SEO: Why Being No. 1 Isn’t Everything

By Chris J. Everett, Principal & Founder Captivate Search Marketing

A New Age of SEO Marketing ConsultantsAs the Internet and search engine marketing has evolved over the years, so has the role of SEO Marketing consultants.

In today’s SEO landscape, the scope of a SEO’s job isn’t narrowly construed to just driving their clients to the top of the search engine results page.

While getting to the top of the search results IS an essential ingredient for online marketing success, that isn’t the be all, end all for truly measuring the success of your SEO marketing strategy. The overall objective for businesses who invest in SEO marketing is earning a return for their investment.

What separates the top SEO Marketers from the mediocre ones is their understanding of how to optimize their clients’ websites not only for the search results, but also to capture more conversions (sales/leads) from visitors who land on their clients’ websites. This element of SEO Marketing is known as website conversion optimization.

Website Conversions Defined

“Conversions” can be defined in multiple ways depending on the website’s functionality and set of goals.

Types of Conversions:

• Ecommerce Sales

• Contact Form Submissions

• Email Newsletter Signups

• Request For More Information

• A Phone Call

Website Conversions Defined

• Ecommerce websites have an easy definition for “conversion” in that if someone makes a purchase on the site, they’ve converted.

• For other lead-generating websites, a conversion could be getting a phone call or email contact form from the website that puts that user in the “conversion funnel” but it’s still the job of a sales person to close the deal.

• Websites focused on information consumption for future direct/digital marketing opportunities, getting a website visitor’s name, email address or phone number would be considered a website conversion.

• The end objective for any business that invests in SEO Marketing is to make a return off the investment. If your SEO Marketer is driving more rankings and traffic to your website, but you’re not receiving any sales, leads or other website conversions, then your money isn’t being spent wisely.

Conversion Optimizing Your Website

One concept that you must understand in SEO Marketing and conversion optimization is that SEO, website optimization and web design go hand in hand.

There are many strategic elements for optimizing a website for higher conversions. Some of those elements relate to SEO, and other elements that rely on having an effective website design.

The following slides highlight both on-site and off-site conversion optimization strategies that you can utilize to make your website more in tune with the needs of your website visitors.

Conversion Focused Web DesignIn Web Design, simply having an attractive website doesn’t guarantee conversions. Below are some web design elements that play into a user’s overall experience and ways to increase your conversion rates:

• Have a simple, easy-to-use navigation structure.

• Incorporate appealing graphics that have a strong call to action such as enewsletter signups, eBook downloads, etc.

• Tailor custom landing pages for your SEO keyword targets.

• Make sure your company’s contact information is easily accessible.

• Integrate social sharing icons throughout the website for easy sharing amongst users.

• Have product reviews and customer testimonials available.

SEO and Conversion Optimization

SEO also plays a role in driving website conversions, through both on-site and off-site methods, including:

On-site Methods:• Logically cross linking content to other related internal page content on the website that might support a buying decision.• Developing well-optimized website copy that speaks to the search engines, but also convinces a visitors that the product or service they’re reading about is of value to them (ultimately turning them into a conversion.)

Off-site Methods:• Conducting quality link building through valuable content marketing that helps drive higher rankings for “conversion oriented” landing pages on the website (i.e. product landing pages on ecommerce sites, etc.)• Promoting the website and its conversion-oriented pages throughout Social Media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Google+.

Conclusion

While investing in SEO marketing does mean that you should expect to achieve higher rankings and increased traffic from your keyword targets, the assumption that it will automatically lead to an increase in sales, leads, etc., is a naïve one.

No matter what your company’s definition of “Conversion” might be, to be effective, your SEO marketing strategy should not omit optimizing your website for conversions by utilizing some, if not all, of the strategies outlined in this presentation.

Overlooking your website design and its ease of use and conversion for visitors is a monumental mistake that can burn a hole in your pocket if you’re not on the right path.