Raleigh Durham SEO is slightly different than search engine optimization for any other local area, but let’s explore what is pretty much the same. To benefit most from ranking a website in the Raleigh-Durham area, consult with Clear Choice Marketing Group, located in Apex, North Carolina. They are experts in local lead generation for businesses found here.
SEO is Search Engine Optimization. It’s both a science and an art for ranking website pages in search engines, like Google and Bing. Companies in Raleigh and Durham want their content to be discovered on the internet and to rank high on the various search engines, preferably on page one.
For search terms whose results include a Google or Bing map, appearing in the map pack will likely generate even more website traffic and conversions.
Traffic that comes because of SEO is sometimes called organic traffic. This differentiates it from paid traffic that results from Google or Bing ads. Searching by using paid ads is sometimes called PPC (pay per click) or SEM (search engine marketing).
Users that are looking for information, products, or services enter search phrases into the search bar, and search results (SERPS) are what the search engines display for each query. The results are displayed in a list. The companies shown near the top of the list will usually get the most traffic to their sites. In fact, the website that is the first organic listing will often get more than 35% of the clicks-throughs for the entire page. If there is a map on the first page of the SERPS, the three companies shown will get most of the traffic from the search query.
A very small percentage of searchers will go beyond the first page of the search results, so it is very important to appear on the first page. Excellent SEO will aid in higher ranking.
The pages that are displayed are determined by a search engine’s algorithm. The set of instructions in an algorithm make the determination of what websites will be displayed for a specific query. Google’s and Bing’s algorithms are very different, with Google’s being based on artificial intelligence (AI).
There are, however, three things they both use to help determine a site’s ranking.
For any search term, a website’s content must be relevant. Each search engine will have a set of keywords that they deem are relevant for any search phrase. If many of these keywords are in the content on a site’s page, the page has a better chance of being ranked higher in the SERPS.
Page structure can affect how well a search engine can evaluate a page. The page title, the domain name, and the headers all contribute to how well a search engine can understand what a page is about.
Links coming from websites are key factors affecting a site’s rank. A link is like a vote from the linking site about the web page’s relevance and quality. If the linking site in the search engine’s “eyes” has a lot of authority, it will greatly affect the opinion. If the high authority site is in the same niche, it makes the most difference.
SEO can begin by analyzing what a site is ranking for, already. Next, what the main competitors are ranking for and what search phrases an ideal prospect is using are considered. These facts can help provide direction on improving the content already on the site and about what new content should be added.
Content marketing focuses on generating content that is valuable and relevant for a very specific audience that could produce ideal customers for a business. Both Bing and Google want the sites in their SERPS to offer a beneficial user experience for the searcher, so they want to include those most likely to achieve this. Content of this type is more likely to be shared on social media sites and to acquire links from authority sites in the same category.
External website links are called backlinks and are an important off page optimization factor for a page being ranked for a key phrase. Web directories are one source of these links.
Improving the actual page structure is a factor that can be controlled by the webmaster. Bing and, to a lesser extent, Google search results can be affected in a good way by optimizing the URL with keywords. Both algorithms favor updating the title tag of the page to use relevant key phrases and using the alt text and alt descriptions for images. Meta tags can improve click-through-rate (CTR) from the SERPs back to the web pages.
Links within a website are important for improving a site’s optimization by ensuring key pages are linked with relevant anchor text.
Semantic markup can be used to tell a search engine the meaning of the page content, name of the author of the content, and the type of content on the page.
It can make it possible to get rich snippets of the content to appear on a search results page. This can positively affect CTR which can result in more organic traffic being sent to the site.
This free Google tool used to be known as Google Webmaster Tools should be a standard in any SEO toolkit. A site’s pages and keywords are ranked and analyzed. Technical issues are reported and can be fixed.
A free Keyword Planner tool is included with Google Ads. It offers keyword suggestions and search volumes, which can be invaluable for any keyword research.
AHREFs and Majestic Backlink show website links for a website, or a competitor’s website, and can reveal new links that can be used for link building.
Moz, Linkdex, Searchmetrics, and BrightEdge, Searchmetrics, and Linkdex can be used to track the ranks of keywords, assist with off page and on page improvements, and perform keyword research.
Social media sites are important for networking and building relationships. They that can be helpful for link building, including guest posting.
CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization) employs techniques, like A/B testing, to determine what website changes may be tried and measuring the impact on conversions. Leads to a site are not as important as converting that traffic into sales.
Conversion rate optimization was once extremely technical and very difficult to perform, but some software allows a webmaster to make site edits without having to write code.
Achieving SEO for Raleigh Durham businesses is best left to a Raleigh Durham digital marketing company, like Clear Choice Marketing Group, that understands the local market and has been providing successful outcomes, providing lead gen, and growing local businesses for more than a decade. They are based in Apex, North Carolina.
Clear Choice Marketing Group
5540 Centerview Drive Ste 200
Raleigh, NC 27606
919-205-9269
