Quick overview:
SEO, but the right way - what store and website operators should know
The path to self-employment has never been as easy as it is today. Whether it's creating your own website, starting a career as an influencer or setting up an online store - all of this requires work, but the hurdles to starting your own business are significantly lower than they were 20 years ago. However, before strapping on the wings of entrepreneurial freedom, it's time to go to the drawing board: will your project be successful? What needs to be considered? How can you use your rather small budget wisely?
Especially at the beginning, it is often too expensive to place sufficient advertising to reach potential customers. In this context, search engine optimization could therefore offer a starting point. But if you want to go down this path, you should do it right. The most important aspects are outlined in more detail here.
Figure 1: Search engine optimization is still a powerful tool in customer acquisition today. Image source: @ Carlos Muza / Unsplash.com
Search engine optimization - what is it actually?
Search engine optimization is also known as SEO and is often a closed book. "It has something to do with Google" is not an uncommon response from laypeople. Basically, SEO describes all measures that serve to improve the ranking of your own digital asset (e.g. website, profile, channel, store) in search engine results.
These measures can be divided into different areas:
- On-page optimization
On-page optimization comprises the optimization measures that directly affect the respective asset. These include
- Contents of the website
- Keyword strategy
- Meta tags
- Internal links
Technical SEO as a subcategory
Part of on-page optimization is technical SEO. This is about ensuring that a website be indexed by the search engines and the mobile display. Last but not least, technical SEO should also eliminate errors on the website and make data protection requirements technically possible.
- Off-page optimization
Off-page optimization includes all measures to increase visibility in search engines that do not directly entail changes to the digital asset. This is therefore primarily about increasing awareness - and in particular you should optimize the Backlinks do not disregard. This works using various strategies:
- Content marketing
- Linkbuilding
- Press relations
- Social media marketing
What mistakes can be made in SEO?
Anyone interested in improving their website or profile in the search results of popular search engines will inevitably have to deal with SEO. However, there are some errors and mistakes that can ultimately lead to problems.
These include, among others:
- SEO is not free of charge
In contrast to placed advertisements, visitors who come to your website via search engines are free of charge. There is therefore no billing per visitor. Nevertheless, SEO measures themselves are not free of charge. The individual optimization measures often have to be initiated, which either costs money or time.
- SEO is not a short-term affair
Search engine optimization is never completely finished. A successful SEO strategy therefore does not work according to the motto: "Set and forget". Rather, it is about continuous development, which also includes constant monitoring. This allows you to react accordingly to changes in the search algorithm. Moreover, the measures themselves do not take effect overnight. Depending on the type of measure and the individual circumstances surrounding the website, it can take several weeks for the optimization to be reflected in changes to the search results.
- Not paying enough attention to the content
Visitors click on search results because they hope that the results will help them with their questions, problems and wishes. For this reason, it is important to fulfill the expectations of visitors when they make a search query. If this is not the case, users will quickly leave the website again. Search engines such as Google track user behavior and rank a website lower if this happens more frequently. For this reason, the following applies: Know user intentions and create tailor-made, high-quality content.
SEO: An important adjusting screw in online marketing
The bottom line is that search engine optimization is a powerful tool for increasing your visibility within your target group. However, anyone interested in this should avoid a few glaring mistakes right from the start. For example, it is of little use to regard SEO as a one-off action. If you want to be successful in the long term, you should implement SEO measures on a permanent basis and adapt to changes accordingly. If you do it yourself, this means dealing with a rather complex subject area in detail. Alternatively, specialists such as agencies can be hired to develop and implement a suitable SEO strategy. Used correctly, search engine optimization is still very worthwhile today.
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