Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a marathon; it’s not a sprint.

It’s also an ongoing process. Is your content ranking on the first page of content?

You won’t get there overnight, but the longer you wait to develop and implement an SEO strategy for your Atlanta business, the more challenging it will be for you to rank in the future.

If you answered yes to the question above, use these tips to improve what you’re already doing. If you answered no, use them to start increasing the traffic to your website.

  1. Quality content is the most important ranking factor out of several. If you post consistently, it shows Google and search engines you are an authority on your subject.
  2. Every page should have a Title Tag that will show up in search results. These are your headlines, so they need to be informative and attention grabbing.
  3. Pick keywords you want to rank for and optimize each page of your site around them. Each blog you post should be optimized for multiple keywords (in the title tag, sub headers, and copy). Just be sure not to overdo it and ‘stuff’ each page with keywords.
  4. Make keywords part of the first 3 words in your Title Tag. Google views the first 3 words of the title tag as the most important part of your title.
  5. Use keywords in your meta description. It won’t help your site to rank better, but it’s still important. Meta descriptions are the preview text you see underneath the link in Google. A good meta description will help you get more clicks and keep unwanted visitors from clicking and instantly leaving.
  6. Keep your URLs organized and short. Make sure your keywords are in them.
  7. Install the Yoast plugin for WordPress. (If you use WordPress,) it’s free, and it will allow you to take control over your own SEO.
  8. Add an XML sitemap to your site. Be sure to submit it to Google WebMaster Tools. Google will find your sitemap on its own, but it makes it easier for them (and better for you) if you submit it.
  9. Add your business listing to trusted directory sites like Yelp and Google My Business. Make sure your name, phone number, address, and site URL are all listed consistently across all directories.
  10. Your website should be responsive on mobile phones. Mobile browsing will only continue to become more popular, and Google will penalize you if your user experience isn’t capable of being mobile friendly.
  11. Finally, be patient for the first 3 months. Again, you probably won’t see a difference overnight. With any SEO campaign, it takes about 3 months before you start seeing any noticeable results to your traffic.

Did you find these Atlanta SEO tips valuable or have any that have worked particularly well for your business?  If so, we’d love to hear about them in the comments section below.