How to get more eyes on your business using SEO

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you bought a brand-new car, but never serviced it?
How long do you think it would last?
Do you think it’s performance might deteriorate over time?

It seems self-evident that there is a need to maintain machinery, yet when it comes to websites, people seem to have a blind spot. But your company website is a machine, and it needs care, attention, and servicing to get the very best performance. This is where Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) comes in. To help demystify SEO, Founder and Managing Director of award-winning agency Aqueous Digital, Jonathan Guy, answers some of the most frequently asked questions.

What is SEO?
“At its core, SEO is simple. It’s the process of making your website more attractive to search engines, to help  you to appear higher in the search results. When it’s done right, this leads to an increase in your online visibility and unpaid traffic. However, SEO is often unnecessarily made more complicated with technical jargon. It can also involve a wide range of different activities, such as keyword targeting, page speed optimisation, backlinking and PR (Public Relations), content creation and technical SEO. Sometimes for business owners, it can all feel like too much to wrap your head around. This is what led me to write ‘Search Never Sleeps’. A clear, plain English guide to understanding the SEO basics, it  delves into the ‘why’ instead of  focusing solely on the ‘what’. This means you don’t need to understand every aspect of SEO to create an effective SEO strategy.”

Why is it so important for businesses to have SEO as part of their marketing activities?
“According to EnterpriseAppsToday, 69% of companies actively invest their time in SEO. The reason for this is simple; if you can attract the right customers to your website without spending big on advertising, you can develop a steady stream of enquiries. Without this source of business, you are simply missing out. With fewer potential customers finding your products and services, you’re missing out on organic traffic, brand awareness, and online visibility. It doesn’t matter whether you run a UK-wide e-commerce business or provide a local service, SEO can play a big role in helping you build your business and drive sustainable revenues.”

How can companies use SEO to get more eyes on their business?
“While SEO is often misunderstood, getting the most out of it for your business needn’t be difficult. As outlined in ‘Search Never Sleeps’, our approach to SEO as an agency involves following just three  simple rules:

Nothing, but nothing beats great content.
Google is just a machine.
One page, one keyword or phrase.

“As Google is just a machine, it’s important to make your website easy for both humans and machines. Every page on your website should have a clear purpose. By creating relevant and specific content that answers your customers’ questions, you’re already halfway there to generating long-term, ethical,  and sustainable SEO results.”

How will SEO change in the future and what should businesses do to prepare?
“The biggest change to SEO, that’s already starting to be felt by businesses, is in fact AI (Artificial Intelligence). This technology is being used by Google and other search engines to create AI-generated answers that appear at the very top of the SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages). In turn, this pushes down other websites that AI has used to create its ‘original’ answer. To tackle this, it’s important to create content that your customers (not search engines!) want to see, as your customers’ needs ultimately matter the most. It’s also equally as important not to rely solely on Google to support the success of your business. Remember, people buy your products, not Google, so build something your customers want and need. As the way we search evolves, businesses should refocus on what buyers want and need. Twenty years ago, people thought the Yellow Pages was all they needed. Ten years ago, few people were predicting that their sales could come from social media. Today, with your website at the hub of all marketing, SEO needs to be a central component, whilst diversifying your marketing to future proof the success of your business.”

“If you want to know more, at Aqueous Digital we offer a free consultation and website audit for any business. Please scan the QR code below or go to aqueous-digital.co.uk/eyes to book yours”.