Here’s a quick tip to improve your SEO for your website.
Be consistent in spelling and punctuation when publishing information about your company. This includes on your website, on Google My Business, on local chambers of commerce sites, and everywhere else. This helps search engines match references around the internet.
Here are two specifics to watch for.
Basic Concept: Canonical URL
- Canonical URL
- The semi-official exact URL for any page. This includes using “www” or not, using http or https, etc. Often it’s published with hidden code on a web page. Sometimes search engines make their own determination.
Wherever you publish a link to your site, use the exact canonical URL for the page if you can.
How to Find the Canonical URL
It depends on how your site is built. Ask your web developer if you need to. Here are several ways that might work:
- go to the page and copy the URL from the address bar
- Many website systems automatically redirect visitors to the canonical URL, so the address bar might match it.
- look in the page source (HTML) for the word “canonical”
- You might find a line like this: “<link rel=”canonical” href=”https://pacesettermedia.com/” />”
- The href value is the canonical URL.
Basic Concept: NAP (contact info) Consistency
- NAP Consistency
- Name, address, phone consistency. Wherever you publish information about your company, use the exact same spelling, punctuation, etc.
Example: Mistake in NAP Consistency
These addresses are NOT consistent:
- 123 North Main Street
- 123 N Main Street
- 123 Main Street North
Pick one way and be consistent. Safe options: the official postal service format or Google’s format for your country and region. This applies to your company name, address, and phone. While you’re at it, try to be consistent with tag lines, logos, and more. It’s a good practice anyway.