As a business owner, it’s only natural that you want every page of your website to rank highly on search engines. Unfortunately, this often leads to business owners overdoing their SEO, ultimately hurting their website. While it is possible to rank for your homepage, it’s not something we actively recommend. In this article, we will discuss why that is and what you can do instead.
Google Can’t Rank Your Homepage For Everything
If you are a service company or business that offers one or two specific products, ranking your homepage may not be a bad idea. Customers will come to your website knowing exactly what it is they’re looking for and your website provides that. However, this can come back to bite you in the long run.
Your homepage was initially structured to rank for one, maybe two, products; when you add new products or services to your homepage, Google becomes confused. For example, if your business is garage door repair, and that’s the only service you offer, Google should be able to rank that. However, as your business grows and you add garage door maintenance and garage door installation to your services, Google will have a hard time keeping up.
Keyword Stuffing is Harmful
When website owners first hear about keyword research and the importance of keywords, they often resort to immediately stuffing their website with as many keywords as possible. This is NOT advisable. Google is very smart, it will quickly catch wind that you are oversaturating your content with keywords in an attempt to cheat the system.
Website owners also try to rank a page for two different things, stuffing several different keywords into the content. This is known as keyword cannibalization. It happens when you try to do too much with your website. Google will see that you have two pages that cover similar topics and use similar keywords. This will confuse search engines, leaving them unsure which one should actually rank. More often than not this leads to neither page being ranked.
Accessibility
When working on a website, you want to be sure the website is as easy to use for potential customers as possible. Keep in mind, for many this website will be the first impression they get of your business. You want that impression to be a lasting one for all the right reasons. This starts with your homepage.
If you focus on flooding your homepage with as many keywords as possible, you’re not focusing on the accessibility of the page. This can leave a bad taste in potential customer’s mouths. If you don’t put the proper effort into the homepage of your website, how can they expect you to put proper effort into their needs?
What Should You Try Instead of Ranking?
So what should you do instead of trying to rank your homepage for everything? Instead, focus on ranking your subpages with the other keywords you want to be found for. Make a subpage for each service you offer and every location you serve, ranking each of them.
Optimize your homepage for your brand and general category by explaining to users and Google what it is your business does and why people should choose you. It’s ok if other pages on your website end up ranking above the main page.
We’re Ready to Help
If you’re looking for help with your homepage and the rest of your website, our team here at R5 Website Management is here to help. We offer a wide range of SEO services, including homepage services. Contact us today to find out how we can help you with your needs.
