In the dynamic world of digital marketing, where strategies evolve at the speed of technology, having a seasoned expert by your side can make all the difference. We had the privilege of sitting down with Claire Rickard, a highly experienced Digital Strategist at Localsearch, to gain a deeper understanding of the ever-evolving digital landscape and how businesses can navigate it successfully.
Claire draws on her wealth of knowledge to provide practical tips and strategies that drive online success. Whether you’re a business owner, a marketer, or simply curious about the world of digital strategy, Claire’s expertise is sure to inspire and inform. Join us as we dive into the mind of a digital strategist who’s making waves in the industry.
SEO Q&A with Digital Strategist, Claire Rickard
How can SEO benefit a small business?
When SEO is performed by experienced digital strategists, it can help businesses appear in more relevant engine results. Therefore, p their business in front of more potential customers. It can also help their branding and increase their customer base.
What are the key factors that will determine where a business will sit on Google?
There’s literally hundreds of factors that will determine where your business sits on Google, and it changes all the time!
The main ones are usually website content, headings & titles, technical aspects and your overall presence including; off page reviews and social media. The speed of the website and how fast it loads also plays a big role.
Additionally, where a business sits on Google has a lot to do with their local SEO, including their Google Business Profile and their NAP (Name, Address and Phone number). It’s very important your contact information is the same across the internet to avoid confusion for potential customers and Google.
What is something small business owners can do to improve their SEO themselves?
Something super simple that businesses can do, even without paying for SEO or having an expert, is posting on their social media or Google Business Profile. It doesn’t have to be anything big, just a couple of photos from your phone with a couple of sentences about a job and what you’ve done. Adding some reviews from their clients also helps to build trust with Google and potential customers. It shows that you’re real!
There is no need for massive efforts – Google understands how busy business owners are. It doesn’t demand the impossible; even small actions matter. You don’t need to craft extensive, expertly written paragraphs or essays for Facebook. A few sentences alongside your photos suffice. Just let it reflect your care, recent work, and let people see your involvement on the job.
How long does it take for small businesses to start seeing the results of their SEO efforts?
It really depends. If someone’s doing it themselves, it can take a lot longer compared to having a professional strategist or experts involved. As Google makes a lot of regular changes, it can take a long time to understand what you’re doing. There’s a lot of technical advancements that need to be made as well. There’s so much involved, so much more than just the website, so it can take a little while to start seeing results.
You may start to see some little improvements, such as getting more views or clicks on your website. In the first couple of weeks, you may also see small improvements in your rankings, but it usually takes a couple of months to see real advancements. It may take a bit longer if you’re doing it yourself. Keep in mind, you need to be really careful doing SEO yourself because there’s a lot of misinformation out there. What you think you’re doing properly can actually have the opposite effect.
Listen to the full episode here:
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