Distributors and manufacturers will benefit from this “Digital Marketing 101” mini-series I put together, containing some basic elements to look for as you gauge your digital marketing capabilities. Don’t expect them all to be in place, but a small handful of any would be a great start. I hope you find the series helpful!

Businesses with good search engine optimization techniques can gain a significant edge over their competition. By optimizing your website, buyers can find you when searching for a distributor to provide them with the products and services you offer.

There are several different optimization techniques that you can use, so it is vital to figure out what will work best for your business.

SEO and How it Can Help Your Business

Search engine optimization is a technique that improves a website’s ranking on search engines, increasing its visibility and driving more traffic to it.

When someone conducts a search, the search engine will return a list of websites in order of their relevance to the query. The higher a website appears in the search engine results, the more likely people will visit it. While many techniques can be used for SEO, it is essential to remember that quality content is always crucial.

Below are some things your company can do to improve your website’s search engine optimization.

Step 1: Research What Words and Phrases People Search for Related to Your Product or Service

Knowing what words and phrases your audience uses when searching for anything related to your product or service is important. That way, you can optimize your website and other marketing materials for those terms. Knowing what your buyers are searching for will also help you better understand your target audience.

One way to conduct this research is to use a tool like Google Keyword Planner. This tool reveals how many searches are conducted monthly for a particular term and the competition for that term.

Another great resource is the Google Search Console. This tool provides data on the search terms that have led people to your website. It also shows which pages on a website get the most traffic from search engines.

Step 2: Use Keywords Throughout Your Website, Including in the Title, the Body, and the Keywords Section

When ranking your website on Google, use keywords throughout your site. That includes the title, the body, and the keywords section. But it’s not just enough to use them randomly – you need to use them in a way that makes sense for your site and your audience.

One way is to think about what people might search for when looking for information on a topic. Then, once you’ve come up with a list of keywords, you can start using them throughout your site.

Step 3: Create Valuable Content that Uses Those Keywords and Encourages People to Link to Them

If you want your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), create valuable content that uses your target keywords. You might also encourage people to link to your content.

Here are some tips that will help you achieve better rankings:

Choose the right keywords. When selecting keywords, ensure they are relevant to your business and audience. Focus on those applicable to your products or services.

Make your content valuable and informative. Don’t just regurgitate the same information your competitors are already providing. Instead, provide helpful information and insight to help readers discover more about your products or services.

Use keywords in meta descriptions. Using keywords in your meta descriptions will help search engines find your content. Unfortunately, this tactic is often overlooked.

Optimize your site for mobile devices. In today’s fast-paced world, people spend most of their time on mobile devices browsing the Internet. Therefore, your site must be mobile-friendly if you want visitors to spend more time using it.

Use meta tags to describe your content. A meta tag is a small code you insert into your website to make it more searchable. Meta tags are also used to describe your content on search engine results pages.

Use snippet tags with your keywords. Snippet tags provide a snippet of text that can be displayed next to your keyword search result on search engine results pages. This can be a set of tags that describe the content on your site for search engines to use in their listings.

Add pictures and videos. Images and video play a huge role in optimizing a web page, so include them on your site.

Use a site map. A site map is a list of every page on your website. It includes the title and keywords of each page. It can also include links to any resources you might have related to a particular theme or topic.

Update your website’s content regularly. Periodically updating your website’s content shows your customers that your company is current with the latest trends and technologies. Updating your site will also improve its search engine ranking, which means more visitors to your website.

Step 4: Submit Your Website to Directories and Online Maps

Submitting your company’s website and each of your branches to online directories and maps will significantly help in search engine optimization. There are many directories and maps for you to submit your information to. Use as many as possible. Doing so will help your website rank higher in search engine results pages and increase traffic to your site.

Start with a Google Business Account. Google Business is a free service that allows businesses to create the equivalent of an online storefront, showing buyers where businesses are located, what they offer, updates about the company, blog posts and other content, contact information, special offers, and more.

Step 5: Monitor Your Results and Adjust as Needed

Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) and search engine results. Doing so will help identify whether your efforts are effective and whether any changes are needed to improve results. Track your KPIs using a marketing dashboard tool, such as Google Analytics or Hootsuite. Additionally, you can integrate Google Analytics into your website.

Conclusion

Use a combination of keywords and phrases that are relevant to your industry. Think about what your target audience is searching for. What are their questions and concerns? Is there a common phrase that they use to describe their pain point? Can you include any words in the industry to make your site more relevant?

Search engine optimization techniques can help make it easy for buyers to find you. Search engine optimization will help increase traffic to your website and ultimately increase sales. Following the tips in this article can improve your website’s ranking on search engines and reach more potential customers. Implement these techniques today and see the difference they can make for your business.