Many small businesses do not know where to start when it comes to starting a Houston SEO Campaign.  We have found this video from Google is very useful for new businesses looking to build a website and get started marketing their business online.

Decide on your Domain

The first step you need to take is to pick a domain, as well as whether you wish to use www.  Whether you want to use www or not, you will need to redirect the one you do not use to the one you chose via a 301 redirect.

Webmaster Tools

The next thing you will want to do is setup your site to work with Google webmaster tools.  This will allow you to use many tools which can help you gain exposure with your website.

Email Forwarding

It is useful to setup up google webmaster to forward any notifications about your domain to an email address that you use regularly.  If you ever get any warnings about your website from Google, you will want to respond right away to make sure that you don’t loose any traffic.

Background Check on Domain

Whenever you buy a domain, it is a good idea to do a thurough background check to make sure that it was not spammed or have any issues with Google.  you can do this in Google webmaster by checking warnings, as well as links.  Our team can also use other tools at our disposal to check the links going to a domain and verify that it is safe to use.

Setup Google Analytics

Google analytics is another great tool that can help you see how your SEO efforts are working.  When you setup a website, you should setup tracking in Google analytics to see what keywords people are using to find your website, as well as which pages they are visiting, how long they are staying on your website, and what the bounce rate is.

Site Design Strategy

When designing your website, there are many different areas that you need to focus on.

Utility

Make sure that your website is functional for your users.  This means that you website should be responsive, have easily accessible contact forms, and have content that visitors find useful.

Navigation

You also need to make sure that visitors can navigate your site easily, and find the information they want quickly.  This will not only keep visitors on your website longer, but build trust and help convert visitors into customers.

Focus

When creating content for your website, you want to establish a focus for each page.  This means you should form a logical structure for your entire website and organize the content based on your primary services, and categories of these services.  This will help your target specific search terms in Google, and get more traffic to your website.

Define Conversion

When setting up your website, you need to have an idea of what you consider a conversion.  This can be anything from a contact form filled out, to a phone number that you are tracking.  You can then track these conversions in Google analytics and determine where your leads are coming from.

Website Copy

SEO

You will need to make sure that you optimize all of your content to target the search terms that are relevant.  This means you should integrate the search phrases that your customers will be entering into google.

Answer Questions Customers Might Have

Make sure that you are considering any questions your customers might be asking themselves when you are writing your content.  If you are able to address any concerns they might have, you will have a greater chance of turning them into a customer.

Establish Social Proof

Establishing social proof through reviews and case studies is another great way to show visitors why they should choose you over your competitors.

Meta Information

When making your website, make sure that all of your meta titles and meta descriptions are the proper length and relevant to your keywords.

Site Load Time

Site load time is a factor that is often overlooked.  A slow loading website can deter many visitors away and provide a bad user experience.

Ranking

Check to make sure that you are ranking for search terms, and if not, you will need to come up with a strategy for which search terms you want to focus on.

Promote Your Website

Around The Web

Part of an effective SEO campaign involves spreading the word about your website.  This involves finding related websites, forums, and review sites to list your business.  You can also use press releases and articles to get more links to your website.

Social Media

Make sure that your website is listed on major social media sites and try to post regularly to connect with your customers.

If you are looking for an experienced SEO firm who knows search engines, don’t hesitate to call 281-764-9070 or schedule a consultation with one of our SEO experts.