Google recently updated its SEO protocol. This means pagespeed will be a ranking factor for mobile devices. For Realtors, attorneys, doctors, etc., this update should only affect your slowest pages, so it is imperative you ensure your website loads quickly and is mobile-friendly to avoid a speed-related penalization from Google.

If your website isn’t mobile-responsive, Google’s mobile-first indexing makes it harder for your site to show up in mobile search results. Because millions of searches are done on mobile devices, it is critical that your business shows up among the first search results. Also, make sure your website has an https:// protocol, as any websites that don’t, could go unseen.

Although your business will want to optimize its website and blog for keywords, avoid “keyword stuffing,” which is detrimental. The goal is not to use your keywords as many times as possible, as you want your small business’ keywords to come up naturally within its content in a way that doesn’t feel contrived for readers and search engine algorithms alike.

Google algorithms do not only look at the words people type into search bars; they look at the intent. For Realtors and attorneys, think about words buyers and sellers or potential clients might search for and include information about those subjects on your website, such as “MLS Listings” and “FSBO” for Realtors and “Workers’ Compensation” and “Personal Injury” for attorneys, if that is your focus. For any business, your keyword focus should be what you focus on. Google can spot keywords naturally included in your content to direct people interested in those topics to your website.

SEO is all about optimizing a website for search engine results to build a better web presence. The result of SEO is where your business lands on a search page, ideally at or near the top. Successful SEO can increase website traffic, making your business more visible to potential customers. SEO helps the search engines figure out what each page is about, and how it may be useful for users.