WHY YOU MUST MASTER SEO…
SEO is a fundamental part of copywriting, and an essential skill you MUST master, if you want
to sell more, or gain more clients. From website meta descriptions to optimising your content so
it ranks higher and gets you found, you should be constantly learning about ways to enhance
your copy for the search engines, so they will score you highly.
There are some tools you can use that will help you find the most relevant keywords for your
niche. Google Keyword Planner and Google Trends are just two of the tools you can use to
track keywords but remember don't make the mistake of plumping for a more general term that
appears to rank higher, because in the long run using more targeted keywords will serve you
better.
What do I mean?
Well, for example, if you Google the most searched keyword, the term "Real Estate" is currently
ranking at the top. Now if you have a Real Estate business, you might think, great, so I'll use
the highest scoring keyword and that way my site, or my content will score highly too.
But wait, imagine how many other people are using that keyword? Hundreds of thousands of
people, with billions of contents all using that term mean it's going to be incredibly hard for your
page to get found.
So, what should you do instead?
You should be specific. Look for keywords that have a good ranking that more specifically
describe what you do. Is your real estate business in California? Do you specialise in condos,
or in family homes?
How about "Real Estate California condos?". Or "Family Real Estate Cali’? Make sure the
phrases or words you are picking are searched for and do rank highly, but they don't have to be
at the very top. And make them as specific as possible, as this way, you'll be able to stand out,
and get found easier.
Think about it. If customers are looking for a Real Estate property dealing in condos in
California, that Real Estate company in Ohio isn't going to be on their radar if you've used the
right, targeted keywords.
Otherwise, if you use a more general term, hundreds of thousands of other sites all using that
term are going to bury you.
People are going to have to wade through pages of search results to find you, and the chances
of them doing that are very small. Market research has proven most people typically only look
at the first four pages of search results, and then only if they can't find what they need.
Many are only looking at the first page.
So, you need to optimise your SEO to make sure that when people use those specific terms to
search for what they want, your site appears right at the top.
LOCAL SEO IS CRUCIAL TOO…
You also need to optimise your content for local search, as this is becoming an ever more
important part of any effective SEO strategy.
As 43% of all people conducting Google searches are looking for a local brand or service, and
82% of smartphone shoppers conduct ‘near me’ searches, it's vital your content is primed for
Local search.
Optimise your title tags, ensuring you get specific. Generic title tags that don't mention your
location won't help people searching for a local business to find your brand.
As well as your title, you'll want to include local terms in your H1 and H2 tags. You also want to
use relevant keywords that people are searching for.
H1 and H2 tags are the HTML equivalent of the title and main header on your page and are
extremely important when it comes to Local SEO.
Why?
Because they tell both Google and Google users that your page is specific to a local area and
they show that your page is relevant to a specific topic or niche.
Semantic search is also vital when it comes to Local SEO, as Google now ranks pages higher
that have a natural array of related words rather than many repetitive or unrelated keywords.
So, write as naturally as possible, incorporating similar phrases and words to your target
keywords.
Getting semantic search right will make a fundamental difference to your page rankings, so it
definitely deserves your attention if you want to improve your Local SEO.
One final factor you should consider if you want to boost your Local SEO is the creation of a
community page. This is an extremely effective way to target all your local content.
A community page could serve as a resource for the local community, where people can
regularly find important news and updates about local events.
Alternatively, you could create a shopping portal where you link to other local brands and they
link back to you.
