Search engine optimisation is critical if you want to have a successful online business. Professional marketing consultancy Clear Goal Marketing explains that not being found online can have a detrimental impact on the bottom-line.
Do it right and the consistent traffic results will generate an enviable stable revenue stream. Align this with an integrated digital marketing strategy implemented across web and social channels and you are well on your way to developing a loyal fan base.
Why is SEO important?
Every website is competing for ranking and that is why it is so important to incorporate SEO strategy into your digital marketing plan for your website and your ongoing marketing activity. Search engines spiders trawl websites for keywords rooting and indexing relevant pages to match the search criteria.
When updating or building a website time should be taken to select the right target keywords for your business. Get this right and you are half way there. Read on for advice on researching your perfect keywords…
Improve your online shopfront
A website can be compared to an on the high-street store, when customers walk-in and out-all day long.
Some will walk-in and out straight away (the store wasn’t what they expected maybe?)
Others stay a while and browse but do not purchase
Others stay a while and buy
Some will love your store and return to buy more
Some will rave about your website and recommend to their friends
Ask yourself if your website is up to scratch? If it is not mobile friendly, has broken links, poor structure, out of date information – this can all negatively affect SEO ranking.
Researching killer keywords
Tools such as Google Adwords (soon to be Google Ads) are perfect to research the best keywords for your business. Google Adwords is trickier to access as it now sits within the Adwords account platform being only visible and available for use when setting up an Adwords campaign.
Just remember that you will need to sign-up to an Google Ads account and plan a campaign to gain access.
Google Adwords is now called Google Ads as it announced a change to its brand architecture.
How search engines work
Search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing deliver results depending on the search criteria that is entered. If they search “the best car for a family of 5” the results are more likely to be blogs.
If they search “family cars” they are more likely to see brands in the results. Achieving a high rank for “family cars” will be difficult and mostly sponsored pay for click by large brands. At first best to focus on longer search terms low hanging fruit where the competition will be less.
We explain more about how search engines work in our blog ‘SEO Content Strategy Tips' where we explain our 6 top tips:
Produce fresh content – guidelines
Share stories – oozing personality
Embrace FAQ
Ask for testimonials
Embrace social network
Keep track of competitors and sector
Search-engine friendly content
Tenfold explains in their blog ‘how to use SEO in your digital marketing strategy’ how to optimise content explaining there is no way to guarantee a high ranking in major search engines.
“There are several ways to boost your ranking through paid search, but organically you should aim to be in the Top 30. If you search for your website and find yourself on page 10 or 15 – there is lots of scope to tweak content and get it working better for your chosen keywords.”
Keyword fuelled page titles, meta data and search engine friendly content all help. But do not forget about user experience and nurturing relationships with your website visitors. Read on as we explain the complexities of the online relationship process.
Generating a consistent revenue stream
A strategy for nurturing relationships is an important part of a marketing plan to generate a consistent revenue stream from your website traffic. The process is rather complex, we explain here briefly:
Attracting search engine trawlers to your website
Engaging audience once they hit your website
Keeping visitors there long enough – avoiding high bounce rate
Joining mailing list / incentives for staying in-touch
Liking your social media channels – how will you get them there?
Ongoing blogging plan to encourage re-visits, on-going relationship
Moving them along the sales funnel, ultimately making a purchase
Ensuring customer is satisfied
Obtaining a positive review
Repeat purchase / generating referral business
Keeping relationship ongoing
The best way to handle this process is to think about it in reverse and approach your digital plan from a macro perspective from the off.
With all this in mind you can create the perfect digital marketing strategy for your online presence, without wasting time, money and resource. An outline of a plan will suffice, to guide your marketing efforts.
Planning a digital marketing strategy
Once you have your outline plan, make sure you give it the SMART stamp of approval. Important things such as audience and measurement are often forgotten. It does sound a little bit dull, and it is best not to plan for too long, but it pays to be SMART with your planning.
Specific – what is the audience you have in mind?
Measurable – can you track data, conversions, how you gained customers?
Achievable – not too ambitious but achievable and include a strategy for retaining customers
Realistic – are goals and timelines realistic everything considered?
Time-bound – is it the right time now? Research and test
The changing marketing landscape
Too many new technologies? The digital world just keeps on spinning. Are you struggling to find time to plan? Read our blog on “Marketing Planning in an Evolving Digital World” it may help you consider a different approach to planning your marketing.
In conclusion
The online world is very complex but once you understand the mechanics of SEO you are half way there. High-five to that!
Focus on the right things and ensure that your digital marketing strategy caters for relationship nurturing and turning visitors into paying customers / brand advocates.
Before you embark on a bulletproof strategy, ensure your shopfront is in order with a mobile optimised website, that is free from broken links and houses some excellent keyword fuelled content written perfectly to engage with your target audience.
Your digital marketing plan should focus on communicating on-brand DRIP (differentiate, remind, inform, persuade) feeding your message in a consistent manner across online and offline activity.
As technology evolves ensure you stay up-to-date and integrate new strategies, revising your tactical plans.
Sometimes outsourcing is the only solution to stay ahead. Clear Goal Marketing is a freelance marketing consultancy that helps small-medium sized business owners with their marketing through friendly strategic marketing advice focused on profitable audience interaction. If Clear Goal can assist contact Wendy email hello@cleargoalmarketing or tel: 07980 707198 or visit cleargoalmarketing.co.uk.
