We use search engines every day, punching in terms, words and phrases and expecting answers about virtually everything. When we reverse the situation and we are the ones who want to get listed on the first page of Google, there is a big chasm to bridge and very few will profess to be expert search engine marketers.
The first point to keep in mind is that if you have a comprehensive website, this is only the first step to drive sales. A website that has not been optimised for search engine ranking is like a shop that is located in an alley. No one really knows that the shop exists except its current clients. However, when launching websites, we are usually aiming to reach not only our present audience and customers but more importantly we are after new leads and business. A good chunk of these leads has to arise via search engines.
A successful search engine optimisation programme is one which ultimately results in your website being listed on the first page of Google. The coveted top position in Google gets 33 per cent of the traffic and being listed beyond the first page can be meaningless for several industries. This is because few people go as far as clicking on the second page, so reaping the rewards of traffic from search engine intrinsically is tied with being on the first page. In fact, Google states that 80 per cent of search engine users stop their search on the first page.
When people are making searches, they are taking a proactive stance and searching for something in which they are already interested. This means that in a way they are already within the sales funnel. It is up to a company to ensure that it is listed for a particular phrase or keyword as this gives the company a better chance to be included in the customer’s set of options. The type of keyword or key phrase that is actually used also indicates how deep in the sales funnel the person is or how close to the actual sales or booking.
Search engines provide two main ways of exposing your business. The easier and faster option is Google AdWords where the business selects a series of keywords or phrases and then the search engine displays your website as part of the paid listings when users make a search. Such paid campaigns allow for micro-targeting and offer a variety of options such as even selecting the time of the day when you want the campaign to be active.
However, as with all paid campaigns, this might not be the strategy to follow in the long run especially if the cost of the keywords turns out to decrease the profit margin substantially.
The second, more laborious but long-lasting strategy is search engine optimisation. The essence of this strategy is a strong focus on the website itself. The first part of the exercise is identifying the keywords and key phrases which are of relevance to the business in question. In this activity, it is always imperative to investigate keywords from your customers’ perspective and identify which are the keywords that can direct traffic to your site. One facet is finding the keywords for which there is a lot of traffic and for which competition is rather low as these tend to offer more opportunities that are easier to tap in.
The ranking that a website gets on Google ultimately hinges on the number of backlinks it has
Once the keywords are clear, the focus should then be on the website content. The ranking of the website for a specific keyword is highly dependent on how relevant your website scores for that keyword. The content on the website needs to be structured in an appropriate way where the emphasis is placed on the most important phrases.
Search engine experts also advocate that the website’s loading speed, duplicate content and experience on mobile devices affect the website’s ultimate ranking on search engines.
Keeping a website’s content fresh also helps as Google is always on the lookout for websites that are distributing new content to their audience. One of the first points is establishing if your website is actually being listed on Google. If your website has been blacklisted, then you might need to explore strategies about how to start again from scratch.
An important aspect of SEO is harnessing the power of local searches This means gearing your website and other online presences such as Google listings in such a way as to appear at the top of local search results in Google. The power of these listings cannot be over-emphasised. One cannot ignore that according to Google 76 per cent of local searches on mobile actually generate a visit to the real place within 24 hours and 28 per cent result in a sale. This brings search engines to a completely different playing field and all local business should work towards the objective of ranking highly in local SEO.
For this type of ranking, there are other factors that come into play such as the consistency of the addresses used for the business in different online platforms and the number of reviews accumulated. Being present on a variety of directories associated with your location and your topic or product helps too.
The ranking that a website gets on Google ultimately hinges on the number of backlinks it has. Originally considered as a mechanism that indicates a ‘thumbs-up’ or a kind of recommendation, the back-link constituted a mechanism where the number of back-links indicated your clout and the recognition of your business of ‘others’ not by yourself. It was a way of ensuring that only the best of the breed could climb the echelons to the top.
Today this area of search engine still revolves around this concept and improving ranking via backlinks involves careful study on how to acquire high-quality, relevant, legitimate and authoritative links. Not everyone who links to your website has the same standing. The key to succeeding in this area is acquiring links naturally, evenly and as organically as possible.
Content distribution is an intrinsic exercise and this entails making sure that the content that has been created is reaching far and wide.
Search engine marketing cannot be done in isolation without looking at website analytics. The first question to ask is how much of your traffic is coming directly from search engines. Keeping an eye on the traffic helps you take informed decisions. Likewise you should also look at the keywords which are bringing in the current traffic.
Investing in a good website is important as this is the equivalent of your salesperson and shop window. However, the website on its own is not enough. Search engine traffic is the motor that should be driving more clicks, bookings, sales or leads. Online marketing that does not rope in ongoing search engine marketing is simply letting your digital investment lying idle whilst your competitors reap the fruits.
Kristel Jo Bishop works at Keen Ltd, a full-service digital marketing agency specialising in web development, website design, search engine optimisation, online advertising and branding.