Effective SEO plays a huge part in any digital strategy, and there’s no denying that one of, if not the most efficient ways to reach your desired audience today is through an effective digital strategy. This should drive appropriate traffic to your website and encourage meaningful social media engagement. Digital marketing has now become part and parcel of many PR and marketing firms, and it’s hard to truly deny the power that digital marketing has over the success of your business and dare I say it to the old school amongst us, even the B2B services. Most businesses aren’t even aware that LinkedIn has a higher conversion rate of customers than both Twitter and Facebook. B2B, it’s all here.
I’ve been using effective, Google-friendly SEO techniques for over ten years and without even realising it for most of that time. When I began promoting websites and creating and expanding audiences I always favoured interaction, content and meaningful communications that engaged people to breed further discussions and engagement. I didn’t realise it at the time, but ten years ago I was favouring targeted quality marketing over mass quantity billboard-style SEO and the result was something that 9 out of 10 SEO companies don’t understand. You can have high brand visibility with longevity and high conversion rates. I shudder when business owners tell me about the SEO companies that pitch for their business with ‘get 1000 followers on twitter, 10,000 likes on Facebook and 100,000 visits a month on your website’ but then what? Are you reaching the right people? Is your bounce rate above 80%? Are you converting any of that audience?
It’s great for any business to be at the top of Google. You know the saying, ‘Where’s the best place to hide a dead body… the second page of Google’. The problem is that unless your website has the appropriate calls to action, indexing or is ranking for the most effective search terms, you’ll just end up with sky high bounce rates, a conversion rate in the floor and most probably a penalty from Google due to the spammy links and bad guest blogging that the cheap SEO company you hired created for you. It would be far more beneficial if you were to stand on the street carrying a billboard just hoping that someone will read your product message that wants your services. For SEO to work properly, it has to be implemented as part of a much bigger digital strategy that emphasises a progressive increase in meaningful online interactions which help to empower you to achieve your desired business objectives.
For SEO to be a meaningful practice, it has to be a key element in a wider digital strategy which is designed and performs as a supportive structure for your business objectives.
If you’re thinking about investing in SEO, and if you own a business you should (even if it’s B2B because your competition will have it and they will be taking your customers all the way to the bank), make sure you meet and understand the company you’re going to work with. SEO as a method has to include continual revision, investigation and close monitoring of your ROI to ensure the strategy works for your brand or business. If you’re a brand and you have been approached by some cheap guy sitting in his bedroom without the right tools, time management and consistent training; please do not waste the capital you have worked so hard to raise. It may be cheap in the short term but it won’t be in the long run, especially if you plan on running your business for more than six months. Trust me on this; I have met too many directors that have come out of the other side of having had their companies damaged through Google penalties and wasted capital.
Get in touch with our expert team at Mantra Media to start seeing positive outcomes from a truly effective SEO strategy.