Every Single Website Needs an SEO Strategy

Making search engine optimization (SEO) work for your business

When describing the increasing importance of SEO, we can use a famous (or infamous) Internet company as an easy-to-understand example. Once upon time, there was a company named Google. Their goal: to make finding what you are looking for on the Internet easy and accurate. Way back when, search engines were delivering pretty crappy results, based mostly on the number of times a particular keyword or search string appeared. It didn’t even have to be relevant; just present on the page. This led to a lot of user frustration, and creation of really poor content, jammed with keywords. No one was happy.

Google started asking the question, “How can we make search better?” They developed a series of logic based calculations that scanned content and determined its relevance. They called this process a search algorithm. And man, it was a hit. So much so that people frequently use the company’s name to actually describe the action of online search: Just Google it.

However, as people started discovering the basis of the algorithm, they began optimizing their websites to ensure they were bumped up to the top of the search results list. This became known as search engine optimization. And as Google and other companies continue to evolve their algorithms, SEO best practices also continue to morph and change.

Now, what does this have to do with you? Well, in an increasingly online world, where customers almost always research a company or product before purchase, your website’s placement within those search results can be the difference between business success and total annihilation. And as a result, ongoing SEO optimization needs to be an integral part of your company’s operating plan. If the algorithm changes, and your site doesn’t adapt, you can go from hero to zero in nothing flat.

Why You Should Allocate Dollars for SEO

With your newfound knowledge on the origins of search engine optimization, it’s time to focus more on the specifics of why you really need it.

• Regardless of what you may have heard, SEO is not dead. The bottom line is SEO still works. If you remain focused on an ideal user experience, and update your strategies as needed, you will be rewarded with a better page position.
• …and SEO isn’t going to die any time soon. Is the Internet getting smaller? Of course not. Are people still trying to find the right information, and sifting through the vast clutter of said Internet? Yes, they are. People still need search engines, and as long as they continue to work, websites will still need an optimization strategy if they want to stay ahead of the game.
• SEO is one of the most cost-effective traffic drivers. When you compare the cost of other online marketing, search provides a decent return on your investment (ROI). Pay-per-click can be expensive. Organic search provides a consistent funnel of customers, creating a stable base for your business at a relatively low price.
• Search engines dominate market share. As many as 90% of customers check online reviews prior to purchasing. When they start looking, you need them to be able to find your business. Period. Because if they can’t find you, you can count on the fact they’ll end up finding your competitors.
• Mobile marketing is on the rise. Did you know research via mobile device trumped the traditional desktop channel this year? It’s true. And with the rise of mobile comes a slew of new SEO techniques, including local search enhanced by mobile geo-location.
•  Your competitors are investing in SEO. What does this mean for you? Well, pretty much if you aren’t constantly moving forward, you’re being overrun by the guy next to you. This might be one time you tell your Mom “Yes!” when she compares it to friends jumping off bridges.

Key takeaway: If you want to keep a successful business afloat, you absolutely need quality SEO strategies.

You Know You Need It. Here’s How SEO Is Done.

At its core, SEO ensures search engines can find your site, index it appropriately, and then display your content to visitors in an easy and efficient manner. While the tools to do this are many, and varied, here is a description of the general components.

• Gain an understanding of how search engines work. Before you start, you need to know the different engines’ abilities; how they read and index various types of media for a specific search string is critical to success.
• Quality counts. Your elements and performance metrics matter. They are key indicators telling an engine your site is a good one.
• Get familiar with user behavior. Both on your site and off, you need to know what users want to do and how they go about it. Why? Because you need them to be doing it on your site.
• Content is King. You need to be trustworthy, authoritative, and professional. To make users believe your company is all of those things, you need good content. This includes unique images, and information not duplicated on another site. Engines recognize and reward this.
• Backlink to related sites and additional information. If you have a few, high quality links, your site will be rewarded in the rankings.
• Create a holistic online profile. Yes, this includes social. The more pages across platforms your company has, the more valid it appears to the search engine. Plus, you get added bonus of possibly having multiple pages from across sites show up in search results. If both your corporate and Facebook pages make it, you’ve increased the chances someone will click you first.
• Consistency matters. When you make critical updates, such as a new website, phone, or contact info, it needs to match on all your platforms. If your Facebook page has your old web address, but your blog is linked to your new one, search engines will penalize you. When you make changes, ensure they’re implemented across the board.
• Reputation counts. Angie’s List, Yelp, Amazon, and a number of other review aggregators all contribute to your company’s online image and legitimacy. While you may appear in the top three results, it doesn’t help you if it’s sitting next to a one-star company review.

An experienced strategist will be able to help in all of these areas, but it’s good for you to understand the basics of the tools used, as well as why they are being recommended for your company.

Effective SEO Is More than Just Page Ranking. Here’s What You Need to Know.

You’re ready to invest your dollars in SEO, but do you know how to measure success? Based on everything we’ve been discussing, you might think that a top three page ranking is the answer. And while it’s an answer, it shouldn’t be the answer. Your end goal should always be an increase in contacts, leads, or boost in sales. Those are what matter to your bottom line, and you need a firm capable of engineering a strategy to deliver on that for your business.

To do that, a good company will need to devote a bit of time. You aren’t flipping a switch and magically tripling your site traffic and rankings overnight. A good company will research your industry, audit your website for current effectiveness, and begin technical changes after that. If the company happens to specialize in your industry, great; this will cut down the initial time required to start making changes.

After research and an audit, your web overhaul begins. It can be simple content adjustments, or a major overhaul to site structure and pages. It really just depends on where you are starting from. They should also start building quality links to and from your site, as well as rounding out your online profile. This can include anything from blogs to articles to whitepapers. And if you don’t already have a multi-faceted social media presence, you’ll likely get one of those too.

Around this time (perhaps as many as three to four months in) you should begin to see a significant increase in your rankings, site traffic, and overall lead generation. It should be a big enough bump to get your attention and draw some excitement, but it’s nowhere near what you should expect twelve months in. If your trajectory doesn’t climb steadily in the first twelve months, then something isn’t right.

Market Blazer: A Holistic Web Firm that Delivers Results

Right about now, you’re probably wondering who can help you get your SEO strategy off the ground. How about the experts who just spent the last few minutes breaking the industry down for you? We have the experience you need to get the results you want, so don’t wait. Invest smart money in yourself, and in your business’ online presence.

If you’ve been wracking your brain trying to figure out how you can get more bang for your buck, and improve your lagging online performance, we guarantee we can help you. Ready to turn your website up to eleven? Click or call 770-893-2443 to hire the amazing SEO team here at Market Blazer, Inc.