SEO Essentials for Yorkshire’s Female-Led Service Businesses
Today I’m joined by Katie McHugh of The Dot Digital – Lifestyle & Wedding Digital Marketing Specialist here in Yorkshire.
Standing out online is crucial for any small business in Yorkshire, which is why many have partnered with The Branding Photographer to create stunning visuals.
However, captivating aesthetics are just one piece of the puzzle. Mastering Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is equally important, ensuring potential customers encounter your services when searching for solutions like yours.
This guide dives into SEO essentials, empowering you to enhance your website’s visibility and attract new clients.
What Exactly is SEO?
There are a number of search engines that we all use daily and it is where we go to type in a question or a query in hope that they will show us the answer!
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation.
It’s the practice of making changes to your website to help search engines like Google understand it better. When a search engine has a clear understanding of your website’s content (and how it relates to what people are searching for), it’s more likely to show your site to those searching for the types of services you provide.
SEO essentials for Service Providers: Two Important Sides
There are two main sides to SEO for small businesses like yours:
- The User Experience: This is the front-end side of your website—the part your customers see. It’s critical to have:
o Persuasive Copy: Write compelling descriptions of your services that tell potential clients how you can solve their problems.
o Beautiful Images: High-quality images that showcase your work and your brand’s personality are essential….enter The Branding Photographer! - The Technical Side: This is the behind-the-scenes work that helps search engines understand and rank your website. This includes:
o Keywords: These are the words and phrases people use when searching for businesses like yours. You’ll want to use these carefully throughout your website as it is the way a search engine knows what you do.
o Website Structure: A well-organised website with clear navigation makes it easier for search engines to crawl and index your content.
Image Optimisation: Don’t Neglect This Key Factor
While often overlooked in technical SEO, images play a crucial role in optimising your website. They not only enhance the user experience by visually showcasing your services but also contribute to your website’s ranking potential.
Here’s how to leverage images effectively for SEO:
1. Embrace Compressing Images:
Large image files can significantly slow down your website’s loading speed, negatively impacting user experience and search engine rankings. Here’s why image compression is crucial:
- Faster Loading Times: Compressing images reduces their file size without sacrificing significant quality. This ensures your website loads quickly, keeping visitors engaged and improving SEO. Search engines prioritise websites with faster loading times.
Improved Mobile Performance: Mobile devices have limitations in processing power and bandwidth. Compressed images contribute to a smoother experience on mobile devices, catering to a growing mobile audience.
Tools and Techniques for Image Compression:
- Free Online Tools: Numerous free online tools like TinyPNG and Shortpixel offer lossless or lossy compression. Lossless compression retains most of the image quality while significantly reducing file size. Lossy compression offers even smaller file sizes but might introduce slight quality loss, which is usually acceptable for web images.
- Software Tools: Advanced image editing software like Adobe Photoshop and GIMP offer various compression options. You can experiment with different quality settings to find the optimal balance between file size and visual quality.
- Website Plugins: Many Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress offer plugins specifically designed for image optimisation. These plugins can automate the compression process during image upload, saving you time and effort.
Remember: Always strike a balance between file size and image quality. While highly compressed images load faster, extreme compression can lead to a noticeable decline in quality, potentially impacting your brand image.
2. Descriptive Filenames:
As mentioned earlier, rename your image files before uploading them to your website. Instead of generic names like “IMG_001.jpg,” use descriptive filenames that incorporate relevant keywords and accurately reflect the image content.
For example, instead of “IMG_20230405.jpg,” use “yorkshire-landscaping-design.jpg.” This helps search engines understand the context of your images and associates them with relevant search queries.
3. Alt Text:
Alt text (alternative text) is a crucial accessibility feature that describes the content of an image for visually impaired users and search engines. It also displays when an image fails to load. Here are some key points for effective alt text:
- Be Accurate and Descriptive: Clearly describe the image content, including relevant keywords but avoiding keyword stuffing. For example, instead of “cleaning service,” use “professional cleaning service in Leeds.”
- Keep it Concise: Aim for around 120 characters for optimal length.
- Avoid Keyword Stuffing: While including relevant keywords, prioritise creating a natural and informative description that accurately reflects the image content.
Location, Location, Location (in SEO!)
If you’re a service business targeting a specific area in Yorkshire, location-based pages are a must:
- Dedicated Pages: Create pages specifically tailored for towns and locations you serve. For example, a cleaning business might have pages for “House Cleaning in Leeds” and “Office Cleaning in Harrogate.”
- Local Keywords: Include the names of relevant towns and cities throughout your website’s content, focusing on the locations you serve.
Technical SEO Essentials
While it can seem intimidating, some basic technical SEO concepts are easy to manage:
- Mobile-Friendliness: Ensure your website looks good and functions well on smartphones and tablets. Google prioritises mobile-friendly sites and it will reduce your bounce rate (the time recorded for someone to come on and off your site)
- Page Speed: Websites that load quickly tend to rank better. Use tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights to check your site’s speed and get optimisation tips. Think about compressing images, not having unnecessary plugins and reducing as much third party code as possible.
- Meta Descriptions: These are short snippets of text that appear under your page titles in search results. Write compelling and informative meta descriptions that accurately reflect the content of your pages and entice users to click. Each page should have a unique description that describes the page but also has relevant keywords. Aim for around 155-160 characters.
- Page Titles: These are the headlines that appear in search results and at the top of your browser window. Include relevant keywords and keep them concise and informative, ideally under 60 characters. If your website is set to put your name at the end of a page title, consider adjusting this if your name is not something a customer would search for.
Content is King: Fuel Your Website with a Blog
Maintaining a blog on your website is a fantastic way to improve your SEO and attract new customers:
- Keyword Rich Content: Regularly publish informative and engaging blog posts related to your services and niche. As you create content, naturally incorporate relevant keywords throughout the text, but prioritise creating valuable content for your readers. It is also a great way to have internal and external links on your website linking to these blogs through your keywords.
- Increased Website Traffic: A blog keeps your website fresh with new content, which encourages search engines to crawl and index your site more frequently. This can lead to increased website traffic and visibility.
- Establishing Expertise: Share your knowledge and insights through your blog. This helps you position yourself as an expert in your field, building trust and credibility with potential customers.
Internal Linking: Connecting the Dots on Your Website
Internal linking involves creating links between different pages on your website. This helps search engines understand the structure of your site and the relationships between different pages. It also helps users navigate your website more easily and discover relevant content. Here are some tips for effective internal linking:
- Link to relevant pages: When creating content, link to other pages on your website that provide additional information or resources on the topic.
Use descriptive anchor text: The text you use to link to another page is called anchor text. Make it descriptive and relevant to the content of the linked page. For example, instead of simply linking with “click here,” use something like “learn more about Yorkshire wedding photography.”
Submitting Your Sitemap: Guiding Search Engines
A sitemap is a file that lists all the important pages on your website. Submitting your sitemap to search engines helps them discover and index your content more efficiently.
- Generate a sitemap: Many website platforms and plugins allow you to easily generate a sitemap.
- Submit to search engines: You can submit your sitemap to Google Search Console and other search engines like Bing Webmaster Tools.
Additional Tips for Yorkshire Business Owners
- Embrace Social Media: Engage with your target audience on relevant social media platforms. Share valuable content, interact with followers, and run targeted ads to attract new customers.
- Local Business Listings: Ensure your business is listed on popular online directories like Google My Business and Bing Places for Business. Keep your listings updated with accurate information and positive customer reviews.
Don’t Be Afraid to Get Help
SEO can feel overwhelming, but remember, you don’t have to do it alone. If you don’t have the time or expertise, consider hiring an SEO specialist or a marketing agency with experience in local SEO. They can help you develop a comprehensive strategy, implement best practices, and track your progress.
SEO is an ongoing process, but with consistent effort and the right approach, you’ll see your website climb the search engine ladder, attracting new clients and growing your business.
Remember, the key is to provide valuable content, optimise your website for search engines, and establish yourself as a trusted expert in your field.
If you’d like to find out how Katie could help you with your marketing and SEO essentials, you can find her here:
And when you’re ready, here are three ways that I can help you:
1) Visit my blog for tips on VISIBILITY.
Every week I discuss strategies to improve your visibility, get over your fear of visibility and my latest shoots. Read here
2) Plan a bespoke photoshoot.
We can plan a shoot based on what you actually need (read more) or you could join me at a Branding Day.
3) Join ‘Visibility School’.
Visibility school is a membership group where you get 12 months of photoshoots, a fab little Facebook group and lots of bonus content too (new for 2024 members) . Read
