10 Ways to Optimize Your Kelowna SEO Right NOW!

We're in a city of small businesses, and to stand out when people are looking for your products, you've got to know what you're doing. Here we've compiled some of the top 10 tips for ensuring you've optimized your Kelowna website to bringing traffic, customers and more money in!

1. Search your keyword

Before you do anything, make sure you spend your time strategizing the most effective things to do. As Abraham Lincoln said: "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." Search your keyword term/phrase to see who is currently ranking for it and how many people are in competition. Kelowna SEO is getting more competitive, so this will give you an idea of how tough that keyword may be to rank for.

You'll often want to use keyword phrases instead of one keyword, because they're less likely to be as hotly contested. Put on your customer hat: what would you type into the search bar if you were looking for your products but didn't know where to start? This is one of the things we would start with for any Kelowna SEO strategy.

2. Title Tags

Title tags are a nice quick boost; they take the least effort for the most reward. You've got about 70 characters that will show up in the search bar until you're cut off with ellipses. You'll want to place your most important keywords up front. And it should give the reader a positive and clear message about what your site does.

3. Link link LINK!

With your website you are creating a hierarchy of links. Without links, search engines won't be able to find your pages, no matter how good they are. So make sure your page links back to its category page, its homepage (usually done with an image link at the top left), and to related pages within your website. The higher up the links are on your page, the more likely they are to rank.

4. Be objective of your own content

Follow this checklist for posts:

1. Are the keywords you're using ones that your customers might actually type into a search engine?
2. If you were looking for help and/or information, and you came to your webpage, would this post have helped you?
3. If this weren't your business would you read it?
4. How can you make your information easier to digest? (see #9)

5. Enable Google Authorship

Having a face connected to your posts increases click-through rates. It establishes credibility in Google's eyes. There's a lot more down this rabbit hole, read more at http://www.searchenginejournal...

6. Brainstorm new content angles

Brainstorm some of the other areas that your product relates too. If you're selling flowers, then posting about floral arrangements for weddings or perhaps the meaning of various flowers, will open you up to new traffic and new customers.

7. Publish elsewhere

Don't just publish on your own blog/website. Make guest posts on other well-ranked websites, partner with other blogs, and link to your content from all other social media areas. Google will love your website for it.

8. Use Google Alerts

If you've never set up a Google Alert before then you should try it out. It's an automated email service from Google that will send you a message any time your chosen search query is used in a post. So if someone asks a question about floral arrangements on a forum (to take from the previous example), then you'll be notified and you can go answer their question and get a link back to your website. Try it out here: http://www.google.ca/alerts 

9. Be visual!

People get bored quick. Build an infograph, use an original photo, simplify content with lists and insert some quotes; use color, bold and italics. Make it flow logically, but entertain them while you inform them! 

10. Track the Stats

Using the free Google Analytics, you can see referral traffic, which will tell you if your guest blog posts or social media updates are getting clicks. This will inform your SEO strategy as you move forward. You can also look at number of page views for each of your pages (including blog posts).  These stats indicate the level of interest in the subject--kind of like having your own customer demand index.  Popular subjects should be expanded on because people want more.

Another metric is looking at the keywords people actually used to find your website.  Google tracks all the words people type into the search engine.  Note: if all the words contain your own business name that is BAD news!  That means people aren't finding your company's site for the products and services you specialize in. They are ONLY finding you if they already know your business name.  Marketers should take this as an indication that an SEO campaign is desperately needed.