I improved my SEO myself

Overview

My website was just not doing as well as it should and I wanted to attract more customers but had no clear idea of how to achieve this.

The challenge

Although a couple of my pages were ranked number one on Google, the website was not doing so well as an entity. I needed expert advice and somebody who could explain to me simply where I was going wrong.

I had heard about SEO but, to be honest, it seemed like Mandarin Chinese! I wanted a trusted provider that understood my business and how to gain maximum impact.

The solution

As an e-business, online search rankings are vital so I immersed myself in the why's and wherefore's of search engine optimisation.
I had already joined a business social networking site and noticed how traffic increased whenever I blogged or posted new product details on the site. I began to blog more regularly - it's fun and easy - about my products and special offers.

I also reviewed my homepage and whether it accurately reflected the services I offered. I also ensured my domain name, www.aloe-vera-guide.com. indicated what I did and included one of my products.

I realised that the more I updated my site and kept it fresh, the better my listing on Google was I have educated myself on the selection of the best keywords for my web pages - the ones which customers and prospects tap in to search engines when they are looking for natural remedies. Finally, I also linked my site to trusted supplier and reseller sites, boosting my rankings at the same time as helping to boost theirs.

I was helped along the way by a digital marketing package called BT SearchSmart that gave me expert support when I needed it.

I currently receive up to 220 visitors per day to my site but I'm confident of growing this figure to 500+ in the next three to six months.

Key lesson

Keep it simple - over-complex and broken sites (with blank pages and missing links etc) perform badly on search engines and dissuade customers. Ensure that your website design is as clean, professional and uncluttered as possible with easy navigation. It's vital that all text is spelt correctly and is grammatically correct.

Top tip

Update your content regularly, using pictures as well as words. Product images should be as clear and as detailed as possible and accurately represent the product to which they are linked.

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