Many marketers and business owners know that they need to market their products and services, but the question is what should be included in their marketing strategy. Options include advertising, brochures, promotional items, trade show participation and much more – but what about digital marketing? One thing that is true of all people, is that we are all online. Not only are we all online, but we use sites like Google, Yahoo or Bing to connect us to websites. As a business you need to be found on these search engines to ensure potential customers know vital information such as who you are, what you sell, how to buy your products or services and if you are a trustworthy seller.
What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
SEO is improving a website internally and externally to drive more organic traffic from search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bing to your site. An SEO expert will help to improve technical site performance, site content, appearance in search engines and external factors such as links. All of these efforts will allow your website to show up higher in relevant search results that will better help users to find your site when looking for your name or industry. SEO services and strategies are vast but should be specifically formulated to target your ideal audience.
How Does SEO Integrate with Other Marketing Efforts?
SEO shouldn’t live on its own. It’s a part of the overall marketing strategy and should tie together with other efforts. If your business is actively targeting a specific industry via other efforts like advertising, direct mail or trade shows, SEO can work on parts of the website that speak to that market or help to create content to better target that audience. You’ll see organic traffic grow on that part of the website in parallel with the other efforts.
It’s also important to make sure that people can appropriately find your site after seeing an ad or meeting someone from your sales team. If a person searches for your brand name or service offering and your site doesn’t show up, that could be a lost sale. Don’t lose out on sales!
Does SEO Work?
The great thing about SEO is that we have a number of concrete ways to track performance to prove it works. We use free tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to see organic traffic and keyword improvement, as well as using paid tools that closely monitor keyword and website health. Something to understand is that SEO isn’t an immediate win. You won’t likely see positive change in the first month, but you will see gradual and continued increases over time – especially if you have a long-term relationship with an SEO expert or agency. SEO is an investment into the long-term health and success of your business.
I Don’t Sell Online, Do I Still Need SEO?
Yes! Any business from e-commerce to brick-and-mortar can benefit greatly from building their online credibility and visibility.
How Do You Start Integrating SEO into Your Marketing Strategy?
The first step is engaging someone that can give you high-quality SEO support. Look for an agency or expert that knows the CMS your website is built on, that has a way to track results and that can give you an idea of what they plan to recommend. Once you have an SEO agency on board, they’ll likely complete an SEO audit to make sure there aren’t any major issues with the site. Any concerns should be immediately fixed to ensure SEO efforts are successful. Then, start planning! What are the marketing plans or goals for the year? The SEO expert will give you a plan on how they can support your other efforts to ensure you meet your goals. SEO has become an essential part of any marketing strategy, so make sure you’re not the one business in your industry hasn’t invested in your online presence.
