The plethora of search engine algorithm updates made by Google in 2013 have left many business owners struggling to get ahead of the updates and save their search engine rankings. If you are a local business owner, then you already know that staying on top of your search engine ranking positions are extremely vital to the health of your business. So just what should you be doing in 2014 to stay ahead of the trends? Here are some simple tips to help keep your business ahead of the curve when it comes to optimizing your local business website for the search engines in 2014.
Domain Authority
Google’s Hummingbird update which tool place in August of 2013 has made it clear that domain authority is no longer about the keywords that a site is optimized for. In fact, context is now more important that ever leading domain authority to become one of the most important factors in determining search engine positioning.
Last year many business owners tried to switch from targeting broad keywords to targeting long tail keywords in order to save their rankings but this latest update has made it very clear that this is no longer a strategy that is going to work. What matters today is how relevant is the content to the terms that the search engine user is searching for and is that particular site the authority on the type of content that the search engine user is searching for. This is why more than ever business owners should be focused on creating great content that is design to position themselves as the authorities in their industries.
Increasing Mobile Friendliness
The importance of having a mobile friendly site has already been discussed. However in 2014, mobile friendly sites are no longer an option but a necessity. Users are switching over from traditional desktops to tablet and mobile devices at record rates and they expect that the web will adopt along with them. To make it simple, your business can convert from a traditional site to a responsive design website that can serve both mobile and desktop customers with ease. By using responsive design, your site will function well on any device and you will even be able to maintain your organic rankings as you make the switch over to responsive design.
Correct Any Mistakes That Appear on Social Media Sites
Since there are a number of social media and directory sites that just pull your business information automatically from available government and public databases, it is time to update that information to make sure that it is accurate. By correcting this information you can indirectly drive traffic to your website. You actually have no idea how many customers search these websites with wrong information that are actually looking for your businesses until you correct the information and see the additional traffic begin to pour into your website. You are only doing your business a favor by updating all of the pertinent business information that is available on the web.
Correct Maps
Many online maps are again pulling erroneous information from publicly available data. Therefore it is essential for you to update the map data on third party websites if your business has a physical location and you require foot traffic for sales. Take the time to visit these third party sites and update your address on them and you just may see additional customers and boosts in your sales in the short term.
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