In the past, adding search engine optimization (SEO) keywords to your site boosted your rankings. However, fellow businesses have caught on–and in 2023, you’ll need advanced SEO techniques to beat your competitors to rank above them in search engines like Google, Google Mobile, and Google Maps.
Advanced SEO techniques streamline your website, improve your content, and keep you ahead of competitors in the industry. They’re time-consuming, we know, but the ROI from organic leads is always worth the time and effort.
1. Optimize Your Website for Mobile
This one is nothing new, but it is still extremely important. Many customers have forgone laptops entirely, opting for smartphones and tablets instead. Others browse their phones in places where they don’t have access to a computer. Google now also indexes mobile-first, meaning that it looks and ranks your mobile website before your desktop, making mobile optimization and usability that much more important.
When you are building your website, it’s also important to note that not all web designers design for various platforms. When you a build a website in 2023, you should build and optimize it for as many platforms as possible:
- Desktop
- Laptop (11-inch screen)
- Tablet
- Smartphones
If your website isn’t formatted for mobile, you’re probably losing thousands of dollars a year in potential revenue.
An optimized mobile site is simple, scrollable, and easily read on smaller screens. To grab visitors’ attention right away, you’ll offer videos, graphics, bold slogans, and logos. The best sites find a balance when it comes to length: they’re not so short that they look like a dead-end but don’t require endless scrolling.
A mobile-friendly site loads quickly to satisfy your visitors’ need for instant gratification. You can test your current mobile website for free with the Google Developer speedtest: https://pagespeed.web.dev/
2. Build Content for Rich Snippets
Rich snippets are chunks of information that appear at the top of search results and are the highest position possible on Google. You’ve probably seen one before without realizing exactly what it is. Here is a screenshot of what they look like on Google:
Rich snippets tend to favor numbered list or bullet points. For example, a how-to website might include a picture and the first few steps in the instructions. A business might include reviews and prices. You’ll tailor rich snippets to your needs to give customers essential information. Rich snippets grab your viewers’ attention by showing them what they’re looking for, encouraging them to click on the result.
To add a rich snippet to your search result, encode Schema markup in your website along with the metadata. Google pulls this markup from your website and displays it when your site appears in the results. You can choose from different types of markup, including reviews, recipes, products, news stories, albums, videos, and events.
Learn more about rich snippets here: https://senditrising.com/what-is-rich-snippet-content/
3. Refresh Your Google Business Profile
Have you ever searched for a business on Google and found an empty profile with no contact information? The business might sell exactly what you need, but a dead profile looks unprofessional and makes you wonder if the business is still open. Your Google Business Profile is a free tool that establishes your business and gives you an edge over local competition.
If you’ve already completed your Google Business Profile, conduct a review to ensure that the information is still accurate. A single issue like inaccurate hours or a disconnected phone number could cost you a sale. Change information that no longer applies, and fill in as many fields as possible for a complete, comprehensive profile.
Similarly, add photos of your business if you haven’t already. Pictures make your business feel more personal, building a relationship with your customers before entering the store. You’ll also enhance your reputation because you’re showing customers that you can afford professional photoshoots. Delete irrelevant photos, and upload new shots, so visitors know what to expect.
Throughout the year, keep an eye on your profile. Add questions and answers to your Q&A section, so customers don’t have to contact you and wait for a response. Respond to positive reviews, and offer assistance when customers have complaints. Use Google Posts for news, updates, sales, and promotions. When you communicate with visitors, you become a staple in your community.
4. Use Creative Link Building
Link building creates a network of advertisements throughout your industry. When a link to your website appears on another person’s site, review, or blog post, you’ll attract customers who wouldn’t have found you otherwise. You’ll also build a positive reputation because other websites liked your business enough to promote you.
Unfortunately, link building isn’t as easy as buying an advertisement. Websites need a reason to link back to your business–unless you buy a promotional article, they’re not doing it for free. Creative link building strengthens your network in ways that other companies overlook.
Another method involves doing a reverse Google image search for charts and diagrams that you shared on your website. Find the websites that used your graphic, then ask for credit. Likewise, search for concepts that you introduced on your site and ask for credit. You’ll build links and get the attribution that you deserve.
Think about new ways to educate customers, create a need or market your product. When other websites notice, they’ll write blog posts and link to your website as a source. If your phrase or method takes off, you might earn mentions in major publications. Getting backlinks from websites with high domain authority gives you serious brownie points with Google when it comes to ranking your website. Advanced SEO includes some PR, and you can sign up for things like HARO (Help A Reporter Out) to help provide insight for articles in your expertise and get possible linking benefits.
5. Record & Post Video Content
YouTube racks up over a billion views every day. As video content has exploded in popularity, content creators have made a living filming and editing videos about their lives. People watch videos while on the bus, waiting in line, or sitting in a restaurant. They watch videos at home for entertainment and depend on them for news and education. YouTube is so accessible that anyone can use it, even people who aren’t technologically inclined. In other words, the entire world is plugged into video content.
Many website owners focus on text and graphic design, assuming that visitors won’t watch videos about their business. Who would watch a video that’s essentially an advertisement for the product they’re already looking at? In fact, videos increase your traffic, drive sales and give customers more respect for your business. They might not watch a direct advertisement–although you can produce those, too–but they’ll watch a video that’s entertaining or educational.
Some examples of videos that you could produce include:
- Instructional videos for your product
- Funny and entertaining videos that subtly promote your business
- Early looks at new products or services
- Reviews from real customers
- Livestreams that allow you to interact directly with viewers
- News, updates, and promotions
- Funny commercials that hold your viewers’ attention
- Short episodes of an ongoing original show
- Collaborations with popular YouTube channels
Upload your videos to a branded YouTube account, and embed them in your website. Some customers will find your videos simply because they appeared in a YouTube search. They’ll subscribe to get updated when you post new videos, essentially free advertising. An advanced SEO digital marketing company like Send It Rising produces, edits, and uploads video content for your business.
Talk to a Digital Marketing Company
Incorporate the latest advanced SEO techniques in your website with Send It Rising. As an SEO company, we’ve mastered basic methods and advanced techniques for a comprehensive marketing strategy. Our services include video production, mobile optimization, Google ads, local SEO, and graphic design. We also provide web security and maintenance to keep your site running.
Get started today with our free web audit. We’ll evaluate your website and highlight areas of improvement, then talk about the ways we’ll help you meet your goals. In the meantime, download our free eBooks to create a knowledge base. Buy an advanced eBook to build on your existing knowledge.
