I’ve worked for marketing firms before that would sell you search engine optimization (SEO) packages that meant jack sh*t.
The most common problem: their salespeople don’t do the work or the reporting.
SEO gains are hard to track because everyone’s search results are different.
It doesn’t mean that it’s impossible, as there are indicators, but your money is better spent on improving your customer experience rather than chasing Google’s algorithm. In doing so, you’ll inevitably boost your SEO.
Here’s how to tell the difference.
WHAT TRADITIONAL FIRMS WILL SELL YOU
They’ll sell you a monthly package worth thousands of dollars with no way of proving that you’re climbing the ranks.
They’ll target keywords but end up stuffing a blog so full of them that you’ll think a robot from outer space wrote it.
Or they’ll try to build backlinks for you. The operative word is “try.”
Building backlinks means another website links to you, but for it to work, you can’t link back to them. Your agency is relying on other people to promote your business without anything to offer in return other than payment, which is a big no-no.
So, what you end up with is a bunch of crappy sites linking to yours. Google doesn’t like it because they aren’t high quality or relevant, so it doesn’t help you in the end.
You’d be better off with a PR campaign to get your business covered in the media. More on that later.
HOW TO PROPERLY BUILD SEO
We want real, live people to do business with you. So we cater your website to them.
It may seem simple, but take a search around some websites, and you’ll see that they talk a lot about themselves and not much about their customers.
Look, and you’ll see a lot of first-person writing (we) and not enough second-person writing (you).
Your content needs to cater to their needs with your products and services, not the other way around.
WRITE BLOGS LIKE A HUMAN
You know your customers and what questions they ask, so answer them in a blog!
If your answer is 1-2 sentences long, start an FAQ section on your website, but if you can write 500-1000 words on the topic, make it a full article.
You’ll inherently use keywords that are specific to your audience, but to go one step further, think of different ways someone might pose the question to Google.
For example, if you’re a yoga studio, someone might search: “yoga practice” or “yoga classes.” Try to incorporate the variations.
As copywriters, we’re mindful of where keywords fall within the content because they’re assigned a hierarchy, but if you’re writing content yourself, don’t stress over it.
Your website works together as a whole, so if you say “practice” in one spot and “classes” in another, you’ll inevitably cover both keywords.
HELP MOVE PEOPLE THROUGH YOUR SITE
Google looks for signals that people are spending time on your site and moving throughout it. If they land on your page and immediately bounce, you’ll start to lose your SEO traction.
As you build your site, consider how they’ll get from page to page. Can they get to where they’re going within three clicks or less, and what information do they need to make a decision to work with you?
To help you visualize it, draw a literal map of how someone would go from your home page to contacting you or purchasing from you.
Use easy-to-click buttons to tell them where you want them to go next. Will they move from your home page to your services page? Describe your services, then link there.
Blogs can be an excellent entryway to your site, too. If they’re written properly, they’ll keep people on your site longer (another SEO signal!) and invite them to learn more about your business by leading them to other pages.
Even better, embed a video to explain it in more detail or with visuals.
The immediate result for those actually visiting your site (not those you’re hoping one day will)? They’ll see that you’ve prioritized their time and goals and have made a compelling case to work with you over someone else who didn’t design their site as considerately.
USE ACCESSIBLE DESIGN
We’ve covered some copywriting and website flow tips above, but your design is just as important.
Remember the 90s when everything was neon and confetti shot everywhere when you landed on a site? It’s gone the way of the past for a reason.
While fun, it wasn’t accessible.
High contrast legible font is more important for usability.
The same goes for how well your site works on mobile. Be sure to check it before you launch and as you make changes because more than 50% of your customers are visiting your site on their mobile phones or tablets.
You can check your exact stats by setting up a free Google Analytics account on your website.
You may have realized that SEO is a bit of a beast. At the end of the day, Google is trying to put their customer experience at the forefront by providing accurate answers to search queries.
If you do the same and provide helpful information to your customers, Google will, in turn, prioritize your website in its results.
We'll cover more tips in a Part 2 soon, if you’re ready to tackle the next set of recommendations, but if it all feels a little overwhelming, book a free consultation, and we’ll help you put your customers first.