If you do not have a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, you could be missing out on business. SEO helps you get your website and brand in front of new customers. Once you reach your audience, your website could take them from an interested observer to a paying customer. Before creating your SEO strategy, determine whether you need local or national SEO or both.
The Differences Between Local and National SEO
The location and type of business that you have will help determine what type of SEO strategy you need. National SEO helps you reach people nationwide and is useful for large companies and online-based businesses. Businesses that focus on serving a specific geographical area need a local SEO strategy. This type of SEO helps you reach people in your geographic area. If you have a restaurant in California, it likely won’t do you much good to reach people in Texas. Businesses that serve people nationwide while also having local storefronts can benefit from both local and national SEO strategies to help get more leads and website traffic.
How To Improve Your National SEO
To have effective national SEO, you want to optimize your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) across your country. Every part of your website can contribute to your SEO rankings, including your content, backlinks, keywords, and metadata. If you want to tap into a larger market, increase your brand visibility, and drive traffic to your website, then consider adopting a national SEO strategy. Here are a few ways that you can improve your national SEO:
Target National Keywords
One way to improve your national SEO is to identify and target relevant national keywords. By conducting keyword research, you can understand search terms and phrases that your target audience is using. Once you identify these keywords, you can start incorporating them into your content. If done correctly, your content may show up on the first page of the SERPS, which can increase your visibility and help you attract a nationwide audience.
Optimize Your Website Content and Structure
Search engines like Google prefer well-structured websites with user-friendly navigation and optimized content. You can improve the user experience of your website by making it accessible, making sure it loads quickly, and making it easy for users to find what they are looking for. Content should be helpful, relevant, and include targeted keywords. Optimizing your website content and structure can help you get more visitors to your website, which could lead to more sales.
Build High-quality Backlinks
When reputable and authoritative websites link back to your website, search engines see that as a sign that your content is helpful and relevant. Building a strong backlink profile can help improve your credibility and visibility in search results. You can get more backlinks by creating helpful content that other sites can use as a source, or you can guest blog or reach out to influencers. If you are just barely starting to build backlinks, build them at a slow and steady pace so your website isn’t flagged as spam. Avoid black hat strategies, such as using private blog networks or guest posting on scam websites. These strategies can lead to penalties on your website.
Monitor Your Analytics
When you are implementing an SEO strategy, it’s beneficial to monitor your analytics to help assess the outcome. Consider using tools like Google Analytics to track website traffic, keyword rankings, and other metrics. These tools can also help you identify trends and evaluate how effective your strategies are.
Stay Up to Date on Algorithm Changes
Search engines have complex algorithms that determine what content is shown at the top of the results page. These algorithms are constantly changing, and to be successful, you should keep up to date with their changes. You can keep track of changes by reading industry news and following updates on best practices. Taking algorithm changes into account can help you follow current guidelines and allow you to rank higher.
Work With an SEO Agency
When determining and implementing an SEO strategy for your national business, hiring an agency can help you get results faster. Agencies like UpFire SEO can bring professional experience to the table. We can run an SEO audit to see what your website needs specifically and provide you with a road map to give to your internal marketing team. We can also provide full service if you want to pass it off and let us handle it.
Contact UpFire SEO To Improve Your National SEO
If you want to improve your national SEO and want professional help during the process, then contact UpFire SEO. We can help you increase your website traffic, rankings, and conversions by using white hat strategies that will help you position your brand as an authority. We can help with your national SEO, but we won’t neglect local SEO either. Schedule an SEO audit today to see how you can improve your website and get more visitors.