You’ve heard the term Search Engine Optimization or SEO before, but what does it mean, and how does it impact you? According to SearchEngineLand.com, “SEO is the process of improving your site to increase its visibility when people search for products or services related to your business in Google, Bing, and other search engines.” In short, SEO is about making your website searchable and plays a huge role in whether people can find you online. The better visibility your website has in search results, the more likely you are to attract customers to your business online.

So what can you do to improve your SEO and rankings, even if you’re not an expert in SEO? We’ve got some tips for you!

1. Start with research. Before you start optimizing your website, you need to know who your audience is and what terms they search for to find your website. Be careful about getting too technical; most people use simple search terms and not your industry lingo.
   
   
2. Write a blog. Blogging is one of the most effective ways to increase your SEO. The key here is to use the keywords you found in your research in your writing. However, you need to be cognizant of writing for your customers and website visitors, not for search engines. Modern website crawlers are turned off by a list of keywords. They are programmed to read like a person, so a hard-to-read or overloaded blog post can negatively impact your search result ranking. Use terms that make sense in your writing, are relevant to your brand, and can be easily understood. Need help blogging for SEO? Check out this template to help make your writing time more efficient.
   
   
3. Include text on every page. Your website needs text on it. Every single page! Even if you’re showcasing a photo gallery, you must include a text description to accompany the images. A couple of sentences or short paragraphs are all you need. This is part of creating quality searchable content for your website. It can help improve your website’s SEO.
   
   
4. Add metadata. What is metadata? In short, metadata is “data about data” or deliberate, structured data about data. We know that’s all kinds of confusing, so to put it more simply, metadata is used to describe the information on a page of your website or in a blog post. Metadata can be customized on every page of your website and should include relevant keywords to the content on the page, ideally keywords you found during your research phase.
   
   
5. Be mindful of page speed. Google (and other search engines) hate a slow website. Luckily, PhotoBiz was built to keep your site speedy. You’re in good hands with PhotoBiz, but you still want to make sure not to overload your website with too many large files.
   
   
6. Add an FAQ page. A detailed FAQ page is a great place to add more information and keywords, without looking like you’re “keyword stuffing,” or putting in keywords for the sake of having keywords. You can use an FAQ page to link to other content on your site, which will also keep people on it longer. So, spend some time creating and maintaining an FAQ page to make it as robust as possible.
   
   
7. Add calls-to-action. Sometimes people need a little help to know exactly what you want them to do. Make it easy for them with calls to action. Buttons and forms are great examples of calls to action that will help users take the desired action.
   
   
8. Don’t get overwhelmed. SEO can be a lot to take in, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Breaking down SEO into smaller tasks, like blogging and adding metadata, make it easier.
   
   
9. Monitor your results. SEO is not a set-it-and-forget-it task. It’s something that needs to be monitored and tweaked regularly. Schedule time to work on your SEO on a monthly basis to keep it fresh and ensure it’s working properly.
   
   
10. Remember the PhotoBiz platform was built with SEO in mind. It comes packaged with the tools you need to optimize your website, everything from metadata to a fast and mobile-friendly platform. It does the heavy lifting for you.

Finally, consider using PhotoBiz’s SEO Go Service. You get paired with a certified Search Engine Optimization expert who audits your website, and then monitors your performance, and recommends changes to boost your search ranking, conversion rates, and revenue.

Still not sure where to start? Contact our Passionate Support Team via email, phone, or live chat (current customers, please log in first) and we’ll help you get your site found.