The Most Important Tip for Improving Your SEO Strategy
When was the last time you evaluated your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy? If traffic to your website has steadily decreased in recent months it may be time to review your plan. Does your company appear on the highly coveted first page of results when searching for a specific product? If not, it’s time for a change.
Most people understand the basic premise of SEO which—as explained by HubSpot —is to make your website more visible to people who are looking for solutions that your brand, product or service can provide via search engines like Google, Yahoo! and Bing. The need for SEO remains unchanged, however, the techniques used to improve website rankings have evolved considerably in the past decade.
According to SearchEngine Journal, approximately 68 percent of online experiences begin with a search engine and only .78 percent of Google searches result in a click on second-page search results. These figures illustrate the importance of a defined—or redefined—SEO strategy in order to drive consistent, qualified traffic to your website. While there are several tips and trends that can be implemented to enhance visibility, we at Marketing Direction believe there is one tactic that should be reviewed first and foremost.
Research is the Key Word
“It’s not enough to have a pretty website if no one can find it,” states Marketing Direction Lead Marketer Mandy Richardson. “None of your SEO efforts are worth it if you don’t do the research in the front end.”
Determining the right traffic-generating keywords can help drive sales to your business. Some companies hire an expert to assist with SEO based on a list of keywords they believe customers will use to find their product. Unfortunately, what the customer actually types in a search does not always go according to plan or bring qualified visitors to the website.
Take a recent scenario with a Marketing Direction client who provides wholesale medical supplies. SEO research shows exceptionally high traffic for medical supplies. Because it functions as a B2B provider, this company isn’t interested in attracting the end consumer; it wants to attract the medical supply businesses that sell directly to the consumer.
“Adding the qualifying keyword ‘wholesale’ has been instrumental in attracting the right visitors to the website,” Mandy explains. “Without the research we could have just used medical supplies and, although traffic would be high, we wouldn’t be reaching the right audience.”
Once the appropriate keywords are defined, start integrating them into your website. But, don’t just stop at content. Be sure to include them in image tags, meta tags, title tags and snippets. Add them to your LinkedIn profile as well as all of the social profiles and directories you subscribe to in your industry, as Google connects all these pieces for relevancy.
When you’ve done your research, everything else in your SEO plan falls into place, whether it’s developing brand content or redesigning your website.
Refine and Redefine SEO Strategy
This year, the need for SEO has risen dramatically as more and more businesses have shifted their focus to digital marketing in order to reach more customers. “SEO is the most viable and cost-effective way to both understand and reach consumers in key moments that matter,” says Sam Hollingsworth, SearchEngine Journal. “Implementing robust, quality SEO on a brand’s website and digital properties will benefit brands and their marketing efforts now and in the future.”
SEO does have its challenges and spending time on keyword research is imperative to success. It’s important to periodically delve into the websites of your competitors to see which keywords they are optimizing for, as well as optimizing your business for new Google developments. The process, when done effectively, can be very time-consuming especially without the experience of an SEO expert and access to the right toolset.
“There is no magic SEO wand,” Mandy states, “and you need to make sure the words you’re optimizing for are the same words your customers are currently using in their searches. This isn’t as simple as one and done, but rather a process that is ongoing.”
