifically ask about their main reason (or reasons) for choosing your practice. This can help you as you prioritize your list of keywords. There are several free online survey tools you can use, like SurveyMonkey and SurveyGizmo, or add a question or two to your WebDVM VSmart survey tool. How do they refer to you and your practice when you re speaking with them? For example, do they say vet instead of veterinarian? Listen carefully for these subtle nuances! Why did your current clients choose you? Do you specialize in a particular species or offer specialized services? Which specific terms did they use in their online search to find you? Know that clients are specific when it comes to their search queries. If they re looking for a 24-hour veterinarian in Tampa, Florida that is exactly what they ll type into their search engines. That means if you meet this criteria you should be including those terms on your website. Identifying why your current clients chose your practice will allow you to better understand what your clients are looking for and how to promote it. _3 / 29

4 Prioritizing Your Keywords Your research will likely produce a sizable list of possible search phrases and keywords. To help you make the most of this data, we recommend using a simple Excel spreadsheet to help you organize and prioritize your terms. Ranking your search terms from most important to least important can help you identify how often you ll want to use them on your website. To help determine the importance of a keyword, ask yourself: PRO TIP: If you ve answered yes to all of these questions, the best way to determine if one key phrase is more important than another is to determine your return on each phrase. Consider both the financial return on each phrase, and the volume of potential clients that phrase might generate. For example, if your financial return on cat spaying is higher than it is on dog spaying, you might want to rank the cat spaying term as more important. But, if you have 10 times more dog owners in your area than cat owners then you might want to consider ranking the dog spaying term as more important, since it is more likely to generate a greater volume of potential clients. Is the key phrase relevant to my website? Will clients find what they re looking for? Will this website traffic help me achieve organizational goals? Determining your key phrase value is an important part of keyword research, and an important step toward attracting the target market that will help grow your business. The Take-Away If we were to boil it all down to one statement, your primary objective with keyword research is to: Identify your competitive advantage and understand the most common words clients use when they talk about your practice and look for your business online. _4 / 29

5 Part 2: Optimize Your Website with High Quality Content The most important thing you can do to promote your veterinary practice online is to include high-quality, locally-optimized content. Both clients and search engines will use this content to evaluate your business and determine if you re what they re looking for. High quality content should follow these simple guidelines: It should engage your readers. It should provide readers with the information they want. It should prompt action. It should include local optimized key phrases. 4 Key Content Areas PRO TIP: It s usually easier to write the content first and then go back and add the elements that make it high quality after it s complete. For more information on how to write high-quality content check out our post on Spring Cleaning Your Site with an SEO Crash Course. Now that you ve mastered how to write high-quality content, it s important to identify the 4 main website content areas and how to use them effectively on your veterinary practice website: SEO Titles and Page Titles Headings Page Content Meta Descriptions SEO Titles and Page Titles This is the first thing that the search engines read, and it s often the first thing that a client will see. SEO titles appear on the search results page and on your browser tab, while page titles appear above the content on your page: It s important to make sure that your titles: are direct, include a local key phrase, and tell clients what the page is about _5 / 29

6 Page titles should be short, simple, and direct. For example: Team or Meet Our Team. The SEO title, however, overwrites the standard page title in the eyes of Google and other search engines, and it should provide clients with a little more information. Here is a great example of a well-optimized SEO title: Our Denver Veterinarians WebDVM4 websites make it easy to include both an SEO title and a standard page title on each page of your website. PRO TIP: The first heading on the page should also act as a headline. Use this area to deliver a powerful benefit statement, and be sure to include those local key phrases! _6 / 29

7 Headings The heading is a key piece of information for your clients. It functions similarly to page titles, but headings are located within the body of the page and should tell the reader what they ll learn from this section and what benefit they can expect to receive. Headings should also be used to help organize the page by dividing content into sections that make it easier for clients to scan and find what they re looking for. PRO TIP: The first heading on the page should also act as a headline. Use this area to deliver a powerful benefit statement, and be sure to include those local key phrases! _7 / 29

8 Page Content Page content refers to the majority of information you ve included throughout your website. Whether it s a team member bio, a client testimonial or the description on your About Us page, page content should be used as an opportunity to highlight why your practice is different and to encourage new clients to choose you. Where it seems to fit, you should always try to incorporate your key phrase, city and state into your content. This lets both potential clients and search engines know where you are and what you do. But, be careful not to overdo it either. When you load the same keywords or key phrases numerous times on the same page, search engines treat this as keyword stuffing and will actually penalize your site in search rankings. There s no hard and fast rule about how many times you can use the same terms, but a good rule of thumb to follow is to ensure your sentences flow naturally and that it adds value to the page. Example: If you are a veterinarian in Boulder, Colorado, it doesn t make sense to rank for the term veterinarian or veterinarian in New York. You want people on your site that have real potential to become your client. The phrase veterinarian in Boulder would be a much more valuable term for your website. At the same time, you wouldn t need to say Boulder five times on a page once or twice is sufficient, but beyond that you ll probably start to annoy your readers. _8 / 29

9 Meta Descriptions While this content doesn t impact your search engine ranking directly, it can influence whether a potential client decides to click on your website as opposed to the one above or below it in the search results. Since this content is what Google (and other search engines) typically chooses to display below the page title and website link on the search engine results page, it s a pretty good idea to optimize it and make it enticing. It should also clearly include a call to action and tell readers who you are and what you do. The Take-Away To summarize, your primary objective when optimizing your website with high quality content is to: Identify the 4 key content areas for each page, and populate them with local keyword content that engages readers, provides them with the information they re looking for and prompts them into action. _9 / 29

10 Part 3: Blogging Blogging is an important tactic in boosting your local SEO results. Let s explore why that is, and how you can apply the fundamental tactics from parts 1 and 2 within your blog. Why blog? PRO TIP: Google loves to see website activity. Updating your site with relevant content on a regular basis will encourage Google to read your site and rank you higher in search engine results, which means more traffic for your site! Blogging is a great way to achieve this regular stream of updated content and website activity! Blogs are a great way to keep your site relevant. By updating your website regularly with new and unique content, you re providing a great reminder to Google (and the other search engines) that you re here, and you re ready for customers! Blogging also provides your readers (potential clients) with an opportunity to get to know you a little better and to see a personal, helpful, and fun side to you and your business. It helps to build and deepen the relationship between clients and veterinarians, and it s these strong relationships that foster trust and loyalty. Getting started with blogging I know what you re thinking: I m not a writer and I don t have the time. It s a common concern, but the beautiful thing about blogging is that you really don t need to devote a great deal of time to push out a weekly or bi-weekly blog. Check out our Blogging Your Way to More Business guide for everything you need to start and maintain a veterinary blog the easy way. SEO best practices for blogging Now that you re a seasoned pro, the only thing left to do is to review your content and you guessed it, add in those local key phrases! Follow these SEO best practices for your blog and you ll be good to go. SEO Page Title (for your blog landing page): This is a great spot for you to add local key phrases and briefly tell clients (and Google) what your blog is all about. _10 / 29

11 Headings & Headlines: Remember that clients skim and scan content online. Using headings and headlines to break up your blog makes it easier for clients to read, and it also provides more information for search engines when you have tagged it as a heading. To do this, simply highlight your heading, click on the paragraph drop-down menu and select a heading option: Include your most important points, or the topic of each section as a heading, and make the first one into a compelling headline by including a benefit statement and some local key phrases. Page Content: It s typically easier to write this content first and then go back and add your key phrases where they seem to fit naturally. Chances are, if the words sound forced to you, your clients will be thinking the same thing. Page Meta Description: It s important to use the topic of your blog to your advantage. Include a compelling statement in your meta description with a call to action and some local key phrases. If you re new to blogging, it may take a little practice before you nail down a good process for quickly pushing out these posts, but stick with it! It s an important piece of successful local SEO strategies, it s a valuable tool for engaging prospects and clients, and it takes less and less time to do when you do it regularly. _11 / 29

12 Part 4: Google Local Tools Google has a lot of amazing free tools for local businesses just like yours and making use of them will help your website rank higher in Google search results (the #1 search engine on the Internet). Getting Your Practice on Google Places for Business Google Places for Business is intended to help you control the information that is displayed to potential clients on a Google search results page, and more specifically in the Google Maps results page. To get started, it s important to keep these things in mind: It s a free Google service. Google will not accept payment for preferred placement; it s simply based on SEO and proximity to the searcher. Your business must have a mailing address for verification. If you re a mobile veterinarian, you can specify areas served and hide your physical address after setup. Now that you know the basics, you can get started by following the setup steps on the Google Places for Business page. Google will request that you verify ownership of the business and confirm the location by entering a PIN. This PIN is either provided to you via postcard (to your mailing address) or by telephone. In addition to your location, Google Places for Business will also request information about your hours of operation and contact information. _12 / 29

13 Google+ Local for Your Veterinary Practice Google+ Local is a free social media tool associated with Google Places for Business. It allows clients to interact with your practice, post reviews, and share stories and photos. It allows you to: connect with clients to better understand their feedback, respond to client reviews as the business owner, and share a more personal side to your business. By posting regular updates, sharing blog articles, and interacting with your clients on a personal level, Google+ Local helps you build a strong and loyal relationship with clients. Click here to get started with Google+ Local! Google has made managing these two platforms easy by allowing you to edit both tools in one place from your Google Places dashboard! _13 / 29

14 Part 5: Consistency These mighty search engines love precision and pride themselves on accuracy. The more accurate Google can be when selecting results for a search query, the more satisfied the searcher will be, and the more likely they will be to use Google again for their next online information hunt. Keep this in mind when you write and review the content on your site. You need to be very conscious of your business details and consistent with the information you provide your physical address, business phone number and the wording of your business name. Providing consistent information throughout each page of your website, as well as within your Google accounts and social media profiles, will put you in the good books with search engines, which means you re more likely to rank well in search results. Website Content Consistency It s important to identify your primary search terms (key phrases) and use them consistently throughout your website focus on your primary terms (e.g., Cat Boarding ) and add them everywhere they seem to fit logically and naturally. _14 / 29

15 Social Media Consistency Don t forget your social profiles! Social media plays a major role in the strength of your online presence, and Google looks to these profiles for supporting content and to verify your information. Make sure the details about your practice are accurate and consistent between your social profiles and your website messaging. Be specific with your physical address and phone number and, of course, include the local key phrases that you ve used on your website as long as it make sense to do so. Aside from search engines, consistency is important in helping you to create a positive experience for your clients. Consider this: if a client ends up on your social media profile before they reach your website, you ll want to ensure that what you say there is in line with the information you provide on your site. Have you recently updated your business hours and posted them to your website? Make sure they re updated on your social profiles or you ll (unknowingly) end up frustrating potential clients. Providing consistent information and messaging across your online presence will help you build trust with your clients, and it encourages Google to add your website to search results pages. PRO TIP: Don t forget to link back to your website from your social tools if clients end up there first, you want to make it easy for them to get to your site to contact you and book an appointment. Including your business details (location, hours and phone number) is also a good idea and should help you to convert Facebook fans to paying clients. _15 / 29

16 Part 6: Be Social Interestingly, improving your website s search rankings involves more than just your website. There are other important social media outlets that you can use to engage your current clients and connect with potential new ones. Maybe Tweeting and posting aren t your favorite things to do. Heck, maybe you re not even sure what the difference is. But one thing s for sure, tons of pet owners (your clients and prospects) spend a crazy amount of time using social platforms like Facebook and Twitter, which means you should be using them too make it easy and convenient for pet owners to connect with you. Facebook for Veterinary Practices Facebook is a fantastic way to introduce your veterinary practice and keep it top of mind with prospects and clients. After all, it s where many of your clients are spending their time. But using Facebook and using Facebook effectively are not the same thing. Try these simple guidelines to make the most out of your veterinary practice s Page: Communicate Share stories, successes, and interesting findings with your Facebook fans; if you ve recently seen a patient with a rare condition or avoidable injury, get permission from the owner to share it with your followers and communicate the value of prevention and wellness check-ups (i.e. the value of your practice and services), and include the link to your Services page or appointment request form. Educate By nature, people are curious and want to learn more. Without being too graphic, share information and teach your clients something they may not have already known your website blog and ClientEd Online articles are great resources you can use to gather and share this type of information and send traffic to your website. Remember, search engines like websites that are popular with readers! _16 / 29

17 Relate By sharing stories with your clients, you re inviting them to relate on a personal level and feel connected with your veterinary practice. Tell them about your staff, show them candid pictures, and provide them with a behind-the-scenes view of your practice. When used properly, Facebook can help you grow the veterinarian-client relationship and encourage customer loyalty. For more Facebook tips and examples, check out our Top Tips to Out- Facebook Your Competition guide to give your Facebook results a boost. Twitter for Veterinary Practices Twitter is another amazing tool that you should consider using to connect and build relationships with your clients. It is different than Facebook the audience is slightly different and has slightly different needs/wants. This platform is designed to encourage quick and easy-to-scan information (hence the 140 character limit for Tweets), but that s not to say that you can t engage and communicate effectively with prospects and clients. To use Twitter effectively, you ll want to post quality content regularly, link to relevant resources, and have an optimized profile (or bio). An Optimized Twitter Profile (Bio) Your Twitter profile (or Twitter bio) is searchable, so it should be optimized for search engines. The trick is figuring out how to write a good one in 160 characters or less. How do you fit all of your awesome into just 160 characters? Focus on these 3 key pieces of information: 1) Client benefit statement: Think about what makes your practice different. What is your competitive advantage? WHY should clients pick YOU? 2) Local key phrase: Optimize for locations that are relevant to your practice. _17 / 29

18 3) Call to action (CTA): Tell your clients what you d like them to do when they re visiting your profile. Do you want them to call you? Do you want them to visit your site? Here s a great example of a veterinary practice Twitter bio with only 133 characters: A passionate AAHA Accredited Veterinary Hospital in Guelph, Ontario. Dedicated to companion animal wellness call today For more examples and tips on how to write a great Twitter profile, check out our blog on How to Write a Terrific Twitter Bio. Quality Content for Your Twitter Feed Much like Facebook, your Twitter content should be engaging, educational, and easy for your clients to relate to. It should also tap into current events and hot topics within the veterinary industry. Most importantly, it needs to be prompt and timely this is a vital element of Twitter success. Here are some tips on how to post content that meets these criteria: Keep Tweets Short and Sweet Tweets are limited to 140 characters, so get creative with your messaging and phrasing. A recent study shows that Tweets shorter than 100 characters have a 17% higher engagement rate. Tweet in Real Time Timing is everything when you re Tweeting about breaking news or when commenting on current events. For example, if you re Tweeting about a pet food recall, you should be Tweeting to notify your clients right away and let them know what to do or where to go for more info. On the other hand, if it s a picture of Fido having fun with the sprinkler, timing isn t as important but clients do like to see live _18 / 29

19 Tweets. It makes them feel more connected. Tweet A Lot Like timing, your Tweet frequency does depend on the context of your Tweet a good rule of thumb is 3-5 Tweets per day (not including replies to comments from followers). This can always be adjusted based on your results. Follow Your Interests Following people and companies that are relevant to your interests and your business is a great way to discover content that is compelling, and that inspires ideas for your own Tweets. You can even use Twitter lists to follow your competition without them knowing. Get Inv@lved Using symbol is a quick and easy way for you to engage other Twitter users (businesses and individuals) in conversation. There are two ways to use symbol, and they re known replies and mentions. When Tweeting, followed by a username (with no spaces) in your Tweet will send a notification to that user to let them know that you ve mentioned them. For example, if you Tweet Loved your last we will receive a notification, and the entire Tweet will show up in our Mentions tab. If we respond by clicking on the reply button for that Tweet, will show up at the beginning of our message. This, of course, is Note: People will only see in their home timeline if they are following both the sender and recipient of If your Tweet does not begin with symbol, it s considered a mention and can be seen by all followers (i.e., mentions are treated like regular Tweets). _19 / 29

20 Be Trendy Participating in #trends is a great way to join those hot-topic conversations in the veterinary industry. Check out what s #trending for inspiration but remember, these topics often require real-time Tweeting. Learn more about hashtags (#) here. Tying it all together: Now that you ve had a crash course on Twitter and Facebook, remember to use these tools to further boost your local SEO. Every time you publish a new post on your blog or have something exciting going on at your practice or on your website, be sure to announce it on social media and include the link. This helps tie your entire online presence together into one neat package that search engines really understand. _20 / 29

21 Part 7: Be Mobile More than ever, clients (and prospects) want instant access to information gone are the days of waiting until we get home to flip through the phone book or, more recently, fire up the desktop computer to search with Google. Today s web searcher pulls out their phone or tablet so mobileready websites are no longer the future, they re right now. In order to win this business, we must make it easy to get the information on mobile devices. The more traffic you generate from these mobile device users, the more favorable your ranking will be in local search results traffic from mobile devices counts, just like traffic from desktop computers. A few key tips about making your website mobile friendly: Select a Responsive Design This means your website should adjust and present a clean and welldesigned layout, no matter how people are viewing it. By making sure your website display is appropriate for mobile devices, you re opening your site up to many more potential clients. Highlight Important Information Keep in mind that mobile devices are smaller than your standard computer, so it s that much more important to present the most important information close to the top of your homepage. The key pieces of information to highlight on your homepage are: Your location Your hours Your phone number / contact information A call to action (e.g., book an appointment) _21 / 29

22 By providing your website visitors with this information on the homepage, you re providing them with the essential information they re looking for rather than losing them to someone who does this well. Now that they re on your website and happy with the results, they ll be more inclined to dive in for more information and details. Avoid technologies that aren t mobile friendly There are some technologies out there (like Flash) that you should generally avoid when designing your mobile-friendly website. These technologies aren t very user friendly, and don t display properly (if at all) on your mobile site. While you don t necessarily have to eliminate these technologies completely, it is recommended that you not use them on your homepage being stymied by a broken technology on your homepage will have fickle mobile users surfing away in seconds. And there you have it 3 simple steps to mobile-friendly veterinary website success! _22 / 29

23 Part 8: Genuine Reviews PRO TIP: Never solicit fake reviews or ask for positive reviews in exchange for a special offer or incentive. Clients will see right through this, and you will lose their trust quickly. Instead, simply ask clients to provide their genuine feedback. As you know, word-of-mouth advertising is highly effective. In today s world of online this, and virtual that, reviews are an extension of word-ofmouth advertising and an important part of your online marketing efforts. Reviews also show up in search results, so they re a good way to boost your local SEO as well. Selecting a veterinarian is a lot like choosing your own family doctor trust plays a significant role in the decision. Whether they are a first-time pet owner, they re new to the area, or they ve had a bad experience in the past, they want to know what other people have to say about your practice. They trust other pet owners because their reviews are genuine and are based on actual experiences. Ask for the review and make it easy. Now I know what you re thinking.if you ask for the review, is it really genuine? YES, it is! Sometimes clients just need a little push to get out there and speak their mind. It s important to encourage them to provide their honest feedback and to give them options for where they can share their reviews PRO TIP: Set up an account for your practice on all of the popular review sites make sure to provide a link to your website and add some local keywords for SEO (e.g., veterinarians in [your location]). Some good options include: Google+ Local Yelp Facebook Angie s List Click here for more tips on how to ask for genuine reviews or ask us how you can automate the process of getting online reviews with WebDVM4 VSmart. _23 / 29

24 Review Management Now that you have clients posting reviews, it s essential that you keep up with them. Whether they re good or bad, it s important to acknowledge the review and thank the client for posting. Believe it or not, a negative review isn t the worst thing that could possibly happen to your reputation (as long as the good definitely outweigh the bad). It provides potential clients with a sense of trust in the other reviews, because they know you re not just soliciting positive feedback, or worse, creating fake reviews. It also provides you with the opportunity to publicly address the negative feedback and rectify the situation. How you handle negative feedback gives potential customers important insight into how you handle an unhappy client, giving them confidence in your customer service. Click here for more tips on how to handle negative reviews online. As more reviews come in, the online discussion about your practice continues to grow. This not only helps prospects get the information they need to choose you as their trusted veterinarian, it also helps search engines recognize your practice and include these reviews in those local search result pages remember, search engines are a bit of a popularity contest. _24 / 29

25 Part 9: Community Involvement Word of mouth is great, but sometimes it needs a little kick-start. A great way to drive traffic to your veterinary website is to connect with other local businesses and community organizations to initiate some online conversations Networking We know that consumers tend to go online before engaging with a business or organization in person, so if you re networking with other local businesses or organizations, it s important to focus on how you can both benefit from online conversations. You can start by asking your fellow community members about their website and social media channels: Do they have a place on their website to link to other sites and resources they recommend? Do they (or would they) use their blog or social media channels, such as Facebook and Twitter, as an opportunity to talk about other local businesses in the area? You can share information about your site and social media channels as well, and if possible, perhaps there s an opportunity for them to link to your site and vice versa. All it takes is a simple text link explaining who you are, or better yet, a quick recommendation or testimonial to pump up your amazing services. By having them link to your site, you re increasing the buzz around your business (word of mouth) and you re providing Google with another direct link and another opportunity to crawl your site. The more inbound links you have from other reputable websites, the more the search engine algorithms see your site as a connected and respected online destination. _25 / 29

26 Getting Involved Getting involved in your community is another great way to encourage people to talk about you online and potentially link to your website. Whether you choose to sponsor a local sports team, host community events, or present academic scholarships, doing something (publicly) positive and charitable is a great opportunity to get people talking. By participating in community events, you re exposing your business to potential clients, establishing a brand or name they can trust and recognize, and you re securing relationships that will benefit your online presence. Plus, it can feel pretty rewarding to take part in these events. When it comes to community involvement, the word-of-mouth potential is enormous and it s really as simple as getting out there and starting conversations. The bonus with this tactic is that joining in can also be a lot of fun! _26 / 29

27 Part 10: Analyzing Results PRO TIP: Be sure to write down the exact key phrase and record the results (or take a screen shot, if that s easier). Then, you can compare this data against your new results and each time you complete the search thereafter. As with any good marketing strategy, it s important to identify a way of measuring your results to see if you re getting a good return on your investment. To accurately determine if your efforts are working, you need to first understand where you re at when you start and the goals for what you d like to achieve as a result of all of your SEO efforts. Tracking & Monitoring: Where Am I Now? Depending on the type of information you re looking for, there are a few ways to evaluate your current standings. To identify where you rank in Google search results, you can simply enter a Google search query with your key phrase(s). For example, if your key phrase is veterinarians in Boston then enter that phrase into Google (remember to log out of any Google accounts first!) and see where your website ranks in the list of results. Once you know where you are ranked for your terms and phrases, you can track your progress. After you ve made your local SEO adjustments, enter the exact same Google search query in about a month or so then, check out your results and determine if your ranking has improved. PRO TIP: If you re looking for data on your monthly site hits, it s a good idea to let Google Analytics monitor your site for a month prior to implementing your newfound SEO skills. Not sure how to get started with Google Analytics? No problem, check out this step-by-step guide to getting set up. If you re looking for more detailed results about the number of people that are actually clicking on your site, which pages they visited, and how long they stayed on your site, Google Analytics is the way to go. It s a great, free tool that you can use to track and monitor all activity on your website. To get the most accurate results, you should first allow some time for Google Analytics to gather data about your website, prior to implementing your SEO changes. Tracking & Monitoring: Where Am I Going? Once you ve identified where you are, it s important to set realistic goals for where you d like to be. These goals will vary depending on your market size, the demographic of your target market, and the timeline you ve set to _27 / 29

28 achieve them. Some great examples of goals include: Improve my rank in Google search results. Example: I want to improve where my website is listed in search results from page 3 to page 1 within three months Increase my website traffic. Example: I want to see my site visitors increase by 10% within four months Now that you ve identified where you are and where you want to be, it s time to get out there and start optimizing! By using these 10 key tools and tactics, we re confident that you ll begin to see an improvement in your online presence but don t just take our word for it. Employ the measurement strategies listed above and see the results for yourself! And remember SEO takes time. The search engine bots are constantly crawling all over the web, and when you do an effective job of telling them where you are and what you do, they will feed that information back to the search engines. As your keywords, content, and overall online presence grow, so will your reputation with the search engines helping your website climb higher in search results. If you don t see your desired results right away, keep at it! You have the tools and knowledge; all you need now is the time and a bit of patience. _28 / 29

29 Need help getting started? We can help you easily manage your SEO, improve your ranking, and regularly update your website. Schedule your personal walk-through of WebDVM4 SEO+SiteCare to learn how! Call us on or click here to see for yourself. _29 / 29