In today’s technological world, it’s necessary for any business to have a website if it hopes to succeed. Consumers want the ease of going online and searching for specific products, companies or topics. They don’t want to have to call or even visit a store if they don’t have to. E-commerce provides the convenience of the Internet, and shoppers don’t have to leave their couches to purchase the items they require.

However, because of this Web-based trend, retailers have much more work to do. They not only have to build a website, but they must also make it visually appealing and easily navigable. Businesses must also be sure that consumers can find it if they enter related terms in the search bar.

But how can companies ensure this happens?

This is where search engine optimization comes in.

What is search engine optimization?
In simple terms, search engine optimization means making your website appealing to search engines, like Google or Yahoo. The higher they rank your page, the more viewers it’s likely to get. However, in practice, it’s much more complicated than that.

Search engines use algorithms that take into account location, device, search terms and previous history to provide consumers with the most relevant information, SEMPO explained. There are also paid results, which means your page will automatically show up and stand out from the rest of the links. However, paying for advertisements aren’t the only way to get your website to be ranked in the top results. That comes with making your page user-friendly.

Search engines use algorithms to analyze content and provide the best results to consumers.Search engines use algorithms to analyze content and provide the best results to consumers.

You can hire a search engine optimizer, also known as an SEO, to help you promote your website, according to Google. This person will evaluate your page for content, structure, design, keywords, expertise and online campaigns. SEOs should know how to improve websites to get search engine algorithms to rank them higher. However, if you go in this direction, Google warned to do research on the SEO, so you know that they won’t do anything to hurt your business. They also tend to be expensive, so you’ll need to work that into your financial plan.

Optimizing your website on your own can be as easy as hiring someone to do it for you. Keywords will be one of your best solutions to solving your problem. By including words related to your business and industry, you’ll give your website the best chance of being accessed by consumers. Google has even advanced its algorithm to search for synonyms for terms so that pages will show up in the results even if they lack the exact words, the company explained. However, this can be tricky because some words have similar roots, but don’t have the same meaning.

This is why it’s useful to make sure the rest of your website’s structure and content are also search engine-friendly. Titles, URLs and metadata should include keywords and descriptions of the page so that both the search engine and consumer know the website is exactly what they’re looking for, according to Google. You want all the information to be as clear as possible, so Google and people will trust your page.

You should also ensure your Web page is mobile-friendly. If it’s not, your website could be excluded from page results on cellphones and tablets, Google explained. They also won’t appear correctly on the smaller screen, which means consumers won’t stay on your page too long even if they come across it. Google gives preference to pages that can be viewed on any device, so make sure yours has that ability.

“61% of consumers use search engines research products before purchasing.”

How will this improve your business?
Your company’s website will be useless if it’s not designed for appealing to search engines and consumers. According to an Econsultancy study, 61 percent of consumers use searches to find the products they’re looking for and to conduct research before purchasing. People turn to the Internet to find more information about various parts of their lives, and shopping is no different. When they enter search terms about their products, they expect to receive relevant links in the results. With search engine optimization, your site could be one of them, which will improve traffic and lead to repeat visitors, Business Bee explained.

If you have more room in your financial plan, you can also pay to be promoted in results. According to the source, search marketing will use paid inclusion, placement and contextual advertising to ensure your site reaches the largest audience possible. This will increase your return on investment and is likely to boost revenue.

Whichever method you decide to use, improving your website to appeal to Google will ensure your page gets the number of visitors it deserves.