How to Become Findable on Search Engines

If a business does not include on its website the precise word or phrase people type into a search engine, people searching for that information will not find that document or page.

Furthermore, if there are wrong guesses about words or phrases that people use in their searches, a business may lose out on search engine traffic altogether.

A business needs to become conscious of its terminology.

Given below are some steps that a business can follow to increase its chances of being found on search engines.

Use phrases that the target market uses

Often there are terms that are preferred but not in common use. For such words, there are often two alternate wordings for the same concept. In such cases, a business will do well if it can use both forms of the word if possible. For instance, more people perform online searches for ‘lawyer’ as compared to ‘attorney’ .

Include generic terms and brand names

People might not look for a business site specifically. They would look for good information or a particular product or service. When they look for certain products or services they will use the first words that come to mind. A business may produce a car cleaning product called ‘Auto Shine’. Until this brand becomes popular, no one is going to search for the exact phrase. Instead, they will type in phrases such as ‘car cleaner’ or ‘easy wash for cars’. It may take some thinking to come up with common classifications for a product. A generic term can be added to the brand name set off by commas. In the example mentioned previously, it could be ‘Auto Sine, a home car wash product’.

Avoid specialized terminology

Jargon and specialized terminology should be avoided. Marketers should not overestimate the extent to which the audience understands their jargon. Acronyms should also be avoided as they often stand for different things for different groups of people. The full wording usually gets more searches than initials.For instance, if someone is looking for a CRM , it is better to use keywords like ‘customer contact’ or ‘customer loyalty tools’.

Include geographical nouns for local businesses

If a business offers services and products within a certain geographical radius, then it is better to use a list of place names that clients or customers might use to find in the service area of the business. It is better to use the geographical terms that customers favor, including the names of larger cities or neighborhoods that a business may serve. Anything that is done to get good rankings in search engines should be consistent with the image that a business serves to maintain. Misspellings of keywords should be avoided as that would tarnish the credibility of a business. The value of trustworthiness in the eyes of the customer and the media is just too valuable to be thrown away.

Ronn Torossian is the Founder & Chairman of 5W Public Relations, one of the largest independently-owned PR firms in the United States.

With over 20 years of experience crafting and executing powerful narratives, Torossian is one of America’s most prolific and well-respected Public Relations professionals.