Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has the potential to be an extremely powerful tool when correctly employed. Like so many tools it can be misused and it often is. In White Hat SEO, we don’t try to game the search engines, only to provide outstanding organic content. The better your actual content, the more likely people are to look at the rest of your website.
This of course has a knock on effect in that your brand will become better recognized. The more people see your brand and the more often they see it, the more likely they are to associate you with your products and services, rather than your competitors.
SEO is truly cost effective, particularly if you compare it to other forms of online marketing. Techniques such as Pay-Per Click advertising, for example AdWords; buying email lists or postal lists for a mail shot; or embarking on a social Media Marketing campaign incur significantly more cost. They also have the disadvantage that there is no long-term benefit. Don’t get me wrong, there are other benefits to using these different marketing strategies. They will need to be used as part of the overall marketing mix.
This might come as a surprise, but it is now very common for at least 80% of your potential customers to investigate multiple sources for a product and to read many different reviews online. This trend has been increasing for a number of years and there is no reason to think it won’t continue into the future. This means, that if you want to be found and you want your business to flourish, then you must be found in the search engines. It is therefore essential but you produce high quality organic content which is SEO friendly. Without it, they might well find your competitors instead.
There have been many articles and stories which have either ask the question all made the bold statement that “SEO is dead”. This is quite clearly absurd. For that to be true it would imply that Google and the other search engines no longer value original high quality content. It is true that every time the search engines update their algorithms, that is the way they understand the web, there are winners and losers. However, if your content is original and of high quality, what we refer to as using White Hat SEO then it is very effective.
As I have already said, the most important thing is unique high quality content. This point cannot be overemphasised. There are many systems and methods of producing new content. The majority of these so called Black Hat SEO techniques are the ones that do poorly whenever the search engines change their system. It is a good idea to base your marketing around high quality and unique content the people actually find engaging. While this article is not about the specifics of how a search engine will rank your content, bear in mind that there are over 200 factors which are typically used. These will include social media sites, such as Facebook, twitter and LinkedIn along with other publications.
Who doesn’t want an added bonus? That’s what a sales multiplier is. It will disproportionately increase your sales compared to any increased marketing costs. This means you can spend time and effort and money marketing elsewhere. Which in itself, is a sales multiplier. In this context the real benefit of SEO is that it’s working silently in the background 24/7 and doesn’t take a day off for holidays or sickness.
It’s very unlikely that everybody knows about your brand and that you’re the best source to satisfy their needs. However, as most people search for reviews and other product information online, you have an excellent opportunity to help them out. It is during this investigation phase of the buying cycle that are White Hat SEO techniques come into play.
It is more important now to invest in White Hat organic SEO then it’s ever been. High quality unique content that directly speaks to your visitors is essential. As more and more people research purchases online before they are made, we have an opportunity to be part of their buying cycle. We do that with fabulous content. Your website visitors like it, the search engines like it and it helps us to build a brand and to make sales.
If you want to succeed online, then you must have an SEO strategy for your business. Getting your message right, for the search engines and for your website visitors is perhaps the most important part of your branding efforts.
SEO is a fun and fascinating field, if you would like some help, courses, tools etc, then we’re more than happy to help. Give us a call and see how!