It's difficult to overstate the importance of credibility. Credibility is essential to establishing trust with current and potential customers and clients. Over the last few decades, SEO (search engine optimization) has grown in significance when establishing your business's credibility with members of the public.
SEO, especially on Google, the world's leading search engine, relies on algorithms to decide the best results for a search. At the same time, though, credibility is a crucial component of SEO. SEO credibility is a means of increasing the likelihood that your webpage will rank higher in a Google search.
Establishing SEO Credibility Using Keywords
You cannot overemphasize the importance of keywords. Keywords and phrases are the chief way Google's algorithms make decisions about a web page's relevancy to a search. Therefore, they are a huge determinant in whether your site appears on the first page of results. Effective keyword use starts with Google's Keyword Planner. If you get into the habit of using Google's Keyword Planner before writing or posting an article or blog, you can better monitor the effectiveness of your keywords. Google's Keyword Planner can help you come up with a few creative SEO solutions.
Another key to building credibility with SEO is understanding Google's EAT algorithm. EAT stands for Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. This trio is also known as the quality rater guidelines. To increase your SEO credibility, you must be aware of all three.
Produce High-Quality Content Across Multiple Platforms
One of the best things that builds credibility is also one of the most obvious: producing good content on your website, blog, social media, and other platforms you utilize. You need to avoid "fluff," which is a term that means posting something just for the sake of posting it. Too much of that makes your site white noise and irrelevant.
Avoiding fluff is one of the reasons why employing or contracting with a competent social media manager is so important. Consider outsourcing a creative content writer if your business isn't large enough to bring someone on in-house. It shouldn't be an after-thought or someone's side job.
Perhaps surprisingly, the primary content that you have on your website can be just as important as anything else. Having elements like an About Us page demonstrates professionalism and lends authority (see above under the EAT algorithm). Some essential elements worth doing well include an about us page, an embedded Google Map (if you have a brick-and-mortar establishment or physical office space), testimonials and reviews, and customer service and contact information.
Become Mobile-Friendly
For easily apparent reasons, mobile-friendliness is critical. So many people conduct Google searches on their phones rather than a traditional laptop or desktop computer. If your site isn't readily accessible, they won't take the time and effort required to explore it.
Beginning in 2014, Google launched sophisticated software to weed out sites that aren't mobile-friendly, and this isn't just because a lot of their users access the search engine on mobile devices. It's also a sign that the website isn't current or modern.
Avoid Spam
Last but certainly not least, you must avoid spam on your page at all costs. Google's algorithms have gotten very good at identifying spam content and weeding out pages that contain it.
It isn't just spam on your page, though. If there are a lot of "spam-y" pages with inbound links to your site, Google may flag you. Whether in-house or outsourced, a competent SEO specialist knows to keep an eye on this for you. If you're working on this yourself, use Google Search Console to check who is linking to you about once a month.
Want more advice on marketing (or just some fun reads)? Check out these FREE resources:
Want a FREE SEO Audit of Your Site?
Get yours here. It’s chock-full of actionable intelligence that will help you boost your bottom line through powerful digital marketing techniques. Need help? We’re happy to assist!