Experiences with SEO
As a digital marketing agency, we sometimes become immune to the perceptions of our services in the real world. We are so entrenched in what we are doing, we need to remind ourselves that:
- In reality there are a lot of businesses out there that may have had poor experiences previously with digital agencies
- People need to understand the services you are offering and how they can benefit their business
- The pursuit of website traffic and page one slots on the search engine is not the final answer
What is SEO?
SEO stands for search engine optimisation. This means making your website the best it can be for Google to want to serve it up on the first page of its results.
Sounds easy, whats the issue?
The issue is that Google do not tell us exactly what ‘the best’ is in terms of a website. In fact, what they consider the best result will vary each time people search depending on a whole raft of factors: their location, their previous search history, their age, their family size…. The list goes on. Essentially, Google is sending crawl bots out (like spiders…ewww I know, but it’s a good analogy!) to constantly crawl all over your website and see what’s on it. This means they know the best content to serve up when people are searching on Google. If people are looking for information on your service area, they look for a website with all the information on there that a buyer needs to make a decision. If people are looking to purchase, they look for a website with clear pricing and purchase information and clear calls to actions or shopping elements on there.
So, how can SEO help?
Structure: SEO helps you by making sure that your website is structured well. If the bots (spiders) can make sense of how to get around it, then so should the people searching on Google. This includes site layout and structure, menu options, page names, page addresses and Heading Text.
Expertise, Authority and Trust: SEO helps you present all the reasons why you are the best in your business. Who are you and why are you or your products the best for the customer? Have you got experience? Certifications? Trusted Trader links? Reviews Feeds? Video guides?
Links: Are your pages linked together to provide a seamless experience for a website user? Is your website linked to other relevant sources of information around the web?
Site Speed and User Friendliness: Does your site work well on all devices, does it scroll well, does it load quickly?
Once all the basics of SEO are done, the only way is up the rankings, With regular site maintenance, updated content and liking to other sites it’s all good. Your experiences with SEO should be going well.
Tips: Ask your agency exactly what they are doing with SEO and why. We’re not naming any names but there are agencies who will take your money and do nothing or very little at best. If they are doing the work they should be able to tell you what they did, why they did it, and how much it cost or how long it took.
If you feel like your’e being swerved, that’s a red flag. Speak to us if you want an objective overview of what you are paying and what you are getting (or not getting as is often the case). We will advise you in a free review.
But, what if I am on the first page and I am not getting the business?
That’s the issue here isn’t it. We could get you to the first page for ‘glow in the dark vegan Minnie mouse slippers size xxxs’ with SEO but if nobody is searching for that then what is the point?
Equally, if you are on the first page for key phrases with a lot of search volume but nobody is ordering or contacting you…what’s going on?
Essentially it is about targeting the right phrases and ensuring that you have a clear CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation) strategy running alongside your SEO. We will be looking at CRO in our next blog but if you have any questions right now, get in touch.
