It is not uncommon for some Australian businesses to feel aloof about investing in search engine optimisation (SEO). Well, nobody can blame them as there are many myths and rumours about SEO that can easily alienate new and small businesses.
If you own a business in Australia and if you want to further your sales through a cost-efficient marketing strategy, continue reading because this one was specifically written for you.
Debunking SEO Myths
One of the common myths about SEO is that it is a very complex marketing strategy that shouldn’t be touched by non-professionals. In some cases, this could be true; but the most basic elements of SEO are pretty straightforward and easy to understand.
Another myth is that SEO isn’t as important now as years ago. Many bloggers and so-called digital marketing experts assumed that SEO will be dead several years ago, but the reality is that SEO industry continues to grow and prosper. Because it is effective, many established and up-and-coming brands in Australia spend a lot of money on their SEO efforts.
Decoding the Basic Principles of SEO
SEO is all about keyword research, website optimisation, link building, and content marketing. If you want your business’ website to be on top of the search engine results page (SERP), you need to have a good SEO strategy.
To give you a more enlightened perspective about how SEO works, let’s discuss how we do it at Search Insights. One of the first steps we do is to conduct a thorough keyword research for our clients. We put our feet in the shoes of the client’s audience to know what these consumers are looking for in the web. There are four stages of the conversion funnel, which are awareness, interest, desire, and action. We research for keywords that will perfectly fit each stage to ensure that client’s expectations are met and even exceeded.
Knowing What Users Search Is Essential
SEO experts do not only research for what the keywords use by search engine users but also study the way searchers behave. Knowing the trends and the way your target consumers search is being a step ahead in the game.
When you know how your audience behaves, you can easily come up with solid and cost-efficient strategies that will fuel your keyword assignment, content development, and website optimisation. SEO professionals categorise user intent into four stages: navigational/awareness stage, informational/interest stage, commercial/desire stage, and transactional/action stage.
Let’s roll out some examples, shall we?
- Awareness stage – Brand-based searches (e.g. flower shop Melbourne)
- Informational stage – Question-based searches (e.g. flower shop in Melbourne open today)
- Desire stage – Question-based search with the intentional of buying in the future (e.g. flower shop Melbourne for Valentine’s Day)
- Action stage – Question-based searches with the intention of buying today (e.g. flower shop Melbourne delivery today)
Attract Potential Customers Even Further
Getting traffic for your website is only half of the battle. The next half is all about maintaining the interest of the site’s visitors and convincing them that your brand deserves their time and money.
How to do this? From the get-go, your site should be able to answer visitors’ question: “Why should I choose this brand over hundreds of others?” That’s why providing your target audience the value they’ve been looking for is the key.
Here’s our take on how to get your visitors clicking the ‘add to cart’ button:
- Your website should have all the basic information visitors are looking for, such as company profile, contact information, and testimonials (if applicable).
- Ensure that the products in your website are relevant to what the visitors are searching for; provide information on the benefits of using your products.
- Show them your track record. Today’s consumers are much more discriminating so your website should provide all the information about your brand’s credibility.
- It’s also important to talk to the visitors as humans. Don’t just bombard them with the physical benefits of your products but also the emotional benefits. Show them that you care.
Build For the User
Search users are humans, keep that in mind. So your website should have helpful and insightful content that will give your visitors new knowledge.
The nitty gritty of SEO is a challenging task so it would be best to leave it to professionals who have mastered the ins and outs of the industry. If your business needs an extra push on its digital marketing efforts, contact us today so we can help you craft a solid and cost-efficient SEO strategy.