BRIEF: A News-worthy Trick for SEO

Posted by Sarah Mitchell on 31 January 2010 | 0 Comments

Tags: SEO, SMB, BRIEF

Like many small business owners, I have to prioritise my tasks with customer demands always ranking first. School holidays changes the mix a bit with family battling for the first spot. Nearly everything else languishes - including my website. Consequently, my search engine rankings take a hit because I don’t get a chance to update my site as often as usual.

Tricks of the Trade
I do have a little trick to keep Google and the rest of the pack happy. I have a “News” section on my home page. It holds three articles with the most current sitting at the top. It takes less than five minutes to add a news item. By keeping this one small area of my website up-to-date, I achieve several things:

• Even when I’m busy or away, my website looks fresh
  
• The home page is being updated 3-4 times a month which keeps the search engines interested
  
• It’s a great way to promote events and business successes without spending a lot of time tooting your own horn
  
• The content is being refreshed with very minimal time expenditure

The Take-Away
Consider putting a news feature on your home page. Your SEO will improve and it’s a great way to communicate with your users.

How do you keep your search engine rankings during busy periods?