[Post Updated January 2020]
Search & Convert
If you are launching a new site or if you’ve never done any SEO for your site, you may need some practical tips on where to begin. This blog post is not intended to be a complete checklist, but to introduce some ideas you can do yourself. We usually estimate that a DIY website SEO setup will take about 7 – 10 hours for someone to do it for the first time.
Here’s a basic overview:
First:
Our recommendation is that you start with a solid foundation. Install Google Analytics, then verify your business on Google My Business, and set up Google Search Console. Make sure that your site has a sitemap file (depending on your provider, your site may have one auto-generated) and that you’ve submitted your sitemap file to Google Search Console.
Second:
Once your foundation is set, we assume that you want to find the highest quality traffic for your business. If your business serves a specific location and wants to be found through organic search, we have some tips that will help you.
Third:
Organic search is very useful, but we assume that you’d like to try some basic digital advertising to generate even more traffic and business for your company.
Let’s dig into Reporting, Organic SEO, and Advertising.
Google Analytics – Reporting
Once it’s set up, Google Analytics will start recording information about your site. The sheer amount of data that can be accessed in GA can be really overwhelming. One of the most important report paths to look at is:
Audience > Geo > Location
This drill down tells you the countries, states, and cities that deliver traffic to your site. It’s probably the best place to find out whether your traffic is coming from an area where you do business or not. Clicking on Country will take you into Region and then City to help you get even more details.
To learn more about the kinds of people who are visiting your site and whether or not that traffic matches your paying customers, look at these reports:
Audience > Demographics > Overview
Audience > Interests > Overview
If you are seeing:
- Low numbers of users in your geographical area
- Demographics and Interests which do not align with your offering
…Consider calling in an expert.
Google My Business – Organic SEO
Verifying your business in Google My Business is your best first step towards building Organic SEO. It can be complicated and takes time, but most business owners should be able to do it on their own.
It is much easier to start from scratch instead of trying to gain access to an account someone else has made. So we recommend that the business owner does it themselves.
To get started, go to: https://www.google.com/business/
and choose Sign In or Start Now.
Google My Business is not always very intuitive and the interface changes regularly. However, having a dedicated gmail address for your business is almost always a helpful first step to building a foundation for verification.
If you are having trouble:
- Another company already has verified its location at your physical address
- You don’t want your address published
- Multiple locations need to be bulk verified
…You need to call in an expert.
Advertising
When thinking about using digital advertising to build traffic, know that making mistakes is part of learning, and that it is best to keep it simple. We recommend starting with Facebook or Google ads.
Facebook Ads
Create a page for your business and a Facebook Business Manager account. From here you should be able to start with some basic advertising. See what you can do by boosting some of your business posts with about $5/day. It’s a pretty low cost way to get your feet wet and build some confidence and experience. The reporting available through the Business Manager can also help you understand your audience better and learn about what works to reach them.
Google Ads
The simplest ads to set up on Google are Google Search Network ads. You don’t need to create any images or designs, just words. You can also start with a very low budget and watch your traffic. Google learns from how your ads perform and will offer suggestions about ways to get more traffic.
If your business has a phone number and people to answer calls, one of the more successful ad types you can set up in Google is a call-only campaign. In addition you can also set up call tracking services to record calls which can help train your staff and make sure that your ads are reaching the right people.
Bing Ads
If you are very budget conscious or your audience is likely to be using Windows computers or voice assistants like Siri or Alexa, you can try Bing Ads. The cost per click on Bing Ads is typically cheaper than on Google and what you learn on Bing carries over to Google ads too.
Yelp
If your business has a physical location or provides localized services, creating a Yelp Business listing can be good for organic SEO. Setting up a profile is free and you can edit it, so it helps create more online presence. Yelp sometimes will create a listing for you, so it’s good to claim and control it yourself. You don’t even need to run ads on Yelp to take advantage of the listing.
If you are having trouble with ads:
- Understanding the targeting options
- Understanding bid adjustments
- Creating compelling ads
- Showing ROI or if you feel like you might be wasting money
You need to call an expert.
Search and Convert is here:
We’re looking forward to answering all the questions you have and helping you build a successful business with a strong SEO foundation. The Search and Convert team can help you understand the reporting options available from each of your tools and make the most of your budgets.
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