3 Ways Businesses Can Thrive with Search Engine Marketing

We now live in an online world, where potential clients can quickly and easily skim through websites and decide who to develop working relationships with. But the challenge comes from ensuring that your website is easy to find than your competitors. And that is where the power of search engine marketing comes in. 

The challenge comes from the fact that this is an ever-changing world, where the rules of yesterday no longer apply and where it’s essential to be up to date with how the search engines are programming their algorithms. This is where the services of a trusted and highly experienced SEO Consultant come in. But it makes sense for all business owners to have some knowledge of the basic elements of search engine marketing. 

We’ve identified three key areas which we believe to be vital for your business to thrive with the help of search engine marketing.

1. The User Experience

We’ve already mentioned that users can now rapidly switch between the sites of different companies. If they don’t like what they see, then they can close that browser window and look for an alternative.

It’s important to know that it’s not only the user judging your company based on their website experience. Search engines such as Google also consider the user experience to be significant when deciding which sites will be presented on the all-important page one of the search results.

Areas that should be considered include:

• Page loading time. How long do you wait for a page to load before you give up and go elsewhere? Not only is it frustrating for the user to be sat waiting, but it also gives a poor first impression of your business. Did you know that we seem to be becoming more impatient? Research indicates that as we become used to technology offering us immediate results, that when we don’t get that immediacy, we then become frustrated very quickly. 
• How easy is it to navigate around your website? Does someone have to use multiple clicks before they reach a ‘Contact Us’ page, or can they quickly become a new client? Is it obvious how to get product or service information, or do users have to dig down through several levels before they can establish if you offer what they need? Remember that point about us becoming more impatient? If it’s not easy to do business with you, then they will go elsewhere.
• How does your site look on a tablet or a mobile phone? More and more people are using mobile technology to surf the internet; in fact, it’s thought that over 55% per cent of web traffic is via a mobile phone, and in some countries, that figure is much higher. That means that it’s essential to take website experience into account no matter the technology being used.

2. Development of an SEO Strategy

Search engine optimisation is not something that you can take a look at every now and then. It needs a focussed approach to ensure that prospective clients are directed to your website.

This is likely to include:

• Keyword research. Just what do people put into search engines when they’re looking for companies like yours? When you have this information, then you’ll be able to identify where users are being directed towards when those keywords are being searched for. Now you can decide which keywords will become the focus for your website.
• Content. Unique content makes your site a valuable resource for those searching for information. But that content needs to be not only useful and grammatically correct, it also needs to be structured in such a way that it comes to the attention of the search engines. That means that you need to consider:
  • Headings
  • Title tags
  • Meta description
  • Alt Image text
• Identifying opportunities for guest posts and backlinks from authoritative sites back to your own website. 

3. Accessibility

Website accessibility means making your websites usable by everyone, regardless of their ability, education, or technology. When you consider that 1 in 4 Americans has a disability, then you can quickly see that accessibility is essential to reaching all potential clients. 

Not only does accessibility widen your customer base, but it may also be a legal requirement, depending on where in the world that you’re based. An additional benefit comes from the boost it can give to your SEO strategy. That’s because it can also have the effect of improving your websites search engine rankings.

Many aspects of website accessibility also led to an enhanced experience for all your users, and these include:

• Intuitive Layout. Things like clicking on a logo and being taken to the home page, and having your text left-aligned, making it possible to navigate the site without having to think about it.
• Use Title Tags to give a name to each page. This then helps screen reader software to quickly recognise the difference between different pages. From an SEO perspective, the title tag is often the first thing that a visitor experiences when visiting your site, so having an accurate title is essential in helping them to see why they need to be there and not on your competitors’ website. 
• Video Transcriptions. Many companies use video on their websites to showcase their products and services. However, for users with limited sight or hearing difficulties, videos can become of little value. When a written transcript is provided, all the details in the video become accessible to all your users. And It’s not only site visitors with disabilities that can find videos challenging. Those in areas with low internet speeds may also find it impossible to watch them.

So, as you can see, search engine marketing can have a hugely positive impact on your bottom line. But, carefully planned is essential, with the needs of your clients being a top priority.