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When consumers need a new television, physician, bank or church, where’s the first place they usually start their research?
Statistics show that they typically turn to one of two places – their friends (word of mouth) or the Internet.
Online research often begins with a search engine, which has prompted businesses of all sizes to sit up and take notice of how a solid search engine marketing strategy can have a direct impact on their bottom lines.
It’s common for me to hear businesses say: “Why isn’t our site at the top of Google when I search XYZ?”
The answer is called search engine optimization, and if you aren’t performing well in searches, chances are a solid SEO strategy is not in place.
Did you falsely assume that your Web developer took care of SEO when the site was built? Are you targeting the right phrases? What data can you glean from your Web site statistics? Who is managing the ongoing SEO strategy?
These all are questions that businesses need to ask to understand the importance that a comprehensive SEO strategy plays in helping to grow site traffic. Increased site traffic means more online brand interaction that eventually leads to more conversions. However, it starts with getting the people to your site.
A comprehensive SEO strategy puts your message in front of the consumer at the most critical phase of the marketing cycle – the point where they actually are looking for your products and services.
Let’s say you are a Sioux Falls chiropractor looking to grow your business. You could buy a billboard and hope that 1) people see it, 2) they were impressed with what they saw, and 3) they remember your message when they are in the market for chiropractic service. Or you can use search marketing to target that consumer when they are ready to act.
If the potential client has back pain, he or she has gone to a search engine to locate a chiropractor, has typed “sioux falls chiropractor” into the search engine and are ready to act.
From a marketer’s perspective, being in front of a consumer at this point in the decision process is invaluable. Catch consumers with the right message when they are ready to buy, and you have the highest chance of gaining their business.
I recently worked with a local technology firm that had a specific set of search strings that they wanted to optimize. After analyzing the phrases, we found that some were not winnable because the competition was too high and the number of searches being performed for those phrases was too low.
As a solution, we were able to identify several searches that were similar, but with a higher volume of daily searches and a lower number of competitors. The company decided to optimize for those secondary phrases, and as a result are now achieving top 10 placement in Google, Yahoo and MSN for the terms being targeted.
Having a big, shiny Web site is a great first step in an online marketing strategy, but if people can’t find their way to your doorstep, your site exists in vain.
By using search engine optimization in tandem with e-mail marketing, blogging, social media and other online tools you will gain a major advantage in reaching today’s Web-savvy consumer.
Ten Haken is president of Click Rain Inc., an online marketing firm
275-6010, www.clickrain.com
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