SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, is a complex thing. There are plenty of so-called ‘gurus’ out there who purport to know all there is to know about keywords, image optimisation, inbound links and the like but it’s important to find the right advice that is tailored to your needs if you want to develop a successful website presence.
As experienced, UK based SEO consultants who have worked with a lot of businesses across the years, we are constantly surprised by the bad information and advice that our new clients have been given in the past. One of these is that website SEO is not important at all – keywords have had their day and Google doesn’t care much about inbound links anymore.
Let’s be clear, here. Search engine optimisation is very important if you want to increase your visibility in the online world. While the methods of getting your brand message out there have evolved as search engines have become more and more sophisticated, the basic idea is still the same: When someone searches for something in your industry or product category, you want to be near the top of the listings.
Yes, there are other ways of pushing your brand such as social media but these are all part of the marketing mix. You shouldn’t be excluding one in favour of another, they all have equal importance.
When looking for an SEO expert, UK businesses are more likely to achieve their goals by choosing a local company who are aware of the challenges faced within their industry and can help develop the content that attracts local customers as well as an international audience if desired.
Aside from the basic SEO provision, UK based SEO consultants will be able to offer a tailored approach that is designed to meet your needs, something that is more difficult to achieve if you come from another country or have to handle everything remotely. It involves drilling deep into areas like the viability of content and how it can be tweaked to appeal or be more visible to, say, UK customers who are more likely to type one thing into a search engine compared to customers in other countries.
For businesses that are serious about improving their online visibility in search engines such as Google and Bing, SEO is certainly important, a long term strategy that needs to be maintained if you are hoping for online business success.