Many of us in the business of online marketing spend the bulk of our time racing to the top of a search engine results page for a particular keyword phrase…the very term “search engine optimization” invokes the idea that search engines should be the sole focus of your online marketing efforts.
But should it be all search engines all the time?
While the idea of this post is taking a somewhat critical tone toward search engine optimization, I’m not telling you to forget about all of the other tips you find here in our SEO knowledge center and elsewhere. However, you have to eventually ask yourself why you’re spending time and money marketing your business online. Too often, we get caught in the trap of thinking that our websites are the end rather than the means.
I’m sure I’ve mentioned before on here but I’m mentioning it again – making sure your web pages are “search-friendly” isn’t the only criteria to successfully marketing your business online. Rather, the most important part is to understand the type of content your customers are looking for and to provide it.
Think about your business for a minute – how many customers out there have no idea what you do or why they would ever need you?
Suppose you’re an estate planner on Long Island just outside New York. Your answer may be “yes” to the preceding questions since searchers consistently find your site by using “estate planner long island” or “estate planner nassau county” as their search terms.
But what about terms searchers may use before they even know what an “estate planner” is (or whatever it is you do)?
Could there be another cache of potential customers using “elder care trust” or “Medicaid asset protection”? Chances are you may be missing out on an extraordinary edge over your competitors.
Continue to compete with your competitors using generic keywords for your industry/location but branch out a little bit with more general keyword phrases that can help customers learn that what you offer is what they need – you might capture a lead before they even know to specifically search for an estate planner for example.
In the end, don’t simply copy what your competitors do and expect that to work well for you. Optimizing your site for the same exact words they do can’t possibly work for all of you. Differentiate yourself by thinking more broadly about what your customers need.
If you start optimizing content and messaging to what your customers really need rather than solely focusing on the search engines, you’re putting yourself in a good position to accomplish what you’re really looking for – an increase in the bottom line.