1. What is SEO?

SEO (or Search Engine Optimization) is the ongoing process of uncovering and discovering non-branded keywords that are driving organic search traffic and conversions, then publishing content optimized for those keywords that can be discoverable by the target audience (LaRiviere).

2. Why is SEO important?

The way we market, sell and deliver SEO services has changed drastically over the past few years. Owing to Google's algorithm updates we can safely conclude that content marketing and social media are the core components responsible for a strong organic search strategy.

In short, using a methodology of strategies, techniques and tactics, otherwise known as SEO, one increase the amount of visitors to a website by obtaining a high-ranking placement in the search results page of a search engine (SERP) (LaRiviere).

Hence, this blog post is dedicated to show small businesses with limited experience and resources how they can compete with giants in SEO.

a. Words Matter

b. Title Matter

c. Links Matter

d. Words in Links

e. Reputations

f. Mobile Friendly

a. Words Matter:

Be smart when copywriting your website. Make sure every word you put in the description serves a function. Ensure keywords covering you are of expertize and field of business are found on every page. This will help boost your website ranking when your target audience search for keywords related to your field, example: Law Firm Beirut.

b.Titles Matter:

Website page titles are an important part of the search results displayed. When developing a complex website, descriptive Title tags must be a priority. Search engines, like Google, pay a lot of attention to a page title because they often summarize the page like the book’s title and use the majority of the text from the title “Tag”, example:

c. Links Matter:

Links between websites play a great role in SEO, when one page links to another it is usually a recommendation telling visitors that this site has is credible, safe and has valuable information. Hence, in the early days of SEO, websites could rank high by accumulating as many links as possible. This situation led to an entire industry of what came to be known as “black hat SEO” (B2C). However, search engines were able to detect these shady links and developed updates that were hard on sites that practiced unethical linking. Hence, the solution would be to seek links from websites that are relevant to your own niche (B2C).

d. Words in Links:

The words used in links matter too. If you are an online retailer and you link the word ‘Evening Wear ’ on a whitelisted website that relates to your field, this can help your target audience to stumble upon your site every time they search for “Evening Wear ” for example, which can boost your ranking as well.

e. Reputation:

Here it all comes down to protecting your website's image because search engines care about a website’s reputation. Websites that show a consistent number of content (either fresh or engaging), and have more links from whitelisted websites, will rank higher in search engines.

f. Mobile Friendly:

Finally, the most important point to look at is the “mobile friendly” feature. Recently, Google expanded its mobile ranking demotion algorithm launched back in 2013 and
will now officially include mobile-friendly usability factors and app indexing in its mobile search results. Hence, making sure your site is mobile-friendly is now more important than ever.

Conclusion:

As you can tell, there are no shortcuts when it comes to having your website rise to the top of the search engine rankings, especially when there’s a major competitor on the scene. However, by adopting the right tactics for SEO, you can selectively overcome your competitors in specific key areas. In other words, you might not rank for as many keywords as the major competitors, but you will definitely be able to surpass them in relevance for your chosen field of expertise.