Overlooked SEO Tips for Professional Service Businesses
For busy professional service businesses, SEO can be overwhelming. But what if I told you there are quick and effective SEO tips you can easily implement on your website? Keep reading to discover these overlooked SEO tips that can give your website a competitive edge.
SEO for Credibility: Why It Matters for Professional Services
Professional service businesses face a double-edged sword online: competition is fierce, and building trust is essential. Search engines prioritize websites with strong E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). Ranking high isn't enough – you need to showcase your legitimacy, expertise, and reputation to convert website visitors into clients. SEO goes beyond keywords; it's about demonstrating your value and building trust.
10 Actionable SEO Tips for Specialized Businesses
Based on this need for professional service businesses to establish credibility and expertise online, I created a list of often overlooked SEO tips you can implement today:
Optimize Service Pages for Long-Tail Keywords
On your service pages, be as specific as possible with keywords. To achieve this, target the right keywords your ideal audience uses. For example, if you offer web design services, specify your ideal audience on your service page. If you cater to creatives, "web design for creatives" could be your main keyword. Before finalizing keywords, consider using SEO tools like SEMrush (which offers a 7-day free trial) to research search volume and validate your choices.
Integrate Google Business Profile and Website SEO Efforts
Google Business Profile benefits businesses targeting not only local clients, but also a wider audience. Here's why:
GBP is the Local SEO Powerhouse: GBP helps your business appear in Google Maps and local search results. Even if someone isn't specifically searching for businesses in your area, a strong GBP profile can still increase your visibility in relevant searches. Make sure your profile is claimed, has accurate NAP, and is up-to-date.
GBP is a Credibility booster: Even for businesses that cast a wider net, a GBP profile adds legitimacy and trustworthiness. It gives Google a clearer picture of your brand and can improve your overall online reputation.
Craft a Compelling About Us Page
Steer clear of vague and generic descriptions. Make it easy for users to learn about you and your business in a genuine and authentic way. Offer detailed information about your business's history, mission, services, team, awards, certifications, industries served, and ideal audience. Showcase your expertise to build trust.
Optimize Your Homepage for Easy Navigation
Prioritize a clear and intuitive website navigation, especially on the homepage where user journeys often begin. Explain your business concisely using a clear mission statement and link to relevant service pages. Include well-written service descriptions and helpful internal links. Showcase your expertise with testimonials, ratings, or mentions of past clients. Finally, provide easy-to-find contact options.
Make Contact Easy: Keep Your Contact Info Fresh
For an informative contact page, focus on a few key elements: a user-friendly contact form, an easy integration for booking introductory meetings (e.g., Calendly link), company address, social media links, and Google Maps integration (for local businesses). Avoid overwhelming users with numerous contact options. Instead, aim for clarity and convenience – you want users to reach out effortlessly.
Keep Testimonials & Case Studies Current
Display testimonials from previous clients on your website. These testimonials serve as social proof and enhance trustworthiness. When publishing case studies, prioritize readability. Clearly define the problem your clients faced, your solution, and the achieved results. Provide data-driven evidence like graphs, numbers, or revenue changes to demonstrate the impact of your services.
Unlock the Power of Internal Linking
To make the most of internal linking for your business website, apply the following internal linking practices:
Natural Flow & Clarity: Ensure internal links seamlessly integrate with the content, adding value and context.
Descriptive Anchors: Use descriptive anchor text instead of plain URLs or generic anchors like “Click here”, or “Read More”.
Connect Your Website: Interlink relevant pages across sections, including often-missed pages like "About Us," Case Studies, and FAQs. This creates a cohesive user experience and improves information accessibility.
Increase Topical Authority
Utilize the blog section on your website to build your site's topical authority. Cover various topics narrowly related to your industry and business in your blog posts, ensuring they are relevant to your users. Perform keyword research to verify that the blog topics you have in mind have actual search volume.
Optimize Your Review Collection Strategy
Cultivate a practice of prompting clients for honest reviews on Google Business Profile and other relevant directories. A simple email with the directory link is a great start. However, emphasize the importance of objectivity and avoid offering incentives, as it’s against Google policies.
Make Digital PR Your Link-Building Weapon
Since Google has upgraded and refined its algorithms for spam, now it’s easy to detect unnatural link schemes. That's why Digital PR and highly relevant links from industry-relevant and legitimate websites have gained importance. You need to be more proactive and creative in your link-building strategy.