How to Rank Higher on Google in Lebanon
As a Lebanese entrepreneur or business founder, prioritizing digital marketing is crucial, and this includes giving due importance to SEO within the Lebanese context. Starting with foundational SEO practices is essential.
This article aims to demystify SEO for you. I’ll delve into the nuances of SEO, its mechanisms, and the initial steps you need to undertake to ensure your webpages are indexed effectively. Additionally, I’ll shed light on the significance of keywords and the role they play in enhancing your website’s SEO ranking.
About SEO in Lebanon
What is SEO in Lebanon?
SEO, which stands for Search Engine Optimization, involves enhancing a website’s technical setup, content quality, and link popularity. This helps the website’s pages become more visible, relevant, and popular in response to user searches. As a result, search engines give them higher rankings. Read more.
Who needs SEO in Lebanon?
Every business in Lebanon needs SEO to show up on Google and gain traffic, which is especially essential in an era where social media advertising is becoming increasingly expensive and challenging.
How much does SEO cost in Lebanon?
There is really no established price range for SEO in Lebanon yet, as the service is not widely provided by digital marketing agencies in the country. However, the approximate cost of SEO services in Lebanon should range from $500 to a few thousand dollars per month.
Can I do SEO in Lebanon for free?
Indeed, you can apply basic SEO strategies to your website by yourself, for free, and that’s exactly what I’m going to teach you in this article. There’s no need for a marketing agency; all you need are you, your laptop, and some common sense.
How to Rank High in Lebanon?
Now, let’s dive into the details. Learn how to rank your website in search results in Lebanon and start getting organic traffic from Google, without having to pay for Google Ads and digital marketing.
1. High-Quality Website
Before starting with SEO practices, you need to ensure that your website is of high quality. ‘High quality’ means your webpages should be easily readable, fast, and very clear. So, users should be able to navigate through your website’s pages without having to wait for each page to load.
Avoid cheap templates
If you’re not highly experienced in web design, you need to avoid using cheap website templates. These templates often lack optimization for search engines, leading to poor performance in Google rankings even if you implement SEO strategies in your content. Instead, use a custom-designed website with built-in SEO features, or buy a premium website template that offers easy customization options.
Website speed
Website speed is one of the most important factors for SEO. Google is unlikely to rank slow websites or those that are not easily readable.
You can use Pingdom to check your website’s speed and ensure it doesn’t negatively impact your SEO when you start applying the practices I’m going to list. It’s pretty straightforward — just enter your website’s URL, and it will show you its loading speed, as demonstrated in the screenshot below:
Any rating above 70 is considered good for SEO. However, you should always aim for a higher score to make browsing easier for your users and to further improve your website’s SEO.
Mobile-friendliness
In Lebanon, as of early 2023, there were approximately 5.7 million internet users, with about 84% of these users accessing the internet via mobile devices. This makes it a must to optimize your website in Lebanon for mobile devices.
A mobile-friendly website is one that not only looks good on mobile devices but is also easily navigable using them. This ensures that traffic coming to your website via Google is more likely to stay longer and browse your site with ease.
Privacy and security
Google prioritizes ranking secure websites to protect its users. If your website lacks SSL security or has privacy issues, it’s likely to rank poorly or not at all. A standard SSL certificate is usually sufficient to secure your website (at least in the eyes of Google) and make it ready for ranking.
Example of a secure website:
Example of an insecure website:
As you can see in the screenshots above, a secure website will display a ‘ connection is secure’ notification when you click on the security icon, while an insecure website will show a red warning that says ‘ Your connection to this site is not secure ‘.
2. Optimized Content
Content optimization is a must for SEO. Your content reveals a lot about your website to Google. In fact, Google evaluates your website based on its content and performance. Therefore, once you’ve enhanced your website’s performance and ensured its ease of navigation and readability, your next focus should be on optimizing your content.
Provide information
You might be thinking, ‘I’m not Wikipedia,’ right? Well, I know you’re not Wikipedia, and neither am I. But remember, Google isn’t an online shop; it’s a search engine.
People use search engines to find information, not just products and services. You want to make sure you can provide this information to the users who are searching for it. If you don’t, someone else will, and they’ll capture the rankings and traffic while you’re left watching.
Strategically, you can provide information about a service, product, or any topic within your industry, and then invite users to try your product or service. This is a common and effective method. By doing this, you not only educate your users about your offerings but also encourage them to engage with them.
Ease of reading
Did you know that if someone visits your website from search results and exits immediately, it can affect your ranking? Google has algorithms that monitor user behavior and rank websites accordingly. While this isn’t the only factor, it can negatively impact your SEO if not addressed.
So, what makes people leave your website quickly? Consider this: ease of reading your content is the second most important factor after your website’s speed. Therefore, it’s essential to ensure your content is easily readable, encouraging users to spend more time on your website.
Use HTML tags
Many web designers in Lebanon don’t pay attention to this important aspect when creating a website. This is the most common mistake made by Lebanese developers. Please, If you’re a developer, remember this:
Not using HTML tags can seriously harm your website’s SEO.
This warning also applies to the incorrect use of HTML tags. It’s important to optimize your webpage’s content with proper HTML tagging. Using H1, H2, H3, and H4 tags appropriately not only defines the structure of your content but also enhances its readability and SEO performance.
Don’t over-promise
This is a common problem in Lebanon: companies often over-promise on their websites. Moreover, Search engines like Google analyze your keywords and can detect if you’re over-promising on your webpages. In my opinion, over-promising is akin to a scam. This can lead to a poor user experience, a lack of backlinks, and ultimately, poor SEO.
3. Optimized Keywords
Keyword implementation is one of the most useful practices for SEO, but it can be really harmful if applied in wrong way. I will try to explain everything and make it clear for you to use them in a way that affects your website’s ranking positively on Google.
Industry-related keywords
Use industry-related keywords to appear in search results for users seeking your services and products. For example, in this article, I have incorporated essential keywords, such as ‘SEO’, ‘Lebanon’, and ‘Rank on Google’.
Keep it natural; avoid overusing keywords, as Google will detect it!
Incorporating keywords into your content is essential.
Lebanon-related keywords
Since you’re trying to optimize your website in Lebanon for Google ranking, focus on mentioning Lebanese-related keywords in your content.
#1 example:
Instead of “Real estate company,” write “Real estate company in Beirut, Lebanon.”
#2 example:
Instead of “Delicious cheeseburger,” write “Delicious cheeseburger in Tripoli.”
#3 example:
Instead of “Rank on Google,” write “Rank on Google in Lebanon.”
Mentioning your city’s name in your content, whether it’s in a title or webpage content, will signal to search engines that this content was created for Lebanese users, resulting in a better ranking within Lebanon.
4. Optimize for GMB
An optimized Google My Business (GMB) can help you skyrocket your rank on Google. This can be done with a few easy steps. But first, let’s explain what GMB is and why it can help you.
What is GMB?
Google My Business (GMB), a free tool provided by Google, allows businesses to manage their online presence across Google. This includes search results and Google Maps. It empowers businesses to create and maintain their business profile, incorporating vital information such as location, operating hours, and contact details. Additionally, it enables them to engage with customer reviews, share updates, and access insights regarding customer interactions with their Google presence.
How GMB helps with SEO in Lebanon?
Google My Business (GMB) helps with SEO by enhancing a business’s visibility in local search results and Google Maps, providing accurate and detailed business information, and improving the chances of appearing in Google’s Local Pack. GMB listings also allow businesses to engage with customers through reviews and updates, which can improve trust and relevance, key factors in search engine rankings.
How do I start with GMB?
Create a GMB listing
Start by either claiming your existing business listing on Google or creating a new one if it doesn’t exist.
Verify your location
Complete the verification process, typically done via a mailed verification code, to confirm the legitimacy of your business.
Provide accurate information
Then, ensure your business name, address, phone number, and operating hours are accurate and consistent with other online listings.
Choose the right category
Select the most relevant category for your business to help Google understand what you offer and improve search relevance.
Add a detailed description
Then write a compelling and concise description of your business, focusing on what sets you apart in Lebanon.
Include high-quality photos
Upload clear, high-quality photos of your business, products, or services to make your listing more attractive and engaging.
Gather reviews
Encourage customers to leave reviews and respond to them promptly and professionally to build trust and engagement.
Use local keywords
Then incorporate local keywords relevant to your business and location in Lebanon in your GMB description and posts.
Post regularly
And finally, keep your GMB profile active by regularly posting updates, offers, events, or news related to your business.
GMB will increase your visibility on Google in no time. This is the easiest method to rank higher on Google in Lebanon, because it doesn’t require any technical knowledge and it doesn’t take a lot of time to apply, unlike another SEO practices.
5. Start Blogging
Create a blog
Starting a blog linked to your website can dramatically increase your visibility on search engines. As I have mentioned before in this article, people use Google to find information related to your products and services, and they often find them in another blogs in your field. Try to provide it to them and you will notice the traffic increasing to your website.
Guest posting
Guest posting doesn’t require you to have a blog or publish content constantly. Instead, this refers to the practice of submitting your content to someone else’s blog. This way, your content will be seen by a wider audience, and your website will receive a backlink from that blog, ultimately helping it rank higher on Google in Lebanon.
6. Avoid Black-hat SEO in Lebanon
Black-hat SEO is any SEO service that promises you to get on Google fast. These services are often advertised by digital marketing agencies in Lebanon.
While black-hat SEO can sometimes show your website on search engines, it will definitely destroy your website’s SEO after certain period of time. These practices are against Google regulations, which means they should be avoided at all costs.
Here’s a few examples of black-hat SEO
Keyword stuffing
Keyword stuffing is when a website adds certain keywords so many times in their content. This is very bad for SEO, as Google’s algorithm can detect it and will penalize you for doing it. You should avoid it and try to implement your keywords into your content naturally.
Duplicate content
Yes, you should often post on your website and keep it updated to get better SEO, but using someone else’s content on your website is considered a duplicate content, or plagiarized content, and will result in penalizing your website.
Doorway Pages
Creating multiple pages with the same content but targeting different keywords to manipulate search results. I have seen this on many digital marketing companies in Lebanon, and I have also seen them getting penalized by Google and not showing their websites on search engine results.
FAQs
How to improve SEO in Lebanon?
To improve SEO in Lebanon, focus on local SEO strategies, use relevant local keywords, optimize for mobile, create quality content in Arabic and English, build backlinks from reputable Lebanese websites, and ensure your website is fast and user-friendly. Additionally, register your business on Google My Business and engage with social media to increase local visibility.
How does a blog help with SEO in Lebanon?
A blog helps with SEO in Lebanon by providing fresh, relevant content that can be optimized with local keywords. It increases website visibility and engagement, supports backlink building, and enhances user experience. Regularly updated blogs also signal to search engines that the website is active, improving its ranking. Additionally, blogs allow for targeting specific Lebanese audiences and topics, increasing local relevance and authority.
How to increase website traffic in Lebanon?
To increase website traffic in Lebanon, implement local SEO strategies and use relevant local keywords. Engage in social media marketing targeting Lebanese audiences. Create high-quality, relevant content and optimize it for mobile users. Utilize online advertising platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads with a focus on the Lebanese market. Encourage backlinks from reputable local websites and listings. Also, consider email marketing and participate in local online forums and communities to boost visibility.
Conclusion
In conclusion, you must have a plan to rank higher on Google and improve your SEO in Lebanon. Additionally, it’s important to respect Google’s ranking factors and make it easier for users to browse your website and read your content.
Also, you need to make sure your website provides high quality content that your visitors will love. Otherwise, Google won’t choose your website over someone else’s. Always remember that your website tells a lot about your business. Not only to Google, but also to your customers.
Originally published at https://soufan.me on January 13, 2024.
