Elevate your website with search optimization

Whatever your organization’s mission or goal, you’re likely to be running into the same question time and again of getting in front of users and making it easy for them to find you. And with limited resources like staff or funding, prioritizing the things that matter most and and maximizing your time and energy becomes super important. So, instead of focusing only on traditional channels like telemarketing or hosted events, optimizing your organization’s website for SEO can be an effective strategy to win new and retain existing customers as well as banking the time and money savings. Optimizing your website for search can feel like a massive undertaking and as a customer of Get Pro Websites, we’ve got your back. Search engine optimization is bundled into every website we design, build and support.

SEO is all about getting your brand, mission, products and services out there by raising awareness and visibility. It’s a way for people to find you, to get to know you and connect with you. People search for the things they’re after in a variety of ways. For example, when someone searches for website designers, small business web designers, nonprofit website design or web design agencies in NYC, they’re interested in a specific service and they haven’t decided on any particular company they want to go with yet. And with SEO, you have the perfect opportunity to capture and interact with them.

Start with getting to know your audience. Chances are that potential customers aren’t going to be familiar with all the lingo or keywords that you use daily as part of what you do. To get a sense of what your users may be searching for, put together a list of the possible keywords visitors might use and search for them in Google to see what suggestions pop up. Google search is one of the easiest tools to use and it’s free! Once you have a picture of the keywords users are searching for, you can use the information to craft content that intrigues them to discover more about your organization, products and services. Once they’re on your site, you can use compelling calls to action to further engage them and convert them into loyal customers.

Keeping your site active with quality content that you regularly post like blogs, photos and other information is a great way to build a strong following with your users. As they share links with others including social media, it boosts the likelihood that your site ranks for other keywords too. Over time, this builds authority with search engines and widens your reach with your existing and potential audience. Alongside a website that’s filled with exciting content, having a site that’s mobile friendly, superfast, visually stunning and secure can be a game changer for your organization.

Knowing who you competitors or comparators is key part of SEO for any organization big or small. Researching what works for them may give you clues about the type of content that attracts users. Getting the attention of users is just the first part of the overall user experience. If they have a hard time finding information, get a poor experience with your website because it’s slow or clunky, you could miss out on the opening to convert them into loyal evangelists, brand advocates, customer ambassadors, volunteers or donors.

Web accessibility is a big part of user experience because it’s all about inclusivity and web accessibility best practice means that your website is created in a way that anyone plus people with disabilities like color blindness or limited mobility can use it. Even if your business doesn’t serve people with disabilities, it helps you create a user-friendly website that provides a positive experience for everyone who visits your site. For instance, if it’s easy to use your website on a small screen, over slow internet connections or limited bandwidth, with assistive technologies like screen readers, it’ll improve both user experience and search optimization. Let’s take a look at some of the things you can include to make your site available to a broad range of users.

  • Section headings, anchor tags, lists, and system fonts for increased readability
  • Text alternatives for content like PDFs, icons, images and videos
  • Captions and options such as text transcripts, sign language interpretations or audio descriptions for videos or audio
  • Color palettes with high contrast similar to black text on white background versus low contrast combinations like yellow text on white background

Wrapping it up

While search optimization can seem like a daunting task, with a little planning, researching and creating profiles of the types of users or customers you have or plan to attract, it’s the ideal occasion to make small changes to your site or redesign your website with all the features you’ll ever need to take you and your organization to the next level.

If you need help or don’t quite know where to start, feel free to drop us a line. We’d love to work with you.