You don’t need anyone to tell you the importance of search engine optimization (SEO). Facts like “60% of clicks go to the first three sites on search engines” is the reason why you embarked on this journey.
But recently, you’ve run into a slump you can’t seem to get out of. It’s time like these when business owners wonder whether their efforts are wasted efforts and whether they should just quit while they’re ahead.
Well, the simple answer here is no. Just because your franchise SEO isn’t getting the numbers you desire doesn’t mean you should give up. In fact, there are various ways you can improve your current situation.
In the following guide, we’ll cover 10 ways you can do just that. Let’s get right to it!
1. Make Sure Your Keywords Are On Point
The lifeblood of your franchise SEO strategy is your keywords. For this reason, you need to ensure your keyword lists are terms your audience actually use.
You don’t want to continue wasting your ad spend and blog efforts on search terms that bring you no traffic or, just as bad, the wrong traffic.
This is why it’s highly recommended that you focus on local keywords. Combine certain cities in your area with the keywords you find. Make sure the search terms are low-competition with a steady flow of monthly search volumes.
2. Optimize All of Your Blog Posts
Another important component of your franchise SEO is your blog posts. This is how you will continue to optimize your site for the keywords you select. Now, the key is to be consistent with your publishing.
If you sporadically post blog content, then you can’t expect to get much traffic from it. The only way around this is to heavily promote those few blog posts you make so that it goes somewhat viral.
But while this will help your traffic, it won’t boost your ranking as quickly as it would if you were pushing out consistent posts. By consistent, we mean at least one post per week.
3. Focus On Longer Blog Posts
Short blog posts are great for quick tips, but a lot of people are searching for more in-depth guidance and advice. The only way to give this is to write longer content that’s at least 1,000 words. Google and other search engines find long-form posts to be very valuable to users.
For one, long-form content normally provides lots of information the user is searching for. Then second, it can also entice users and other bloggers to link to and share your content.
When search engines see this, it shows your content is highly-relevant and worth a higher rank in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
For instance, you can write reviews for products and services, such as the Healthy You Vending machines. These are growing in popularity thanks to the increasing population of health-conscious individuals.
Make sure the things you review are relevant to your audience.
4. Optimize All Descriptions and Page Titles
Now, besides your blog posts, it’s essential to also optimize each page of your website. This includes your home page, product or service pages, about us page, contact page and so on.
Each page needs an optimized title and meta description. Not only will this help search engines rank the pages, but it will also get users to click on them. In the SERPs, the title and description show up.
This gives users the intel they need to determine whether or not to click on your link.
5. Make Sure Your Number and Address Are Visible
Your website should showcase your phone number and physical address somewhere on your website. Typically, this is placed on the contact page. Some site owners also include it in the footer section of the site, which displays on each page.
Another great idea for your franchise SEO is to link your address to Google Maps. You can also add a widget that displays a map of your location users can click on to get directions from.
6. Claim Your Business Listings On Google
Every search engine has a business directory with listings of businesses collected from around the web. It’s highly essential that you claim your listings on each search engine. Make sure that your NAP (name, address, phone number) is accurate and consistent with what’s on your website.
This will ensure your listing is properly ranked in the directory. Also, don’t forget to select your business categories.
7. Ensure Your Site is Optimized for Mobile
It’s not enough to optimize for search engines only. After all, most people today are surfing the net using their mobile devices. If your website doesn’t accommodate these smaller screens, then search engines will penalize your site.
Sites that are mobile friendly get top priority. But rather than creating a separate mobile website, you can simply redesign your site with a responsive design.
8. Promote Customers to Leave Online Reviews
Set up a page on Google My Business, Yellow Pages, Yelp and other review sites, then urge customers to leave reviews. In doing so, it will help your SEO. The reviews will show up in the search results when users search for your business.
Make sure to keep an eye on your business reputation by answering customers with negative reviews to see if you can rectify the issue.
9. Build Quality Links
Having quality websites using your links in their blog posts and other content shows search engines your site is valuable. The better the quality of the site linking to yours, the higher the value of the links.
You can do this by building relationships with bloggers and influencers in your industry. One way to connect with these individuals is through social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter.
10. Use Google Analytics to Track Data
One way to find out if your SEO campaigns are working is to use Google Analytics. You can sign up for it to track your website traffic, conversion rates, email subscriptions and more.
Start Improving Your Franchise SEO
Educating yourself about search engine optimization is key to continue growing and expanding your business. The internet provides plenty of resources for you to do just that.
At WebConfs, you can gain access to an assortment of guides, tutorials and SEO tools you can use to enhance your strategies. Stop by our website today to see how you can help your website ranking soar!