Understanding the Importance of SEO for Toronto Businesses

Good SEO Strategy

SEO for Toronto Businesses

One of the most important aspects of running an online business is SEO. Toronto companies, no matter how large or small, need a good SEO strategy in order to achieve any amount of success.

Understanding the basics might not be enough – especially if you are involved in a highly competitive industry.

What is SEO?

Search engine optimization refers to techniques, both on-page and off-page, that help your website rank high in Google, Bing, Yahoo, MSN, etc. search results, when users type in a search word or phrase, or browse through yellow pages.

However, there is much more to SEO than sprinkling keywords throughout your site. Today, there are a number of factors that search engines (particularly Google) consider when ranking a web page or blog post.

What factors influence rankings?

Some of the factors include:

– Keywords and keyword density (going overboard with the density will hurt you)

– LSI keywords in content

– Page load time

– Quality of site

– Quality of content

– Recentness of updates

– Image optimization

– Qualify of inbound links from other sites

– The significance of updates and edits

– Uniqueness of content

– Spelling and grammar

– Useful supplementary content

– Effective use of metadata.

Of course there are many other factors in the algorithms of the search engines but these are closely guarded secrets.

What are the best SEO practices?

The best practices are always changing due to the vastness of the internet and the way information is processed. Eight or nine years ago it would have been enough to apply keywords throughout your site and make good use of metadata. This is not nearly enough anymore. Now, you must create a website that offers a lot of value to visitors if you want to rank high in the search engines. You must give people what they want when they search for information that is relevant to your industry. The content should be as original as possible, and your website must be friendly to all types of browsers and screens.

Why is SEO so important?

Search engine optimization is obviously very important, not only because it brings in traffic, but also because it is good for business branding and credibility. If internet users keep finding your site time and time again through Google searches, they will come to view your company as an authority on the topic they’re interested in.

Yes, you could always pay to be on the front page of results through a PPC campaign, but people will still know that you are a paid advertiser. Earning your spot on the first page without having to pay for it makes you seem far more reliable and trustworthy.

Why is local SEO important?

Local SEO has become an integral part of today’s internet marketing campaign. When many people search for a specific type of business or industry, they include a specific city or location in their search query. Even if your business extends outside of Toronto, you can still benefit from optimizing your site for people searching for Toronto businesses.

Use Google map to determine the exact location of your company, as the local Google algorithm tends to favor businesses that are located within a specific geographical location.

Now that you understand how it works and why it’s so important, you can get started with SEO in Toronto!

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