Actionable SEO Strategies for Service-Based Businesses
- 23 November, 2022
- Jason Ferry
- SEO
If you own or manage a service-based business, then you know that generating leads can be a challenge. You also know that a strong online presence is essential to ensuring your business is visible to potential customers. That's where SEO comes in. Search Engine Optimisation is a process by which you can improve your website's visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs), thereby increasing the chances that potential customers will see your site.
But what are the best SEO strategies for service-based businesses? Keep reading to find out.
Choose the Right Domain Name
One of the most important steps is to choose a domain name that is memorable, easy to spell, pronounce and remember. The longer your domain name is, the greater the possibility of someone accidentally typing in an incorrect spelling or misspelling it.
Another thing to consider is choosing a .com extension over other extensions, such as .net or .org, because Google favours .com domains over others in search engine results.
Make Your Website Easy to Use
Your website should be user-friendly and easy to navigate so that users can find what they're looking for quickly and easily. It should also offer clear buttons that help direct people into a conversion path where they can make purchases or sign up for services.
The first step in making sure your site is easy to use is choosing which elements will be included in the design of your site's pages. You'll want to include the following:
- A clean layout with simple design elements (such as easy-to-read fonts).
- Consistent colours throughout the site.
- Large, clickable buttons that direct users to specific pages or services.
- Visually appealing media (such as images and videos) to draw attention to key points.
- Easy-to-read content that is organised into an intuitive structure.
- A well-designed navigation system with easily identifiable categories or sections.
Considerations for keywords
Keyword research is a vital part of promoting your website. Keywords are the phrases people type into search engines like Google to find products and services in their area. Whether you have a business that sells products or services, it’s important to choose keywords that match your business goals.
Content Categorised and Represented
To get the most out of your content, you must categorise and represent it in a way that makes sense to your audience. For example, if you write about business blogging tips, use tags like “blogging” or “business blogging” and make sure those words appear somewhere in the title and meta tags for each article. This will help people find what they need when searching for specific topics on Google or other search engines.
Create Valuable Content
Creating valuable content that your audience will love is one of the most important steps to creating a successful business website. The best way to ensure this is to understand your audience and create the content that they need.
Here are some tips:
- Do some research on your target audience. Find out what kind of content they want from you so you can make sure what you're creating is relevant or interesting enough for them to check out more!
- Make sure the content is engaging and informative. It should be easy to read, with well-structured paragraphs, images and videos whenever possible.
- Update your content regularly - the more often you post new content, the better! This will help keep your visitors engaged and interested in what you have to say.
- Finally, use data to guide your content creation. See which topics are most popular, what people are searching for, and what kind of content they tend to engage with the most, both on your website and in your wider industry. This can help you create better content in the future.
Testimonials
Testimonials are a great way to show off your business and its capabilities. They can be used in many different places on the site, including:
- The homepage, if you have enough space (or a design that makes it work).
- Product pages.
- Case studies or portfolio pages.
- Blog posts, especially if you’re writing about real-life experiences with customers.
Call to Action (CTA)
A Call to Action (CTA) is a link that directs the user to a specific action - for example, “Register Now” or “Contact Us”. A good CTA should be prominent on your website, as well as clear, concise and to the point.
It should also be relevant to what the user is looking for. If they're interested in learning more about your services as an accountant, then don't make them click through three layers of menus before arriving at an appropriate landing page!
Monitor Your Progress With Analytics Tools
Analytics tools can help you to track your progress and the performance of your website. This can be useful in understanding how visitors interact with your site, where they’re coming from, what pages they view, and how long they stay on each page.
You can use these insights to optimise your website for better performance - for example, to improve certain pages' design or adjust your content strategy. This can help you to focus on what's working and make improvements where necessary.
You should also use analytics tools to monitor any changes in rankings or traffic, so you can quickly address any issues that arise.
SEO can be a powerful tool for service-based businesses if it's used correctly. Following the tips outlined above, you can maximise your website's visibility and draw in more online leads. With the right approach, you can create an SEO-friendly website that attracts new customers and grows your business.