Search Engine Optimisation means “making sure your business appears as high up as possible in relevant internet searches.”. It’s the 21st century equivalent of calling yourself “AA1 Aardvark Taxis” to appear first in the phone book, except a bit more nuanced. All the major actions to improve your ranking can be achieved without you having to spend any money, just with the use of skill, consistency and know-how.
First up, decide what your clients might be searching for, and check your google results to find out what is already bringing people to your site. For example, you might decide that you want someone who searches for “art gallery Hove” to find you before your competitors. This is now your SEO tag.
Then use that phrase mindfully. You want it to appear relevantly and seamlessly in your website copy. Avoid those product descriptions that say “mermaid party tradcore metallic cheap for men for women raver Bridgerton” - that's some clunky SEO optimising.
Make sure your alt tags (alternative text descriptions of images) are up to date and optimised. As well as making your site more accessible to people using screen readers, this will also make your site more visible to search engines.
A great opportunity to incorporate your tags is with a relevant, high quality blog, which addresses the questions your clients might be searching for and will then bring them to your site. An informative, entertaining blog is a must for keeping your website fresh and relevant.
Quotes and endorsements can also be very useful for this. If anyone has ever described you in print as “Hove’s best art gallery” make sure you use (and attribute) that review.
Make sure your website is responsive and looks its best regardless of what device it is accessed on. Google prioritises mobile sites over desktop ones, so it’s vital for your ranking that this is regularly checked and optimised.
Make sure your page loads quickly - 3 seconds is the gold standard. If yours takes longer, then consider streamlining the content and removing anything (large images, interactive animations) that is slowing it down.
A hugely important aspect is other websites that link to yours. A review on The Guardian that links to your website can boost your SEO ranking for years, and also fills that all-important first page of results when people search for your product or service.
Attractive Nuisance can work with you to optimise your website copy, blog and image tags, as well as getting other well-respected websites to link to yours with reviews, recommendations and interviews. If you’d like to discuss this further, get in touch on
hello@attractivenuisance.co.uk
