These days, customers of small businesses can find out almost anything about a company’s reputation. Reviews, experiences of past customers, and other information about businesses can be easily found online. As a result, it becomes increasingly important for businesses to manage their online web presence and ensure that their reputation is not damaged by spam or online trolls.
Search engine optimization, or SEO, can help a business maintain and improve its reputation and online web presence.
SEO is a set of strategies that businesses can use for their websites to improve their page ranking on search engines like Google and Bing. One of the most important elements of any SEO strategy should be targeting online content for users, not search engines. Many small businesses make the mistake of focusing on tricking the complex algorithms used by search engines. They use unethical and discouraged practices like keyword stuffing and link hiding in an attempt to increase their page ranking and get more web traffic. However, these suspect practices can harm a business’ reputation, creating the opposite of the intended effect.
Instead, businesses should focus on creating a simple interface for their website. They should also try to have interesting and unique content that is unavailable elsewhere. Not only will this be detected by a search engine (thereby improving search ranking), but it will also help to create a positive web presence. Potential customers will be more likely to favor a website that has interesting content, and they will also be more likely to share the page with friends and even visit the business’ physical location if it has one.
Another way to build a positive web presence through SEO strategies is by implementing social media strategies. Services like Facebook and Twitter are becoming increasingly popular, and incorporating these services into your business’ website can help increase web traffic and improve your search ranking. Users typically appreciate when a business makes it easy to share content with friends, and this is a great way to get free word-of-mouth advertising for your business.
