If you've been wondering, "How do I improve my SEO in Wix?" - you're in the right place...
So you finally have your website up and running, and now you need to tackle your SEO. But you're not very 'technical minded' and the whole process feels daunting so you keep putting it off.
Well, the good news is that it's a lot more simple than it seems, provided you have some step-by-step guidance to follow.
And that's why I'm here! 🙌
But first, what exactly is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation.
In simple terms, it is the process of improving your website so that your business is easier for search engines like Google to understand… and your site appears higher up in the results when people ‘search’ for products or services like yours.
What do your ideal clients type into Google when looking for a product or service like yours?
“Yoga studio Enfield”
“Nursery blinds”
“Social media marketing course”
Whatever it is, you need to match your website content to these words so that Google understands what is on your website and shows it to the person who is searching.
With 1.93 billion websites out there, competition is tough. But follow these step-by-step instructions and you'll be up and running in no time... without the headache!
Keyword Research
First things first. You need to find the right keywords for your website.
And in order to do that, you need to know what your ideal client is typing into Google to find you.
Then you will use those keywords strategically on your website.
Side note: It's really important to get crystal clear about who your ideal client is (and to niche down) so that you can understand where they find you online and what they type into Google to find products and services like yours.
What is a keyword
Keywords are words and phrases that are related to your business. You want your website to appear when people type these specific keywords into Google.
In general, it's best to stick to long tail keywords (3-4 word phrases) because they are more specific.
For example, 'social media marketing course' is more specific than 'social media' so will be easier to rank for.
Here are some examples of the different types of keywords you can look for.
Brand keywords:
Brand keywords are the easiest to come up with. These are synonymous with your brand and may include your business name as well as your own name.
For example, my website ranks #1 on Google for the keyword “Caitlin Pieters”. And when people type your business name into Google, your website should pop up on top too.
Location keywords:
It’s a good idea to include your location in your keywords. For example, my client Chantelle Fox from Santosha Studio ranks on the first page of Google for the keyword 'yoga studio Enfield'. It's easier to rank for those keywords than for 'yoga studio' or 'yoga class' which is too broad and a lot more competitive.
And even if you run an online business and serve a much larger area, it's still advisable to add a location keyword as this will help improve your SEO.
Product or Service keywords:
What is it that you do? What services or products do you offer? These keywords are going to help you get found on Google.
For example, my client Debbie Chan from The Nursery Blind Company is on the first page of Google for the keywords "nursery blinds".
Campaign keywords:
These keywords are the ones that will change as and when you run a campaign, have an offer to promote or are doing something seasonal. For example, if you’re a product-based business you might want to rank for Christmas Gift Guide or Enfield Christmas Market.
Brand keywords | Location keywords | Product/service keywords | Campaign keywords |
Your Business Name | Enfield, London | Social Media Marketing Course | Small Business Saturday |
Your name and surname | |||
| | | |
Using keywords on your website
This will be covered in more detail in Blog Post #2, but a brief overview is necessary before you start your keyword research...
Each page on your website needs to have:
1 x MAIN keyword
Several RELATED keywords
For example, if you run a course on social media, you might have a sales page on your website with info about the course.
Your main keyword could be 'social media marketing course', and then you would also need to have some related keywords that are sprinkled into the copy, such as 'marketing course for social media', 'social media training' or 'social media beginners course'.
It's important to know what information your ideal client intends to find when they're searching Google. This is called 'search intent', and it's usually one of the following:
They're looking for information
They're looking for a specific website
They already know what they want to buy and are searching online for that particular product or service
They're researching products or services before they buy
As you are doing your keyword research and exploring some of the tools shared below, group all your keywords together that have the same 'search intent' and assign each group to an existing page on your website.
Never duplicate the ‘intent’ on more than one page, and aim to have different keywords for each page
Create a list or spreadsheet listing the Page Title, URL, Main Keyword and Related Keywords, making sure never to duplicate the 'search intent' on more than one page. No two pages should have the same keywords.
Page Title | Page URL | Main Keyword | Related Keywords |
Social Media Marketing Course | www.yourbrand.com/social-media-marketing-course | Social media marketing course | Marketing course for social media, social media training, social media beginners course |
How to do keyword research:
There are plenty of different tools to help you find good keywords, and I’m going to list some simple and free options below. So create a simple list or spreadsheet for yourself, and add possible keywords to the list as you go through each of the steps below.
And keep things simple. It's easy to fall down a rabbit hole of possibilities, but remember that although SEO is important, it's not the be-all and end-all of getting your small business website in front of the right people.
So update your website SEO, and then you can focus on building brand awareness and driving traffic to your website through other activities in your marketing funnel.
Google Suggest
This is probably one of the quickest and easiest ways to find keywords. Start typing your keyword or phrase into Google and see what other words or phrases Google automatically suggests…
These are words that Google is suggesting based on what people are searching for, so they make excellent keywords. Add the relevant ones to your list.
Next, scroll down and see where it says People also ask… add the relevant keywords to your list.
And then scroll down right to the bottom of the page to where it says Related Searches… and add any other keywords to your list.
Google Trends
Add your keyword and variations of it to see which has the highest trend. For example, you can see that ‘nursery blinds’ is more popular than ‘blackout blinds for nursery’
Google Ads Keyword Planner
Set up your account (for free):
In order to use Google Ads Keyword Planner for free, follow these instructions carefully. You won't need to add your credit card details or pay for ads.
Go to ads.google.com
Click on 'Start Now'
Don't follow the Google prompts. Instead go to the bottom of the screen and click where it says "Switch To Expert Mode"
Again, on the next screen ignore the prompts and click on "Create an account without a campaign"
Confirm your business info (don't need to change anything, just click 'submit')
And VIOLA! You have created your account.
How to use the Keyword Planner
Click on 'Tools and Settings' at the top
Select: 'Planning'
Click on 'Keyword Planner'
Click on 'Discover New Keywords'
Choose the location you want to target (e.g: United Kingdom)
Type your keyword into the top search bar
Click on 'get results'
Google will generate a list of keywords
Look for relevant keywords (that your clients would type into Google) that have a high search volume but low competition level
Add these to your list
Note: Google Keyword Planner is set up for paid ad campaigns so it tends to 'hide' keyword data in order to get you to spend money. So bear that in mind and don't focus too much on 'competition level'
Ubersuggest
You can use the free version of Neil Patel's tool (or sign up for the free 7 day trial).
Once you've signed in:
Go to Keyword > Keyword Overview
Type in your keyword, and make sure you've selected the correct country/region
You'll be able to see the number of people who search for that term per month and the SEO difficulty
Go down to KEYWORD IDEAS
Review the ideas in the tabs Suggestions, Related, Questions etc.
You want words with a high Search Volume, higher Cost Per Click, and a relatively easy Search Difficulty.
In the below example, I am looking up 'social media marketing' and Ubersuggest is recommending 'social media marketing course' is easier to rank for based on the SEO difficulty.
Answer The Public
This is a great tool to find out what people are searching for on the internet, as it relates to your keyword.
You get 3 free searches per day on the free plan (no need to sign up), and all you do is type your keywords into the search bar and click 'search'.
For example, if you want to look up 'social media marketing', you may discover new keywords and phrases. This is great for finding keywords/ phrases that you can use, but it's also brilliant for coming up with content ideas!
Also Asked:
Similar to Ask The Public, this tool is great for understanding what questions people are asking about your product or service. You can use this information for keyword research and as ideas on what content to create to attract people to your business (for example, FAQs or blog posts)
Now that you have your list of main keywords and related keywords for each page of your website, save them somewhere safe because we are going to add them to your website in all the right places.
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Do your homework and then see you in the next blog post!
