It is often difficult for engineers to position themselves into the search engines result pages (SERP’s) because of the very competitive nature of the industry. It is dominated by the worlds major companies and the smaller more regional firms often find themselves on the back pages.
It is therefore vitally important that you do a SWOT analysis, that is, an internal study of your strengths and weaknesses as well as your opportunities and threats.
Once you understand yourself, have a look at your direct competitors, not just in your area of expertise but also similar firms in different regions. Look for where they rank, how the pages are laid out and what type of content they use.
Content is critical.
Do not try to impress with language that only a 10 year industry expert can understand. Remember, those looking to engage you are not necessarily the decision makers, it may be an executive assistant, secretary or office junior.
Have photos and a brief profile description of the owners and principles of your company, I would not put up all your employees as your competitors will probably try to poach them (you may have a couple of under-performers, so it may be a good thing).
The same goes for successful projects that you have completed, a few photos and a brief description of what you have done, once again, keep the language simple, and don’t give away your key contacts/clients, your competitors are always looking for work.
Don’t be afraid to place your “job opportunities” on your website with an application lodgement form. If you don’t currently have any open positions, you will be amazed at who “appears” in your inbox. Economically it makes sense, I know of one firm who saved over $200K in recruitment fees in 6 months.
Make sure that you are not “too” broad in your descriptions of what you do, try to create a “point of difference”. Have you ever noticed how well a “spelling mistake” ranks?
- Use bullet points – Bullet points help with the readability of your content and allow for a fast intake of content.
- Use relevant headings – This helps with the readability and allows readers to skim to the specific areas that interest them.
- Use relevant images – Stay away from stock images, some projects will not allow photos without permission.
Once you have got your content sorted, the rest is relatively simple.
- Page load speed – Ensure your site loads quickly on all devises and in all regions.
- Mobile friendly – The uptake of mobile visitors is well over 60% of web traffic, have a look at your site on your phone.
- Phone number – Top right hand corner of the page with a hyperlink to phone.
- Contact form – Name, Phone, Email, you do not need to know what they had for breakfast.
On completion of the above, the readability and usability of your site will be far better than average.
Having original relevant articles, written consistently, and posted on your site, maintains a freshness that the search engines want to see. (These articles can be used in your newsletters.)
Good, honest, fresh, relevant content with a site that loads quickly on multiple devices in multiple regions will ensure that you will improve your rankings. Why? because your competitors don’t do it.
More in a couple of weeks
