Why does every website look the same

websites-look-the-same-adelaide

I am sure by now you have started to notice that most, if not all website look the same from design agencies, designers, and personal blogs.

But we think that is OK!

Over the last couple of years, a common visual trend has started to be noticeable online. You’ve seen it before; a full-width website, with a full-width photo or video background slider, usually it has centered text overlaid, logo always on the left, and navigation on the right.

THIS IS NOW… A REFLECTION OF WHAT USERS EXPECT FROM A WEBSITE THESE DAYS.

Does this sound like your website? This is now, a reflection of what users expect from a website. Design patterns exist to give an interface a proven and recommended layout for its function and controls, while having to bear in mind the expectations of its users.

What has happened is the user is now very used to this kind of layout. It is recognisable and familiar, it feels comfortable to use. Designers knowing that this formula works, continue to apply it, repeating the loop and avoiding innovation. Sticking too much to the same patterns over and over again ends up limit creativity, and we’d all like to avoid it where possible. However, a user expectation is something that has always been considered when designing a website, because at the end of the day, they are the ones who matter.

SO, HOW DID WE COME TO THIS?

There are a few reasons how this happened. The sudden boom of interest in flat design online — due to its simplicity — the evolution of responsive websites, and native video with HTML5, were all things that helped this visual trend become mainstream. All these technologies grouped together made it easier than ever to create more interactive, creative and appealing websites; but the biggest irony is that it has also helped to create the ‘standardised look’.

The technological evolution that our devices and computers have surpassed over the last couple of years, more designers want to make the best use possible of these. Responsive websites allow designers to create incredibly flexible experiences that make the best use of our screens, from a small mobile phone up to our TV screen. JavaScript, CSS transitions, and better and more frequently updated and standards compliant browsers, allow us to create an even more interactive experience that works great across devices.

SO, WHY REINVENT THE WHEEL?

Another reason that helps with this similar look are the creations of front-end frameworks. To simplify the creation and development of websites, a bunch of front-end frameworks have been created. They come with prebuilt layouts and styles for forms, text and buttons, grid systems, and media queries to make it easier for developers to create a responsive website.

Frameworks such as Squarespace and Foundation from Zurb are used by web developers and web designers all around the world for their projects. This makes for quicker development, and lower budgets for their clients, all while avoiding the trouble of reinventing the wheel for common website requirements.

Templates and themes are being built, sold, bought, and used more now than ever. Nowadays, you can find really well developed, good and flexible templates that you can use and adapt to a variety of different designs and purposes, allowing designers (and even non-designers) to build websites without having an in-depth knowledge of web development.

In a way, frameworks and templates are just helping to skip a step in the process of building a website.

THE INTERNET FOR EVERYONE, BY EVERYONE

Nearly everyone uses the Internet nowadays. It has evolved to the point where it’s almost considered a necessity comparable to electricity and water, because the Internet is knowledge, and we all know that knowledge is power!

It is evolving in such a way that a “user” isn’t just a “visitor” anymore. They now can be a creator as well, creating content and sharing their own ideas and points of view, be it through text, sound or video. And while everyone can create and share content, not everyone knows how to design or develop a website. So it’s for those people that resources like themes and templates are especially useful, but even then what we have found is the novice do run into problems with pre-designed and built websites.

IS CREATIVITY DEAD?

Even though a lot of websites look really similar these days, it doesn’t mean that creativity is dead. On the contrary, these are very exciting times for developers and designers, web technology has never been so powerful!

It’s not about the fullscreen background video, it’s about the concept and content, and the creativity behind an experience. Focus on the abilities of the devices, focus on the reach and potential of these technologies to create a different and engaging experience. Don’t do what everyone else is doing, don’t follow the trend just for the sake of following the trend. Be creative and unleash that creativity through fullscreen and responsive websites, using video and audio, to create experiences, not just websites.

SO, IT’S OK THEN?

I’m not worried that so many websites look alike. It’s simply a product of the common resources we have today, and I believe it’s a good thing that designers have more tools online to create their own content and to express themselves more easily.

There’s actually a lot of great work being done everyday. Just keep an eye open for the award winning work on websites such as Awwwards; you’ll be surprised by how much creativity is not being lost.

October 7, 2015 Web Comments Off on Why does every website look the same

Five SEO strategies to think about in 2016

SEO-Predictions-2016

Five SEO Strategies to think about in 2016

We are nearly at the end of 2015 and SEO marketers have likely been deep into links, keywords, content, and conversions. As you keep working hard, you would do well to adopt the following strategies to keep your momentum going into 2016.

1. Send social signs

There are lot of digital marketers who complain about low volume of incoming traffic from social platforms in relation to the efforts spent on those platform, but a silver lining has finally been added to the social big picture.

Just as backlinks act as votes for your site, raising your domain authority and rankings, so too does the popularity of content you share on social media.

Late in 2014, Google loosened its grip and took the first steps toward allowing non-Google social media platforms to be featured on its search engine results pages (SERPs). Social media platforms other than Google+ made their entry into Google’s Knowledge Graph.

With the removal of Google authorship, as well, from search result snippets, you can expect social signals from popular platforms to gain in importance in the years ahead.

2. Love the mobile

We all know the coming of age of the mobile Web, it’s been creeping upon us. With the share of smartphones at 80% of the US market, predictions are coming true. Further, mobile Internet activity now stands at over 40% of all Internet traffic and only half that are desktop computers.

Recognising the changes in browsing patterns, Google took the step of tagging sites on its SERPs as “mobile-friendly” as a tip off to searchers. The click rates and engagement for sites tagged specifically as mobile friendly are higher than others.

So hurry up and switch to responsive design (if you haven’t already). Search the site markers that Google uses to confer a tag on sites and implement these changes on your site ASAP, which include the following:

  • Make sure you have buttons that are big enough to be clicked easily on a small mobile device
  • Lots of whitespace to prevent the “fat finger syndrome”
  • Your copy should be large enough to read without zooming in
  • Links that are placed fairly apart to avoid wrong navigation

Take Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test and make sure your site passes.

3. Don’t abuse guest blogging

As content gains acceptance as a road to earning you links and growing authority, there was a mad rush between 2012 and 2013 toward guest-blogging simply for the sake of  links, no matter how irrelevant or unimportant the referring site. Thousands of low-quality websites and blogs exploded, soliciting guest posts and offering backlinks in return.

Not surprisingly, that extent of guest posting sites did not go unnoticed, and in early 2014 Google specifically highlighted guest-blogging as a strongly undesirable method of earning SEO brownies.

In the words of Google: “If you’re using guest blogging as a way to gain links in 2014, you should probably stop.”

But that does not mean you need to close the doors on guest blogging in 2016; it just means that resorting to spammy guest posts on spammy sites is a bad idea.

To avoid Google’s wrath, resolve to put quality over quantity. Aim to acquire high-quality links from respected and well-read websites rather than anyone who agrees to publish your content for the sakes of backlinks.

Doing so is easier said than done. A guest post on a high-quality site comes with two requisites:

  • Creating undeniably great content
  • Building a lasting relationship with high quality sites in your niche as opposed to simply looking for one-off links from them

4. Move to HTTPS

HTTPS (HTTP Secure) is technology for transferring data between your site and the Web servers with an additional layer of encryption called SSL (Secure Socket Layer) to make your data transfer very secure.

With the recent hacking of large-scale data breaches, including the famous Sony hack, security has been a priority of most digital marketers. Gone are days just e-commerce retailers, financial websites and the likes having to spend time and building airtight websites with SSL encryption.

In a move for safer browsing experience for all users, in August 2014 Google announced it would be using HTTPS as a definite ranking signal.

Keeping the ever-worsening Web security situation in mind, combined with Google’s announcement regarding HTTPS as a ranking signal, it is definitely worth your while to invest in an SSL certificate for your site. It’s even more important if your site needs login authentication or handles sensitive user data.

(However, bear in mind that SEO-related things can go wrong when migrating your HTTP site to HTTPS, so seek an expert agency to help you out.)

5. Focus on contextual search

Semantic search shot into focus with Hummingbird in 2013. SEOs of all kinds rushed to optimise their content to not just keywords but also their synonyms, product- and brand-related phrases, different content formats, and so on.

In 2014 processing capabilities of Google bots became more refined. A smart SEO strategy would approach keyword research from the perspective of search intent. So now, you must think like your user and come up with as many combinations as possible for queries related to your brand.

Instead of using single keywords to build authority, consider conversational queries that use natural language structures. If you do have to focus on keywords, use universal transactional words like sale, buy, cheap, discount, etc. to build probable search queries for your products or brands.

“Content that links back to your site does not have to be in your face with exact or partial match, or even branded keywords as your anchor text,” says Vaibhav Kakkar, co-founder of RankWatch, which offers backlink and on-site SEO analysis in addition to monitoring rankings.

Vaibhav concludes from analysis on its links to rankings interaction data that even a mere reference with no link back to your site adds to your ranking potential, just as long as your brand is mentioned in relevant context.

Even if your products are alluded to along with those of your competitors, search engines pick up on the fact that your brand belongs to the same product category as the others. If any of the brands that share space with yours happen to have high online authority, some of that authority rubs off on you via association.

Google always continues to keep SEO experts on their toes. The good news is that SEO is now more about how useful your site is to the end user than how smart you are at outflanking Google’s ranking systems.

The challenge is that it’s an uphill battle to be truly useful to today’s informed and savvy web searcher.

After years of umming and arring about social media’s relative importance to search rankings, Google finally acknowledged its place as a valuable visibility factor, albeit in a subtle way.

 

September 21, 2015 Google, SEO, Web design Comments Off on Five SEO strategies to think about in 2016

The Importance of Letterhead design

Over the last couple of weeks we have talked about the importance of business stationery, and how business cards are such an essential part of selling your brand.  Today I want to discuss the importance of letterhead design.

Why your letterhead is important

Your Company logo

Your business has a logo for a reason. This logo will define and identify your brand, and will help your customers to recognise you. So by putting your business logo on your stationery you expose your brand and what it stands for, in turn giving you a far greater brand awareness in your industry and among your customers.

It backs up your brand

Every business wants its customers to know that it offers the best service or the most affordable products, then your letterhead therefore needs to reinforce your brand message.

If your brand is all about providing a professional, bespoke service (for example) then you should make sure that your letterhead reflects this, whether that’s with a clean design, or by colours and fonts. Once you’ve chosen the particular identifiers, make sure to stick to them across all of your business’ communication for consistency.

It shows legality and authority

Not only does your business letterhead present who you are, which helps to identify your brand; but it should also be used for all official documentation. It reinforces your brand’s authority and gives the remainder of the letter credibility.

What makes a good letterhead design?

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Clean and simple

Your letterhead should be easy to read, so it’s important for it to be a clean and simple design. Your letterhead should consist of your logo and any contact details.

Contact details

It’s important that your customers can contact you by looking at your letterhead. This means ensure your contact details are relevant and up to date.

Two font rule

Now this is in the eye of the beholder, but we feel you shouldn’t use any more than two fonts in your letterhead design. Try to choose a font which reflects your logo. You may decide to use a specific typeface for all of your marketing communication.

Company colours

You should make sure that your letterhead contains any corporate colours from you logo. A business which sells items specifically related to food for example will likely opt for green and red, rather than purple, it’s simple logic.

Good examples of successful letterheads

Below is a look at some examples of what we think is successful letterhead designs. Just remember as long as you include the right information, and keep any design consistent with your brand’s identity, you can’t go wrong.

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Simply in the shape of a comb, this works great for a barber shop.

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Choosing a corporate colour must have been a bit of a no brainer with a name like Redbrick.

If you want to chat to DesignLab about how we can help with your business stationery in Adelaide, call Spiros 0n 0431 926 575.

August 5, 2015 Branding, Branding Adelaide, Graphic design, Graphic Design Adelaide Comments Off on The Importance of Letterhead design

Good Business Card Design Adelaide

Good business card design Adelaide is so important to your brand. Your business card can be considered one of the most important marketing tools you can have for your brand and business. You are giving you’re contact information to potential customers. In order for the business card to do its job, it has to be professional, memorable and attractive.

It is very important for your business card to be attractive and memorable. Think that some people receive hundreds of business cards and they rarely remember any of them. Making your business card memorable is and should important.

Some mandatories we advise all our clients are your logo must be simple and symbolic to your business services and the industry that is associated with. Having your website and email address is a must these days. Customers will be searching for a website where to look for information about your business and for an email if they want to contact you. If you’re missing these, you better keep the cards to yourself, cause handing them to people would be pointless.

What people appreciate more than anything else in a business card is it’s quality. Your brand is reflected by your business card, and if you have one with a good paper quality and print finish, the first impression of a possible client will be far better than from a regular business card.

In short business cards will never go away. They remain an effective tool for building networks and keeping in contact with clients.

 

The business cards showcased below are a really good example of how to make your card stand out.

Speak to Spiros at DesignLab if you want to take your business card to the next level and really stand out.

 

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July 15, 2015 Brand Identity, Branding, Graphic design, Graphic Design Adelaide Comments Off on Good Business Card Design Adelaide

One Page Scrolling Websites SEO

One page scrolling websites SEO

One page scrolling websites are all the rage right now; we see more and more each week on sites. They do look quite cool when filled with great fonts, graphics and transitions, but can you SEO a one-page site and rank?

It’s going to depend on what your particular area is, what the topic is, and what kind of layout you come out with. But if it works for you and for users to have that all on one page, for the most part, it should work for Google as well.

We took a look at what other web developers have to say about SEO optimising one-page sites. The same old advice I keep hearing again is to include adding sub-pages or blogs because of the content value. The only problem with this is it skirts the issue by turning your one page site into a multi-page site. Does this mean you should not use a one-page?

1. Authority

At first glance, authority might seem like an argument in favour of one page sites. Every off-site and inbound link will point to the same URL right. But the counter argument is that it’s more difficult to earn links for the same content again and again than it is to get them for fresh content.

And while one page sites can work for Google, most SEO experts believe having multiple pages with off-site links improves the overall credibility of a website and SEO.

  • Page Authority/PageRank: It’s possible to benefit by having all links point to the same URL.
  • Domain Authority: Questionable/unknown: having a 1:1 ratio of links to pages, and having only one page may inhibit domain-wide authority benefits.
  • Link Building: It may be difficult to earn a continuous flow of new links over time.

2. Content

Search engine algorithms like to seek relevancy; they match queries with content. While a one page site could improve relevancy for your primary keywords, it’s more likely you will alter relevancy for sub-topics and ranking terms that might rank easier if they had their own pages.

Let’s consider Google’s Hummingbird new update. How it works is it strives to better match the meaning of a query to relevant documents, not just matching the words in a search with words on pages. If you have only one page describing everything about your product or service, and all the other stuff found within a normal business website — how relevant can one page be for any one section?

3. Crawlability

Can a search engine crawl your one-page site? If you have any transitions that load new content as a user scroll down the page, you must make certain that search engines can crawl and cache your page from top to bottom. Google’s search spiders have a limited support for executing javascript.

If you’re not sure, copy a line of text from the bottom of your page and search for it in Google Search within quotes. Does it appear in the search results? Another test is to turn off CSS and javascript before loading your page. I use the Web Developer Toolbar for this.

I’ve seen some web designers advise serving a static version of a page to search engines still while displaying the dynamic version to online users. We advise to be cautious about doing something like this. Google defines cloaking, a penalty and banning offense, as serving different content to people and search engines. If you serve a static version to search engines you better be sure the page content is exactly the same.

4. SEO For One Page Sites

If you’re not discourage at this point, you may be wondering: how do you SEO optimise a one page site then?

a.  Content Sections More Defined

Design each section of content as if it were a separate webpage. Select the keywords you desire to rank for and draft the appropriate headline, copy and image alt tags.

b. Separate Content Sections in DIV containers

An idea is to place each section of your content inside a DIV tag. For example:

<div id="design">...content...</div>
<div id="web-design">...content...</div>
<div id="illustration">...content...</div>

CSS id names are not considered signals of SEO keywords, but it can be a good way to keep things highly organised. You can also use them for anchor links, which are also SEO signals.

c. Anchored Links

We know Google looks at anchored links. Don’t be confused with anchor text, anchor links take you to a specific place within a website.

Try to optimise each DIV id for both a usability and keyword SEO standpoint. You want them to make sense for people using your website and have a relevant keyword for the section.

To create an anchor link for each section,

Name the DIV id.

<div id="web-design">

Link to it.

<a href="#web-design">Web + Design</a>

 

d. Content Section with a H1 Tag

This is probably the one time we will suggest multiple H1 tags on the same page. A H1 signal that follows is distinct and separate from the rest of the page. Just make sure to only use one H1 per section.

In Conclusion

One page websites can look great for new sites and perhaps special projects. We don’t recommend them as a long-term solution. If you have a multi-page website then I recommend leaving it.

July 1, 2015 Google, SEO Comments Off on One Page Scrolling Websites SEO

Selling Your Design Value

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As design agencies face more and more competition in selling their design services, they are now looking to areas where they can add design value for clients (and get paid for that added value).

For years now advertising / marketing gurus speak about something called USP (unique selling proposition). This has based on assumptions that an area of a product / service could have a unique resonance with a particular market demographic.

Value proposition – what is it?

Value proposition is the promise of a value to be delivered to a client. True value proposition works when the receiver of the value (client) has acknowledged that they have received value from the product or service.

A value proposition can apply to an any organisation, products or services.

Preparing value proposition is part of a business strategy.  Strategy is based on a differentiated customer value proposition. Satisfying customers is the source of sustainable value creation.

Design value proposition – what is it?

A design value proposition is written from a working analysis of your client and your competitors. From these you can identify what value design can add to your clients’ business. Value that you know your competitor don’t offer.

The design value proposition has three important key statements.

  1. The areas that a client values.
  2. How a designer can offer services to enhance and communicate the value to customers
  3. Example of success that the designer has had in project with a peer.

Design value proposition – how to use it?

The design value proposition is not a statement you put on your website, however it does guide your submission and pitches to clients. Its structure is the structure you use in pitches. You begin by showing the client you understand what it is they value. Then you outline a strategy for your services to communicate the value to customers. You may also show a strategy to enhance the value through design. The submission would finish with a budget and projected return on investment based on a similar project.

Value pricing

In any resignation, price your service on the value they generate for your client, not the number of hours it will take.
Your design value proposition needs to show the value of your service that can return for the client and now you’re asking for a part of that increased value.

It does requires trust and confidence

As stated above in the value proposition definition it has to require the client to acknowledge the added value. This is only possible if the client respects and trusts the designer…i.e. you!

June 17, 2015 Graphic Design Adelaide, News, Tips & Tricks Comments Off on Selling Your Design Value

Is your website prey to Google Mobilegeddon?

 

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Its been almost been two months that Mobilegeddon made its debut, and so far it seems that its not that significant..so far. So how far is Mobilegeddon ( Google’s Mobile Friendly Algorithm ) affecting your site? To find an answer to this question, the team at DesignLab has researched a bit and we have some good as well as bad news for you.

The Good News

Is that if your existing website is not mobile friendly, then this really has got nothing to do with your desktop & tablet ranking. This means that if your website was performing really well in the desktop results, then it will most probably be there were it is and MobileGeddon has got nothing to do with it.

MobileGeddon was officially launched on 21st April and is still under a implementation stage. So, untill and unless your website is not crawled by the Google spiders, there are chances that it will most probably stay were it is. This gives you some extra time to get your site mobile ready. So hurry up!

Bad News

Google is saying that 60% of its searches come directly from mobiles. So, if your website is not mobile friendly then there is a real string possibility that you might attract only 40% of the audience that searches for something on a desktop.

Apart from this, we have seen a big drop in some of our clients ranking. The websites that were ranked in top 10 for mobile results have just dropped to 20 position. So, even if Mobilegeddon is in the primary stages of its implementation, there is still a possibility that your website may fall prey to it, and maybe already has while your’e reading this.

So, what should be your approach towards MobileGeddon and how seriously shall you take it?

Before making any decision , just go through a few points that you must keep in your mind:

1. Googlebot must be allowed to crawl CSS & JavaScript to pass the “mobile-friendly” test

2. Mobile friendliness is determined at page level – not sitewide

3.Tablets such as iPads will not be affected by this update

4.Google is currently working on a dedicated mobile index (stay tuned)

Now the first thing you must do is just go ahead and check if your website is mobile friendly or not. To do so, just enter your website in the text box below and hit submit.

What are the solutions ?

1. If you are running a WordPress website, then you can go ahead and just install any of these 3 plug ins which will convert your website into a Google Friendly Mobile site. But this is a temporary solution as it simply just uses a pre defined theme and even though if it makes your website MobileGodden friendly, it can badly damage the UX for your website. But if you wish to just go ahead and use it, then feel free to download it from the below links:

https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-mobile-detector/
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wptouch/

2. Send us your website and we will get back to you with a quote for converting your existing website into Mobile friendly site. We convert existing static websites into responsive websites and even Responsive WordPress websites.

I know this seems daunting, especially if you have just recently designed your website, but as I keep saying to all our clients web design is always changing and ever evolving and if you want to run your business online you need to keep ahead of the game.

Call Spiros on 0431 926 575 anytime, he is happy to answer any questions.

May 29, 2015 Google, SEO, Web Comments Off on Is your website prey to Google Mobilegeddon?

Hints to help you get to the top page of Google

How to get on the Top Page of Google!

There has been many statistics which prove people don’t click beyond the first page of Google search results, so if you want to be seen, you need to be in the top listings on first page. To do that, you need to learn a bit about how search engines work and how to optimise your site, more commonly known as Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

Once the search engine knows your site exists, they scan your site and index the information, then analyse the content to determine how and where your website should display on the results page. If your site isn’t optimised, then it won’t rank well at all, and could end up well below your competitors.

Some Key Elements to Help Increase Your Rankings:

Each search engine has its own set of rankings and listing criteria, but they all work the same way, let’s look at the same basic elements.

Keywords – These are select words and phrases that someone would use when searching for your product/business. You want to choose 5 to 10 words or phrases that best represent your product/business, then use those words and phrases frequently on your site (but only where it makes sense — whatever you do, don’t cram them in because Google will know).

Title Tag – The title tag is a short summary of what potential customers can expect from your page. It displays in a few important places, including the browser’s title bar, and as the title for your listing in search engine results. If you target a specific audience, possibly consider including that in the title, like “motorcycle accident in Arizona.” It helps if each page on your site contains a unique title, but keep it concise — around 65 characters.

Description Tag – The description tag displays below your website’s link in search results and should entice people to visit your website. Every page in your site should include a unique description using the keywords for that page. Keep your descriptions less than 250 characters and avoid non-alphanumeric characters.

Header Tag (H1 Tag) – Every page in your website should include only one header tag. It doesn’t display in the search results, but it’s the largest or most prominent text on your page. The header tells a visitor what they’re reading. Keep it brief – no longer than a short sentence.

Page Content – Your content, the text that your visitors will read, is really important for search engines. Use between 350 and 650 words, including those keywords we mentioned above, one good thing is to bold each of the keywords once on the page. And always make sure everything on your site is original material, do not copy and paste from other competitor websites. Google will know.

Interesting Fact: Google can tell (and will probably penalise you) if your content has an excessive number of keywords.

Link Building – Links can be a big factor in how search engines rank your site. There are two: interlinks and back links. Interlinking is creating a link from a keyword or sentence on one page to another area of your website. For example, the sentence “Find an lawyer near you” would be linked to the list of office locations on your site. A Back link are other websites that link to your site. Google weighs this more heavily when determining your site’s rank, and unfortunately these are more difficult to achieve. An easy ways to create back links are listing your business with online directories (such as Yelp, TrueLocal and social media). You could also contact other business owners online in your area of business and offer them a link exchange.

Menu Navigation – Navigation refers to all the links on your website. Visitors and Google both rely on good navigation to get around your site. Broken links are like hitting a wall, so be sure to check your links regularly and make sure they are all working.

Sitemap – A sitemap is essentially the map of all the pages in your website. Sitemaps will guide a search engine throughout your website with the names and locations of pages. They can speed up indexing and, in some cases, increase site traffic by indexing previously buried pages.

Image Tag – Images are good to break up the text and add a visual appeal to your website. Be sure to include an image on every page, and format it with an “alt” attribute using those keywords we mentioned. Because search engines can’t see images the way we do, they depend on alt attributes to appropriately catalog and index the image.

Tip: Optimising your images, so the file size is smaller and the image loads faster, can also help your search rankings.

 

May 20, 2015 Google, SEO Comments Off on Hints to help you get to the top page of Google

How to get to the top of Google rankings

google-rankings-adelaide-graphic-design

 

We have all heard the phrase “Location, location, location!” in real estate. This also applies to your search engine ranking for your website  — the higher your site is listed, the more traffic you get. Getting to the top of Google is what every business wants to achieve. And there are some simple steps to getting your business high up the Google rankings. And it’s possible to do it without spending a dollar.

Here are some of our tips:-

1. Understand what the demand is for your product

First step is to spend some time understanding what your customers are already looking for, and then align your services and content around that. Google’s Keyword Planner & Google Trends are free tools to use, and will give you an idea of what people are searching for online. If you can place a search box on your site to help you discover what your customers are looking for.

2. Prioritise key words for your website

Think about how relevant the key word term is, and how you can best compete with other online businesses. For example, we target the term “graphic design adelaide” rather than just “graphic design.” Despite having far fewer searches, this keyword is far more likely to convert to a lead, also because targeting a location helps better narrow down a potential customer finding you geographically.

3. Keep your site with good internal linking

This helps Google understand what pages are important for your’e site, and will allow users to find helpful content. And there are many tools online to help you spot and fix code errors, one example is the IIS Toolkit.

4. Track everything – for free

There are a number of tracking tools available to help you understand how well you’re doing online. Google Webmaster Tools will give you an indication of exactly what Google sees when it visits your site. Factors such as site speed, 404 errors, broken links and site significance are all listed here.

5. Ask others to link to your site

Make a list of the people your business deals with on a daily basis and then ask them to link to your site, pointing out the fact that your site ranking well will also benefit them. Also try searching your own brand name online to find people who already talk about you, then ask them to add in a link. Another easy win is to submit your site details to relevant directories.

6. Get your business out there

Get involved with your customers on social media. Share your insights and thoughts with your market to show search engines you’re an authority in the space. Not only will this give you an advantage over competitors, but it will encourage your customers to recommend you on social networks, or write positive reviews online. Google considers all the signals it can when ranking sites, so the more you’re doing, the better.

 7. Organic vs. Paid Listings

You can attract visitors to your site a variety of ways, but one of the most effective ways is being listed at the top of the “organic” search results on search engines like Google and Yahoo! Unlike paid listings, which are advertisements that display in sponsored areas, organic results are free and based on, among other things, the site’s content and how closely it matches the keywords being searched.

See You At the Top.

Search engine optimisation can have a large impact on the success of your business online. The good news is that with the tips presented in this blog, you have the basic steps you need to get started. Take a little time to tune up your site and watch your customers grow with your search results.

May 12, 2015 Google, SEO Comments Off on How to get to the top of Google rankings
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