SEO: three little letters, one massive headache.
You’re constantly being bombarded with reasons as to why it’s essential
for your business’s prosperity but perhaps have still to be persuaded
as to its benefits.
The reason is very simple. As more and more research
activity is conducted online, the need to be visible in the monolithic
maze that is the Internet search engine is ever more acute. If you can’t
be found online you face the prospect of fading into irrelevance and
missing out on key business that doesn’t know you’re there to help them.
Search engines are the most important platform through
which potential customers research to solve their problems, and a
high-ranking result will enhance trust iand generate traffic. If you’re
near the top of the search result then it must surely follow that you’re
one of the leading players in your market segment and are naturally
placed to solve the searcher’s initial query.
If you’re still in need of convincing, here are five cold hard facts to consider:
1. 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine
2. Most users ignore paid ads and place more trust in the top search results
3. 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results
4. SEO is the No 1 driver of traffic to websites
5. SEO leads have 14.6% close rate as opposed to 1.7% for outbound leads
[Source: Search Engine Journal]
So how to navigate safely through this labyrinth and come
out on top? We have established three benchmark areas to boost your SEO
visibility.
Keywords
These should be the focus of your SEO strategy, since
keywords, and keyword optimisation are what will determine whether or
not your content leaps out of the search engine to ride to the
searcher’s rescue. Consider the verticals you serve. Also think about
the intense competition the search engine will throw up if your terms
are too generic (eg. 'managed services'). The best way to maximise your
ROI in your search efforts and improve your ranking is to use as many
specific, low-competition highly searched key words as possible (for
example, instead of ‘Citrix managed services’, something even more
specific like 'Citrix managed virtual desktop services').
Remember the purpose of this is not simply that you will
be found by chance but that you will be found by the very people most in
need of what you have to offer.
Stay active
Of course keywords are essential but Google and other
search engines have got wise to the practice of keyword stuffing. Firing
off into the night every conceivable keyword that might relate to your
content will not work. Instead stay active and produce helpful search
optimised content. For example Google will always reward a regularly updated B2B company blog, replete with useful industry insights.
It also helps to use social media to encourage people to share content linked back to your website.
Your website
You need to structure your site map accordingly to ensure
you will be considered relevant by search engines. It should, of course,
contain all the usual stuff company websites were designed for
(Homepage, About Us, News, Contact) but an important step to avoid
getting lost in the ether, is consistency in your inbound links and
anchor text. Download Tracepoint’s free SEO checklist to uncover any steps you might have missed.
Remember that the search engine user was searching for
information related to your industry in the first place. Now they’ve
found you, your website is a one-off opportunity to influence their
decisions with irresistible offers.
To benchmark where your business is and improve your search rankings, take our free SEO checklist.
Tracepoint is passionate about generating powerful SEO
strategies that get B2B businesses found online. For these expert
insights download our freeebook: The no BS B2B SEO guide.
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