Marketers are on a never-ending quest to make the huge world of SEO and organic traffic just a little bit smaller so they have a chance of being found amidst all the noise. It’s a daunting task to say the least.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) achievement is guided by how much organic traffic a website is experiencing. So it is the marketer’s job to perform keyword research and constantly be measuring and analyzing search ranking metrics to get their websites found. Your next customer is out there searching for you, are you sure you’ve done everything you can to help them find you?
Here are some tips for SEO that every company must follow to compete for search rankings and convert web traffic into sales leads.
Traffic from organic search
Organic traffic is traffic that was brought to your website through organic search terms. For example, a software company in the healthcare space that creates open API programs might find that users come to their website by searching for “medical API software companies”. Through the use of marketing automation software, businesses can get an accurate view of all of the keywords that users who come to their site are searching for. This guides their marketing efforts and allows them to write more relevant content for these users to find.
Keyword performance and rankings
Thanks to marketing automation software, businesses are able to view critical analytics around the keywords they are ranking for. For example, the software company discovers users are searching for “medical API software companies”. Upon further analysis, they see that they rank in the top 50 search results on Google. They can also see approximately how many monthly searches this keyword generates, as well as the difficulty to rank for this keyword compared to competitors. The goal is to target keywords that have a high search volume and a low difficulty ranking. These keywords are easier to rank for. Based on keyword ranking reports, content is created around the keywords that are ranking highest to ensure that their position doesn’t drop.
Unique search terms that convert web traffic into sales leads
Another key to analyzing keyword ranking data is to discover which keywords are converting visitors into leads. One search term might appear to drive more organic traffic, but have a lower conversion rate than another. The most important metric you can look at is what is driving conversions. Search volume means nothing if you don’t convert visitors into leads on your site. For keywords that are converting visitors, look at why this is happening. What types of content are they converting from? Then you can take this information and apply it to other keywords that maybe aren’t converting as well.
Long tail keywords
When you want to stand out from your competitors online and bring more qualified traffic to your site, one way to do this is to target long-tail keywords. Long tail keywords are just that—longer keywords that are more specific to your business. For example, a short tail keyword would be “API software companies”. This returns over 38 million search results on Google. On the other hand, a long tail keyword would be “medical API software companies for EHRs”. This keyword returns closer to 3 million results. Long tail keywords generate traffic that is searching specifically for your company, and therefore is less competitive than broader short tail keywords.
Optimize conversions
You’ve done the research. You’ve analyzed which keywords your website is ranking for. So then, how do you optimize conversions for these keywords across your entire website?
The answer is targeted content creation. You have to ensure your landing pages and blogs are using relevant CTAs (calls-to-action) that lead visitors to download an eBook, a white paper, or learn more about your services. You have the data at your fingertips, now use that data to give your visitors what they want.
Navigating the complex world of SEO is challenging, no doubt. Especially when Google is constantly updating their search algorithms and the like. But, the use of marketing automation software (such as HubSpot for example) allows marketers to gain insights into what their users are searching for and gives them the ability to better target these potential customers. We don’t need to emphasize the importance of being found online. But we will anyway. Your customers are online. They are looking for your business. Ensure your SEO and content creation strategies are aligned to create the best chance of being found.
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