September a Great Time to Kick-Off an SEO Campaign
September is the “other January”. As children, September has always been a time for new beginnings, a new school year, a time to buy new clothes, and a fresh start. Businesses, especially small businesses, find that September is the kick-off season of galas, gatherings, conventions, holiday shows, and networking events.
What does this have to do with SEO? September is a great time to take stock of your business’s digital presence and make sure you are ready for the slew of upcoming events and business opportunities. It is a time to reflect on what you want to promote about your business. And to set goals to accomplish by the end of the year.
SEO Tips for 3 Areas to Assess Before Fall Events
Step #1: WEBSITE REFRESH
Does your website look abandoned? An outdated website or a website with broken links can make your business look closed or abandoned. Refresh your website with some fresh content. The Search Engines can read the timestamps when you last updated your web pages. Consider adding a testimonial or case study, updating your products/services pages, and check your links. If you have a blog when was the last time you posted? An outdated blog leaves a negative impression on both the Search Engines and your website visitors … your business looks abandoned. If you can’t commit to blogging at least once a month, then remove the blog.
Step #2: SEO & SOCIAL MEDIA
Building your social media followers and engaging should be a priority, however, I have found that many businesses tend to abandon their social media presence altogether. Businesses often create “free” social media accounts with the best of intentions but find it either incredibly time-consuming or feel they lack the creativity to create posts with imagery. Social media with old posts will leave a negative impression on your visitors and the Search Engines. Consider sharing what events you will be attending this fall. Or add a FAQ or Did-You-Know post. Social Media and SEO work well together if you have an engaging headline or excerpt on Social Media and then link to a particular webpage or blog post for more information on the topic. If the last time you posted on your social media account was months or even years ago – perhaps you should delete your social media account.
Step #3: Print Marketing/Advertising & SEO
If you are sponsoring an event or paying for an AD, directing people to your digital presence can be improved if:
Make your domain name easy to read. Different fonts can be easy or difficult to read especially in small print. The font size can also positively or negatively impact readability. The color of your background and text can be difficult for many to read (black print on a white background is easy on the eye). If your domain name is long, the use of capital letters and lowercase letters can help make the words easier to read (ex: kateraffertyseo.com and KateRaffertySEO.com). Remember: your name, business name, phone, and email should also be assessed depending on the size of the print piece.
Offer a quick link. QR codes are a great way to provide people with an easy way to link to your website or social media. Consider adding a QR code on your business card, ads, flyers, and other promotional print materials.
Quick Access to Online Payments. There are many opportunities for businesses to offer online payments outside of traditional credit card processing. You can set up a business account on PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle. To take it to the next level, be sure your account information is easy for clients to type or have a QR code available for quick phone access.
As you can see, SEO isn’t only about technical digital marketing techniques but is also about making sure your visitors have an easy, positive experience.