Google is big and powerful, but it’s not scary!
Google is the champion of all business owners who offer fantastic experiences that their customers love – and that’s regardless of business size or marketing budget. Here are 4 tips to learn how to make your business shine in search engine results.
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Learn how Google search works
Start by getting a clear picture in your head of what happens when customers search for your business in Google. This simple 3 minute video with Google’s Matt Cutts explains things nice and clearly.
2. Learn with Google Webmaster Academy
This sounds a bit intimidating but it’s not really. Google Webmaster Academy is a series of short articles and videos which break down the fundamentals of a great website, how search engines work and search engine optimisation (SEO). They’re really easy to dip in and out of when you find yourself with a bit of time. Check out the Google Webmaster Academy.
3. Put your customer first
It’s true that there are constant and complex updates to the Google search algorithm (see a visual history here!), but these changes always have the same goal – to deliver quality, relevant search results. This is reassuring because it means that if you put your customer (not the search engine) first when creating your website then generally speaking, you can’t go wrong. So as a rule, never put Google before your customer, and certainly never try to cheat Google’s algorithm – Google is really good at detecting dodgy or ‘black hat’ SEO techniques (more about those here) and your business will be penalised as a result.
4. Don’t leave it to the “gurus”
Outsourcing your SEO to an expert company is hugely helpful, but resist the temptation to think of it as a mysterious topic that only the “gurus” can tackle. You still have an important contribution to make to ensure that your business’s search engine optimisation efforts are successful. You don’t need to have a technical understanding of search, but you do need to work with your SEO company to share your expertise about your business, your competitive environment, your customers, and your passion for what makes your business unique. If you can also bring to the relationship at least a basic understanding of search engines, then you’ll be onto a winning partnership!
If you’re able to spend some time going through the Google Webmaster Academy course and have any thoughts or questions that you’d like to discuss, please get in touch with one of the marketing team!