How can Search Engine Optimization (SEO) make more money for your business? Good question! You may know what SEO is (if you don’t, jump over to Part 1 of this series The Power of SEO) but you may not know exactly how more organic traffic makes you more money. We are going to explore the 4 Ways to SEO can bring in more sales:
- Increase Organic Traffic: Be Seen in the Digital World
- Improve Local Visibility: Local SEO is King
- Inform Users: Get Them To Your Products Faster
- Engage New Business: Build Offline Connections
1) Increase Organic Traffic: Be Seen in the Digital World
Google receives more than 2 trillion search queries a year and about 70% of people search online before making a buying decision. The surging use of Google makes it a place that your business has to be found. Improving your site’s visibility online increases brand awareness and allows you to better connect with your potential sales targets. Here is an example, if you own a plastics manufacturing company and you need to generate sales you would probably reach out to current connections or send out emails or phone calls to potential new customers. What if one of those new customers gets your call and then Google’s your brand name and finds nothing? That sale is likely lost. What if a potential customer searches for “plastic manufacturer” and you don’t show up. Lost sale again.
We could also imagine that scenario from the other perspective. What if your plastics manufacturing company has a good website that explains what you do and provides that user another way to connect? You have a much better shot at closing that sale because they not only received a phone call from you but they also were able to see that you could be the right fit for their needs.
2) Improve Local Visibility: Local SEO is King!
If your business thrives on foot traffic to a store or sales from a specific location, you need local SEO. According to HubSpot, “Over a two year period, there was a 900%+ growth in mobile searches for “near me today/tonight.” Not only are localized searches growing at astronomical rates, they are also really good at driving sales. About 78% of all location-based mobile searches result in an offline purchase. Local SEO is one of the most profitable forms of digital marketing for localized businesses because most people searching locally are already in a mindset to buy. The user knows that they want a product or service in a specific area, meaning they have already done the research needed to know what they want and where to find it.
We will get into actual local SEO strategies in Part 4 of this series but the key items of every local SEO program will include:
- Have a website with easy access to Name, Address and Phone Number
- Create/claim Google Maps/Google My Business Listing
- Fill in any and all information in your Google Listing
3) Inform Users: Get Them To Your Products Faster
Your website is a powerful tool to engage new customers. Not only do we want them to find your brand and website but we also want to have the right information on the site that allows them to make an informed buying decision. 61% of internet users do research online before making a purchase online or offline. It’s crucial that you site answers these key questions:
- What do you do or sell?
- This information can take the form of content blocks on a category page or specific product/service pages
- What makes you unique?
- This should be plastered all over your website. The headings, tagline and more should represent WHY someone should buy from your business.
- What other information does a buyer need to know?
- If someone is looking to buy a car, they may need more information about auto loans. If you are a bankruptcy attorney, you may need content on recent state laws.
- How do I buy?
- Easily provide access to buying solutions whether that be ecommerce, form submission, phone calls or in person visits.
If your site easily provides all the information above, a user will be exponentially more likely to buy because they are armed with everything they need to do so.
4) Engage New Business: Build Offline Connections
Engagement is key to conversion. Once a person visits your site and consumes the information provided, engagement needs to occur in order for your company to make a sale. Whether that’s the customer finding a phone number or address or possibly submitting a form request, we need the customer to take action towards buying. This is where on-page SEO techniques like email sign up pop ups, form pages or asset downloads come in – especially on a site that doesn’t allow a customer to buy right away. Once a business collects that vital information, a person-to-person connection can happen. Most sales (especially in the service and high dollar industries) are still taking place person-to-person, so it’s important to use website traffic as a catalyst in generating more conversations with more people.
There it is, four ways that SEO can help your business make more money online and offline! Contact Blu Sky Creative today and let us know how we can help you with get on the path of better SEO.
