The world of artisan food is growing rapidly. We consumers cannot get enough of freshly roasted coffee beans, organic vegetables and ‘clean’ food free from additives. It is a competitive market, but one that any motivated entrepreneur can crack if they have a bit of SEO expertise. Here are some useful tips for artisan food producers looking to build or expand market share.
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The key to success in any business is to create a strong brand and work hard on your online presence. It is increasingly common for consumers to search for food producers online, so if you have zero online presence, you are fighting a losing battle. Unfortunately, having a website is not enough.
Create a Quality Website
Your website needs to be engaging and interesting, which means the emphasis should be placed on creating great quality, visually appealing, content. Food online is a visual thing. Since we haven’t yet developed ‘smellovision’ on websites, the next best thing is to drool over gorgeous photos and read mouthwatering descriptions of what products contain. Great written content punctuated with lots of photos will keep readers engaged and encourage them to stay for longer on your website. This in turn will convince search engines that your website is worth promoting.
Optimized for Mobile
Websites must be optimized for mobile devices. People are more likely to use a mobile device to search for local artisan food outlets than they are to fire up a laptop. If your website is not mobile friendly, it will be penalized by Google and all your hard work will go to waste.
Target the Right Keywords
Keywords are very important. If customers type in ‘catering in Sioux Falls SD’, they want to reach a relevant page. Keywords tell the search engines what your website is all about, so they can show your website to the right people. There are billions of keywords out there, but not all of them will be relevant. Use a keyword tool to figure out what people are searching for in your niche.
Don’t target extremely broad phrases, as competition will be too great. Instead, look for key phrases with a reasonable number of searches, but low competition. These should pull in a decent level of organic traffic to your website. You can use Google’s webmaster tools to check on how your keywords perform.
Build Quality Back Links
Back links are useful for driving traffic back to your website, but you must be careful not to link to low quality sites that could harm your own SEO efforts. Look at posting guest blogs on popular food blogger sites. Recipes are a useful way of gaining extra links when people pass your content along.
Work on Social
Social media is very important. This is where you will acquire lots of new customers, often through word of mouth. Create social media accounts and promote them as much as possible. Include social buttons on your website and encourage readers to share content by making it very shareable; again, recipes are great for this.
Don’t neglect SEO when building your brand. In today’s online driven market, it can make the difference between success and failure.
