SEO Simplified: The Mompreneur's Guide to SEO Success

If you're reading this and there's a toddler touching your keyboard with sticky fingers, I feel what you are feeling in my SOUL.

My guess is you don't have a whole lot of time to spare, and you're looking to get some clear cut info on what you need to do to make your website an effective Google competitor. Every article you read gets super technical and ends in a summary that says 'you probably can't do this yourself, and if you want it done right it's going to cost you about 2k a month'. Thanks, SEO bros. Are there basically an infinite number of tasks that you can do to optimize your website for search engines? Sure! Is there a lot of strategy, a lot of attention to detail, a lot of work?! YEA!!! But, there are also a few basics that can really get you going and give you a solid foundation. Then, if you need to soar to higher heights, at least your site isn't half dead when you decide to do that. But, our goal here is to give you some ideas to sprinkle a little SEO magic on your site that will help it soar to new heights (in the rankings, that is), without a soaring price tag <3

Check your Pulse

Let's start with 'Does your website have a pulse?' For starters, it might not be as bad as you think! You can glean a lot of information right from Google itself on how your site is doing. Running your website through PageSpeed Insights can be helpful in learning how your website is doing, and using tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics can really help you get some momentum. 'Al, I have no idea how to use those tools!' It's okay! Take a deep breath... Set them up anyways. Putter around on them for a few minutes every month and see what's being shown to you. By at least setting them up, you'll slowly learn over time and be able to see changes, which is 1000% better than not setting them up at all!

Know Your Keywords

Let's start with the basics – keywords. These are the words and phrases that people type into search engines when looking for businesses like yours. Take some time to brainstorm a list of keywords that are relevant to your business and your target audience. You might not always want to think "what is it that I offer?". Instead, you might want to think "What might somebody ask Google that I am the answer to?" If you're a plumber, for example, you might not just want to show up for the most competitive word, "Plumber", but instead might think about focusing your website for showing up for something like "How do I unclog my shower drain?" or "How do I install a sump pump?" Think about what your ideal customers might be searching for and use those keywords naturally throughout your website. Our extra simple tip before spending all your time focused on a given keyword is to make sure people are actually searching for it before you spend all your time changing the content of your site to focus that keyword. Tools like Google Keyword Planner are free, and ChatGPT can also be your best friend when brainstorming keywords that may be valuable to your business! Take this step seriously, and think strategically as you can waste a LOT of time by going for the wrong keywords.

Optimize Your Website's Structure

Remember back in high school when you had to write really long essays in English class and you would create an outline to do so? Introduction...3 arguments in favor of what you were trying to prove... Any other tidbits were tucked into the paragraph they were most related to... Conclusion. Your website needs to be the same way both for it to be 2nd nature to your potential customers and to Google. Start by creating a Table of Contents. Major topics should have their own tab at the top of your site. Not-so-important tabs can be tucked in the Footer. The clearer your navigation, the easier it is for your customers to understand where they need to go to do what you need them to on your website. A great way to get an idea of best practices and what you might want to include is to research a few other sites in your industry, particularly those that are doing well showing up in Google Search - What do they include in their top tabs? What do they include on their home page? Those might also be items you want to include in your site structure!

Create High-Quality Content

Content is Queen, and creating useful and worthwhile content is essential for attracting visitors to your website. I stress this with every bone in my body - DO NOT FILL YOUR WEBSITE WITH FILLER CONTENT. Your website visitors know when you have created a page of content that runs them in a circle and doesn't answer a question. They know the feeling of reading something AI generated vs someone authentically caring about answering a real-life problem. Whether it's blog posts, product descriptions, or how-to guides, aim to create content that isn't stuffing your website like a turkey, and is building trust and providing real value. Website visitors who are having their questions answered stay on your site. Website visitors who get a bad taste in their mouth about crappy content leave.

Optimize Your Photos

Please please please don't just upload your screenshots!!!! Use your own original photos rather than stock photos whenever possible, as they not only portray your unique business but also are unique to Google! Make sure that your file names reflect what the photo actually is, and that your photo isn't that gorgeous 'screenshot4937'. Alt Text, or the description entered into your website builder to describe what a photo is of, is not only important for Accessibility purposes, but is also critical for SEO and for Google understanding your site content and what your business is all about. Using tools like Squoosh, Adobe, or Canva can make this process super simple!

Continuous Improvement

As I so frequently (and unfortunately) discover mid-spring, gardens die when you don't water them, and so do websites. If you don't edit or change ANYTHING on your website for.a year, Google definitely knows it and is going to prioritize websites that being updated more often. Did you add a service, or perhaps a staff member? Could you add in a map, update your terms of service, or start a blog? Doing a little bit over a long time is where you are going to find the SEO jackpot, so take advantage of that midday nap your kiddo is taking and optimize some of your Headers!

Allison, I'm still confused.

If everything I just said has you saying 'she must be speaking Greek', give me a shout so we can do a free consult or audit of your website. My favorite past-time after reading Elephant and Piggie to my kids is having a cozy cup of coffee and helping someone figure out right from left when it comes to their website. As Elephant and Piggie might say, 'Let's Go for a Drive!!!'

Until next time, happy SEO-ing!

About SimplicityDMS

SimplicityDMS is a small, independent woman-owned web design company based out of Quincy, MA. We specialize in working alongside entrepreneurs & small businesses to optimize their web presence in an affordable way, and offer ongoing support and hosting to keep your website and business thriving. Schedule your free consult today to brainstorm the possibilities for your next project!