Location Driven Search Engine Optimization ( SEO ): Dubai & Abu Dhabi

Maintaining an active online presence is imperative for any company that is serious about developing a successful marketing strategy. The predominant tool at a business’ disposal is to create a website to showcase their products and services. It is not enough however, to merely create an attractive site for clients to peruse. The design and usability should of course, be optimized in way that customers can use it as an online portfolio of your services. Although in order to really generate online success, you need to think about how to drive traffic to your website. Used correctly, this vital marketing tool can be used to generate traffic, sales and raise brand awareness at all times.

When embarking on an online marketing strategy, there are a few initial factors you should consider. What user interface is most useful to my market? What keywords are potential clients searching that are relevant to my sector? How do I optimize my site to rank for them in the search engine results pages (SERPs)? And finally, what ‘calls to action’ (CTA) will encourage users to engage with my business when they have found it? Covering all the aforementioned is the key to a well ranked website that drives the right kind of traffic for your company.

The majority of businesses have found that outsourcing to web design and search engine optimization (SEO) companies such as Element 8, has been crucial to their success. Managing important customer demands with the specialised skills required to optimize a website, can be impractical for a modern business. By using a company who already have the necessary expertise and experience; you are guaranteed to save time and money. You will also have the time necessary to convert the traffic generated into those precious sales. An awareness of SEO is however, a good basis for a company’s marketing efforts. It enables you to work in conjunction with the web design and SEO team, in turn amplifying the success of your website.

Regardless of their sector, most shrewd businesses in Dubai & Abu Dhabi are aware of the high level of competition they face online, but are also conscious of the massive potential for new clients. Ensuring that your site is not only optimized for the type of product or service you supply, but also the region you supply it to is imperative. A carefully designed SEO plan should focus on geographical factors too. Whether you are aiming for local, regional or national coverage, these are all areas your SEO strategy should include. For example, if you are a jewellers in Abu Dhabi, you would aim to be at the top of the SERPs for related searches such as ‘Abu Dhabi jewellers’, ‘buy jewellery in Abu Dhabi’ or ‘best places to purchase jewellery in Abu Dhabi’. A site which is correctly optimised for the search engines means that it is your website clients see first, and gives you the opportunity to get the sales before your competition.

The groundwork of SEO is implementing keyword targeting. Companies in Dubai should ensure that they have ‘Dubai’ used throughout the site, and the same goes for those who are Abu Dhabi based. These should be used alongside words which are relevant to your sector. You can explore relevant keywords using Google Adwords ‘Keyword Finder’ tool. These should be included in both the HTML and copy for your website. Element 8 are proficient in ensuring you have the correct amount of keywords in the right areas of your site. It is also important to remember that these are just the building blocks of an SEO strategy. By enlisting the services of Element 8, you will have an all-encompassing strategy, which uses all the techniques necessary to get you to rank you desire.
Here are three basic SEO practices you should follow:

• Content Writing
The content you publish on your website is possibly the most crucial part to consider. It needs to be engaging and appealing but written in a way which the search engines can understand too. Careful keyword placement, alongside informative calls to action is the key to a successful site.

• Meta Descriptions
The Meta description is the small line of text which is visible to users in the search engine results pages. Although this does not have value to the ranking of your site, it is the piece of information which can decide whether or not a user clicks on your site. You have approximately (CHECK) 160 characters to sell yourself so choose wisely.

• Image Names
Search engines are unable to ‘see’ images so how you name and describe them is very important. The names should describe the image and can also be used to increase brand visibility. With facilities such as Google Image Search, they are also an additional way for users to find you.

SEO specialists like Element 8 use additional ‘off-site’ tactics to improve the visibility of your site. This includes a careful link building strategy, developed using methods such as: sharable content development, directory submissions and blog writing. Being associated with other relevant sites gives your site enhanced credibility to search engines. As with keyword targeting, sites for Abu Dhabi and Dubai based businesses, should consider both their geographical and sector relevance in order to drive the right traffic to their site. If you are serious about your online marketing strategy, then SEO and Element 8 should be your first port of call.