It's fairly standard for us to speak to clients who believe search is the "holy grail" and that ranking #1 on Google is the key to a successful, fruitful business.
It's this exact scenario that has made us decide to let you in on what really matters...
Businesses succeed online through varying tactics, factors and methods - both inbound and traditional marketing is essential for a wholesome marketing strategy.
However, many business owners, MDs and CEOs are convinced that the "key ingredient" for leads, sales and customer engagement is SEO.
To that, we must give you a big fat "nope"!
We have nothing against SEO, when used correctly and professionally it is a great tool to employ. However SEO is smarter than it once was - old-hand techniques (aka black hat SEO) meant writing content just to put the keyword "marketing" into your copy 72 times so you'd have a chance of ranking on page #1.
Now, Google Algorithm changes, general updates to the search ranking factors and a focus on quality content means it's virtually impossible to rank through the ways of yesteryear.
Today, we believe there are three elements in your marketing strategy that will put your company head and shoulders above the competition and they are...
User Experience
SEO success and searchability can be impacted by the strength of your user's experience while they are on your site - did you know that if someone rapidly bounces from your site to another it doesn't improve your ranking? Their visit is just ignored...
It's easy to churn out content or concentrate on your personal design ideas and styles - if you love them - but do your users? If 100 visitors dislike your content they'll be turned off and move onto a competitor - harsh, but true.
Consider split testing website content and designs to find which your target market is most likely to respond to and engage with.
Ask:
- What do you want your users to do when they reach your site?
- Are they supposed to be clicking around and bouncing across different pages?
- Is there enough to satisfy their needs when it comes to your content?
- Are they taking notice of your offers and services pages?
Writing for your target market / persona
Whether you like it or not, it doesn't matter how advanced your knowledge - your visitor might not be so it may need "dumbing down". Talk to them about how they want to be talked to and give them the precise content they're looking for and expecting from you.
There's no point putting things out there if they're not relevant to your target market. Your services, products and information are going to solve problems for them, typically speaking, so what do they require from you?
Ask:
- What is the problem they are facing?
- Why are they coming to you for answers? Give them those answers...!
- As a final goal what are they trying to accomplish and what are you aiming to achieve from their business / custom?
- How are you making their lives / business better?
Conversion Rates
For a lot of managerial teams and CEOs, the answer lies in the numbers, statistics and financial reports. If you're getting 3,000 visitors a month to your site, but only 100 conversions, is your website working at its best for you?
Are you getting the results and matching the targets that you need to be?
You must be getting users to your website who will actually convert into sales, otherwise your content is either off-target, your branding messages are wrong or there is a poor search strategy in place.
Ask:
What is more important - visitors or sales? The answer is probably glaringly obvious, the work to get it right is a little harder (but worthwhile when it starts showing measurable, clear-cut results)...
