How does SEO fit into an overall marketing strategy?

Posted by Jacob Meyer

It’s not easy for every business to grasp. Your website and your competitor’s website are nothing like billboards or TV ads that invade your life. Websites put your customer in control and when they’re done, one click and your website is gone. It can make online marketing difficult to grasp and easy to undervalue. So, let’s make your website and search engine optimization (SEO) work alongside your current marketing plan.

Here are some statistics to prove it’s going to be important:

81% of B2B purchases start with web search
33% of clicks from organic search go to the first listing on Google

To gain access to this world of prospects you need a website. That website needs to be optimized and marketed to appear in search engines. So what does that mean?

Optimizing your website.

First, take a step back and look at your most common buyer. You’re going to want your website to address their needs and give them all the information they want. Think of your website as your 24/7 salesperson. This person never rests, but can only perform as well as the information you’ve given them. If your sales staff is under-educated on your product or service, they won’t do well and the same goes for your website.

Start by asking:

What are my most common buyers needs, wishes and goals?
What does my product mean for my buyer?
- Go deep here! For instance, a McDonald’s cheeseburger isn’t a just cheeseburger – It’s a fast way for a consumer-on-the-go to enjoy a meal with no fuss in a few minutes. It’s a simple experience with an affordable price that makes life easier. See, that cheeseburger means a heck-of-a-lot more than meat and cheese. It meets a need!
What does a day in their life look like? How does my product or service change that?

Request our guide to Uncover Your Buyer Persona to gain access to more great questions.

Once you start to understand your buyer, look to your website and start creating pages that address all their needs. They will be using search engines to find answers to their most pressing questions. It’s your goal is to answer all of them as well as your best salesperson would. Give them all the information you can share. Search engines love to promote thought leaders and informational resources. Just do some Google searches of what you think your buyer would be searching and see what comes up. Learn from the results and see how you can do something better.

Keyword Tools

You also need to use some tools to help in your process. Get acquainted with Google AdWords Keyword Planner and Answer The Public (It looks a little scary at first, but it’s worth it!). These tools are amazing for content generation. Google AdWords can help you understand the volume of searches out there for a particular word or phrase and Answer The Public can show you real questions people are asking Google. Between the two, you’re going to be able to create some great content topics.

*Warning: It’s easy to get bogged down in keyword data. Focus on your buyer not potential search volume and you won’t regret it. Also, your chances of ranking for the highest volume search terms is slim unless you’re as good a Wikipedia. Look for easy wins and build it over time.*

Here is an inspiring video from Answer the Public that sums it up!

The Seeker from Propellernet on Vimeo.

As a part of a whole strategy

Now that you have an awesome content driven website you can start using it alongside all your other marketing efforts. Remember, your website is now like a direct line to a 24/7, no pressure salesperson. All you have to do is promote the URL along with direct mailers, billboards, TV ads and whatever marketing strategy you’re doing.

The best part is, while you’re working to promote it and have it working for you 24/7, your website is out there attracting new customers on its own. By answering valuable questions and giving away valuable information you’re going to earn links and social shares. Essentially, it will be promoting itself on other websites and ranking higher in search engines. Just keep giving that salesperson new and fresh information on a regular basis and promote it.

If you ever have any questions feel free to contact us! I know this stuff can seem a little daunting, but if you take it one step at a time anything is possible.